Highly-reactive Al/CuO nanoenergetic materials with a tubular structure

Publication date: 5 March 2017
Source:Materials & Design, Volume 117
Author(s): Yanjun Yin, Xueming Li, Yuanjie Shu, Xiaogang Guo, Yuhua Zhu, Xinyue Huang, Hebin Bao, Ke Xu
Al/CuO nanoenergetic materials with nanotube and nanorod morphologies were prepared and investigated in this study. The CuO nanotubes and nanorods synthesized by chemical etching are homogenous on a large scale, with an external diameter in the range of 100–200nm and typical lengths of 5–7μm. Each of these CuO nano-arrays was deposited on nano-Al by electrophoretic deposition. Using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method, the Al/CuO nanotube composite is determined to have a larger specific surface area (43.20m²/g) than that of the Al/CuO nanorod composite (16.75m²/g). The energy released from the Al/CuO nanotubes is approximately to 3264J/g, which is higher than that released from the Al/CuO nanorods (2013J/g). The combustion flames for the Al/CuO nanotubes are also more rapid and violent. It is speculated that the excellent output of energy and outstanding combustion performance of the Al/CuO nanotubes could be ascribed to their tubular architecture, which has a larger specific surface area enhances the intimate contact and mass transmission between fuel and oxide.

Graphical abstract

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