Advances in science and technology of modern energetic materials: an overview.

Environmentally compatible next generation green energetic materials (GEMs).

A review on the use of nanometals as catalysts for the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

In this review, an attempt to collect the summarised data of literature on catalytic effect of nano-oxides, such as mono oxides, mixed oxide, binary and ternary ferrites and rare earth metal oxides on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) is made. Influence of size effect of oxides on thermal decomposition of AP and comparison of bulk and nanosized oxides is also discussed here. Several experimental results revealed that due to small size and large surface area nanosized metal oxides are more potential catalysts on thermal decomposition of AP compared to their bulk size oxides.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17458080.2010.517571

Nano-metal oxide: potential catalyst on thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

A facile and ecofriendly method for the synthesis of nano-sized iron oxide (Fe2O3) decorated graphene (GINC) hybrid by ultrasonication via microwave irradiation has been developed. During this process, nano-sized Fe2O3 particles with a size of approximately 20–30 nm were uniformly decorated over a graphene sheet. The nanohybrid was characterized by XRD, HRTEM, Raman spectroscopy and Raman mapping. To study the enhancement of catalytic activity of iron oxide by preparing GINC, several AP based compositions containing 1–5 weight% GINC were made and characterized through simultaneous thermal analysis (STA). Along with this, formulations with other catalysts with 1–5 weight% concentrations were also prepared and evaluated. Experimental results showed that GINC with 5 weight% concentration was considerably more effective as compared to other compositions. To further extend this application as a burn rate enhancer in composite propellants, several formulations of composite propellants containing 1 part of different burn rate enhancers, such as Fe2O3, nano-sized Fe2O3 and GINC, were prepared and evaluated using theoretical prediction, viscosity, ballistic properties, sensitivity parameter and thermophysical properties. To quantify the burn rate enhancement in the presence of GINC, burn rate measurement, STA, DSC and activation energy calculation were performed. The results show that the burn rate of propellant increases from micron-sized Fe2O3 (30% increases) to nano-sized Fe2O3 (37% increase). In the presence of GINC, a significant increase (52%) in burn rate is achieved. In GINC, effective iron content is about 50% as compared to nano- and micron-sized Fe2O3. Hence, GINC was found to be an excellent burn rate modifier for an advanced AP based propellant system.

Graphene-iron oxide nanocomposite (GINC): an efficient catalyst for ammonium perchlorate (AP) decomposition and burn rate enhancer for AP based composite propellant

Introduction T metal oxides (TMO) like Fe2O3, CuO, MnO2, CuCr2O4, etc., form a very popular group of catalysts for burning rate modification of composite solid propellants. Although it is well known that these oxides affect the decomposition characteristics of polymers and oxidizers like ammonium perchlorate (AP)' and potassium perchlorate, (KP) the exact mechanism of the effect on solid propellants is by no means clear even today. Much fragmentary literature is available on the effect of these oxides on propellant burning and decomposition, oxidizer burning and decomposition, and sandwich and condensed mixture combustion. It is the purpose of this review to bring the material together so that a comprehensive picture can be drawn of the mechanism of the action of these catalysts. It may be mentioned here that these oxides also catalyze hydrocarbon oxidation reactions by inducing free radical decomposition of hydroperoxides (formed by the contact of oxidizer and hydrocarbon).

M.R. Sunitha

Papers

Effect of Transition Metal Oxides on Decomposition and Deflagration of Composite Solid Propellant Systems: A Survey