Advanced Nano Metallic Fuels Used in Energetic Materials

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (2 April 2023) | Viewed by 9147

Special Issue Editors

School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: metallic fuels; composite ernergetic materials; polymer-bonded explosive; ignition and combustion; reaction kinetics of thermal oxidation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Interests: fuel reactivity; energetic materials; thermal kinetic; combustion performance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the increasing amount of research into nanochemistry and nanotechnology, different techniques for synthesizing nanometallic materials of various natures, sizes and shapes have been developed. Recent insights into the atomic-/molecular-scale description of interfacial regions have provided innovative ways of fine-tuning nanometallic materials’ properties. These new nanometallic materials allow for the addition of ingredients into energy devices, making it possible to reach high energy density, excellent output power and high energy exchange efficiency, as well as improving service life and safety. As highly reactive materials, they may lead to major breakthroughs in Li-ion batteries, fuel cells, thrusters, actuators and propulsion-related energetic devices as well as in small integrated pyrotechnic devices. Topics of interest for this Special Issue include: the design and preparation of nanometallic fuels; reaction kinetics of thermal oxidation; ignition and combustion performance; applications in propellants and explosives; applications in energetic devices; high calorific value alloy fuels; moisture resistance and oxidation resistance; and advanced characterization methods of nanocomposites.

Dr. Shi Yan
Dr. Yanchun Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nanofuels
  • energetic materials
  • ignition and combustion
  • explosives and propellants

