NaHCO3 with three particle size distributions was employed to determine the minimum inerting concentration (MIC, g/m(3)) for the explosion of 5 mu m and 30 mu m aluminum dust in a standard 20 L spherical chamber and thus examine the effect of particle size on the inhibition efficiency. Results showed that the MIC significantly increases as the aluminum particle size decreases from 30 mu m to 5 mu m. For 30 mu m aluminum, the MIC dramatically decreased with the reduction in the NaHCO3 particle size. By contrast, for 5 mu m aluminum, the MIC was nearly independent of the particle size of NaHCO3 in the range studied. Time-scale analysis indicated that the decomposition of NaHCO3 must be faster than the aluminum combustion reaction for effective chemical inhibition. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the particles of the explosion residues of a NaHCO3/Al mixture were considerably larger than those of pure aluminum explosion residues. A diameter ratio beta(mix) was defined to evaluate the degree of incomplete reaction promoted by NaHCO3. The composition of the explosion products was analyzed by X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy, and the data revealed that Na2CO3 and Al(2)o(3) are the major species of the products. An inhibition mechanism was proposed based on these results. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.