Synergetic Effect of Potassium Oxysalts on Combustion and Ignition of Al/CuO Composites

In this study, we studied the synergetic effect of potassium oxysalts on combustion and ignition of nano aluminum (Al) and nano copper oxide (CuO) composites. Potassium periodate (KIO₄) and potassium perchlorate (KClO₄) are good oxidizers with high oxygen content and strong oxidizability. Different contents of KIO₄ and KClO₄ were added to nano Al/CuO and the composites were assembled by sonication. When the peak pressure of nano Al/CuO was increased ~5-13 times, the pressurization rate was improved by ~1-3 orders of magnitude, the ignition delay time was shortened by ~0.08 ms-0.52 ms and the reaction completeness was adjustable when 30-70% KIO₄ and KClO₄ were added into the composites. The reaction of Al/KIO₄ and Al/KClO₄ at a lower temperature was helpful to ignite the ternary composite. Meanwhile, CuO significantly reduced the peak temperature of oxygen released from the decomposition of KIO₄ and KClO₄. The synergetic effect of binary oxidizers made the combustion performance of the ternary composites better than that of the binary composites. The present work indicates that KIO₄ and KClO₄ are promising additives for nano Al/CuO to tune and promote the combustion performance. The ternary composites have potential application in energy devices and combustion apparatus.