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4735 KiB  
Article
Comparative Study on Combustion Behavior of Aluminum-Based Alloy Fuels and Aluminum Powder in Solid Propellants
by Haoyue Xin, Kun Wang, Hui Ren and Qingjie Jiao
Metals 2023, 13(8), 1492; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13081492 - 20 Aug 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2190
Abstract
In order to reduce the ignition temperature and improve the combustion efficiency of aluminum powder, three aluminum-based alloy fuels, Al–Mg, Al–Zn, and Al–Si–Mg, were prepared by the atomization method. The oxidation, ignition, and combustion performance of alloy fuels were investigated, and the results [...] Read more.
In order to reduce the ignition temperature and improve the combustion efficiency of aluminum powder, three aluminum-based alloy fuels, Al–Mg, Al–Zn, and Al–Si–Mg, were prepared by the atomization method. The oxidation, ignition, and combustion performance of alloy fuels were investigated, and the results showed that, using pure aluminum powder as a reference, the weight gain of alloy fuels increased from 10% to 84%, the reaction activation energy decreased from 582 kJ·mol−1 to 208 kJ·mol−1, the alloy fuels containing Mg had good ignition response, and aluminum-based alloy fuels showed high calorific value and efficient combustion as a whole. In order to investigate the combustion behavior of alloy fuels in the solid propellant, tests were conducted on the mechanics, safety, process, and combustion properties of propellant according to the national standard, and the test results showed that, compared with the propellant made of aluminum powder with same quality, the propellant made of alloy has better mechanical properties, higher frictional sensitivity, lower electrostatic sensitivity, comparable process performance, and increased combustion calorific value and combustion speed. Engine test results confirmed that Al–Zn and Al–Si–Mg alloy fuels could effectively improve the specific impulse efficiency of the solid propellant and reduced the residual rate of the engine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nano Metallic Fuels Used in Energetic Materials)
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14 pages, 13518 KiB  
Article
Reactions and Morphologies of Mg and Mg/Teflon/Viton Particles during Oxidation
by Yifan Li, Jie Wang, Dong Shen, Haoying Liu, Dongming Song and Yanchun Li
Metals 2023, 13(2), 417; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13020417 - 17 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1667
Abstract
A thorough investigation on the reactions and morphologies of Mg particles and Mg/Teflon/Viton (MTV) during oxidation were conducted via thermal gravity-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) and scanning electronic microscopy. The results showed that the oxidation of Mg is fast. It merely changed the metallic [...] Read more.
A thorough investigation on the reactions and morphologies of Mg particles and Mg/Teflon/Viton (MTV) during oxidation were conducted via thermal gravity-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) and scanning electronic microscopy. The results showed that the oxidation of Mg is fast. It merely changed the metallic luster of Mg before 550 °C, and only a few particles changed to a white irregular shape at 600 °C. However, all of the Mg particles oxidized to porous irregular shaped MgO at 650 °C. Herein, the oxidation of Mg particles ended by its melting point, and the whole process is a solid–gas-phase reaction. On the other hand, when MTV reacted in air, the reaction could be divided into two stages: the fluorination of Mg and the oxidation of the exceeded Mg. In the first stage, a dense MgF2 shell was formed by the solid–solid fluorination. The dense MgF2 shell could impede the oxidation of Mg. As a result, the oxidation of Mg began after its melting. Furthermore, liquid Mg could vaporize at higher temperature, which could burst out from the MgF2 shell and react with oxygen. The MgF2 shell exhibited a dense feature, not only protecting the Mg particles from the heterogeneous oxidation at lower temperature, but also facilitates the homogeneous oxidation at higher temperature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nano Metallic Fuels Used in Energetic Materials)
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12 pages, 4674 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Energy Release Properties of nB@F2603@CL-20 Microspheres by Electrospray
by Jie Yao, Yanjie Huang, Kanghua Chang, Jianxin Nie, Xueyong Guo, Chen Shen and Shi Yan
Metals 2022, 12(10), 1727; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12101727 - 15 Oct 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2793
Abstract
Nano-boron, as a potential high-energy additive due to its high calorific value, is widely studied in propellants, explosives, and thermites. However, the unexpected agglomeration of surface oxidation hinders its further application, especially in the casting of energetic materials. The fluorine-modified nano-boron nB@F2603 and [...] Read more.
Nano-boron, as a potential high-energy additive due to its high calorific value, is widely studied in propellants, explosives, and thermites. However, the unexpected agglomeration of surface oxidation hinders its further application, especially in the casting of energetic materials. The fluorine-modified nano-boron nB@F2603 and nB@F2603@CL-20 preagglomerated microspheres were prepared by electrospray to improve the ignition and combustion reactions and the rheological properties of boron-containing casting systems. Sphericity microspheres could be obtained by controlling the voltage and propulsion rate. The morphology and elemental distribution of the microspheres were characterized by the scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Results showed that the particle size of the microspheres ranged from 4 to 14 µm. Boron, fluorine and nitrogen were uniformly distributed on the surface of the microspheres. XRD results showed that CL-20 in nB@F2603@CL-20 microspheres was β-crystal. The thermal reaction properties were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry and mass spectrometry (TG-DSC-MS), oxygen bomb calorimeter, laser ignition, and volume combustion cell test. Results showed that F2603 could significantly promote the ignition and combustion of nano-boron, causing higher energy release and pressurization rates, and lower ignition temperature. Adding CL-20 to the microspheres could also greatly promote the reaction rates and energy release. The hydrophobicity and corrosion resistance of the structures were also studied, and results showed that the preagglomerated microspheres had good stabilities. Therefore, fluorine-containing nB@F2603 and nB@F2603@CL-20 microspheres might be used in composite energetic materials, replacing nano-boron. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nano Metallic Fuels Used in Energetic Materials)
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12 pages, 2197 KiB  
Article
Ignition and Combustion Characteristics of B/NC/CuO Thermite Microparticles
by Jie Wang, Hongtao Yang, Long Cheng, Pin Gao, Yanchun Li and Dongming Song
Metals 2022, 12(9), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12091419 - 27 Aug 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1859
Abstract
To improve the combustion stability and ignition performance of thermite, B/NC/CuO micro particles were prepared from boron (B), nano copper oxide (CuO), and nitrocellulose (NC) as an energetic binder through the electrospray technique. The burning rate dependency on boron content, ambient temperature, and [...] Read more.
To improve the combustion stability and ignition performance of thermite, B/NC/CuO micro particles were prepared from boron (B), nano copper oxide (CuO), and nitrocellulose (NC) as an energetic binder through the electrospray technique. The burning rate dependency on boron content, ambient temperature, and pressure was estimated by compressing B/NC/CuO micro particles into columns. Scanning electron microscopy results show that the sizes of these particles mostly lie in the range of 3–4 μm. The particles are ignitable and burn consistently with minor variations in the conditions: B content (8.3–17%), ambient temperature (−50–55 °C), and ambient pressure (0.02–0.1 MPa). The optimum formula was observed for micro particles with 11 wt% B content. Compared with the ball milling sample, the standard deviation of the burning rate of the electrosprayed sample was reduced by 32%. Combustion is barely affected by ambient pressure. Between −50 °C to 55 °C, the burning rate of B/NC/CuO increases by 14.16% from an initial rate of 13.35 mm⋅s−1. In addition, the laser ignition energy required for B/NC/CuO microparticles was also reduced from 70 to 45 mJ. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nano Metallic Fuels Used in Energetic Materials)
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