Nanosized components of energetic systems: Structure, thermal behavior, and combustion

Ultrafine and nanosized powders of oxidizers and metals are considered as promising ingredients for the development of new highly effective solid rocket propellants. An ultrafine ammonium perchlorate (AP) powder and nanosized aluminum were produced by mechanical activation and investigated using electron and atomic force microscopy and X-ray powder and thermal analyses. It is shown that the activation energy of nanoaluminum oxidation is considerably lower than that for the micron-size powder, and the activation energy of the high-temperature decomposition for standard AP exceeds that for ultrafine AP. The exponent in the burning rate law decreases, and the burning rate increases by an order of magnitude if micron-sized aluminum is completely replaced by nanoaluminum in stoichiometric compositions containing ultrafine AP.