Irradiation-enhanced reactivity of multilayer Al/Ni nanomaterials

We have investigated the effect of accelerated ion beam irradiation on the structure and reactivity of multilayer sputter deposited Al/Ni nanomaterials. Carbon and aluminum ion beams with different charge states and intensities were used to irradiate the multilayer materials. The conditions for the irradiation-assisted self-ignition of the reactive materials and corresponding ignition thresholds for the beam intensities were determined. We discovered that relatively short (40 min or less) ion irradiations enhance the reactivity of the Al/Ni nanomaterials, that is, significantly decrease the thermal ignition temperatures (Tig) and ignition delay times (τig). We also show that irradiation leads to atomic mixing at the Al/Ni interfaces with the formation of an amorphous interlayer, in addition to the nucleation of small (2-3 nm) Al3Ni crystals within the amorphous regions. The amorphous interlayer is thought to enhance the reactivity of the multilayer energetic nanomaterial by increasing the heat of the reaction and by speeding the intermixing of the Ni and the Al. The small Al3Ni crystals may also enhance reactivity by facilitating the growth of this Al-Ni intermetallic phase. In contrast, longer irradiations decrease reactivity with higher ignition temperatures and longer ignition delay times. Such changes are also associated with growth of the Al3Ni intermetallic and decreases in the heat of reaction. Drawing on this data set, we suggest that ion irradiation can be used to fine-tune the structure and reactivity of energetic nanomaterials.