The
defect structure of the samples formed under mechanochemical
activation (MCA) of V2O5 and mixed Al/V2O5 oxides has been analyzed. Al/V2O5 mixture is one of the most perspective thermites, and using
the MCA, one can considerably increase the rate of its combustion,
for example, by creating high concentration of the defects. To our
knowledge, this scientifically interesting and probably applicable
system has not been investigated in detail. Samples were characterized
by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, BET measurements,
and X-band electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. MCA of V2O5 at the split-stage was accompanied by forming
the nanosized (∼80 nm) particles which contained various defects:
boundaries of coherent scattering areas, microstrains, and paramagnetic
centers (PCs) of two types. The first type of PCs contains the isolated
defects (V4+ ions) located on the surface of nanoparticles,
and the second type of PCs is a kind of clusters formed by V4+ PCs with a very high local concentration of defects. Increasing
of the milling time results in dominance of friction processes accompanied
by the increase of particle sizes and decreasing the specific surface
area but, at the same time, the increase of grain surfaces, sizes
of microstrains, and the PCs concentration. The aluminum addition
stimulates aggregation processes of particles into composites, but
the high concentration of different defects is preserved. We assume
that our results concerning the Al/V2O5 system
will be a serious supplement to the investigation of thermites prepared
as a mixture of aluminum with different metal oxides.