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High-Energy Composite Fuels with Improved Combustion Efficiency by Using AlH3 Embedded with Al Particles
Ming-Hui Yu1, RuiXuan Xu1, Wu-Xi Xie2
1Science and Technology on Combustion, Internal Flow and Thermo-Structure Laboratory, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|October 13, 2023
Summary
Aluminum hydride (AlH3) composite propellants show enhanced energy output. Modified AlH3 particles with coatings significantly boost reactivity and combustion performance compared to conventional solid propellants.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Energetic Materials
Background:
- Aluminum hydride (AlH3) is a promising energetic material for solid propellants.
- Conventional solid propellants often use aluminum (Al) and AlH3 mixtures.
- Enhancing the energy output and combustion efficiency of propellants is a key research area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop novel energetic composite particles based on AlH3.
- To investigate the effect of functionalized coatings (ammonium perchlorate and perfluoropolyether) on AlH3.
- To evaluate the combustion performance of AlH3-based composite propellants.
Main Methods:
- Preparation of AlH3@Al@AP (AHAPs) and AlH3@Al@AP@PFPE (AHAPs-F) energetic composite particles using acoustic resonance and spray drying.
- Formulation and fabrication of composite propellants.
- Systematic investigation of thermal reactivity, reaction heat, density, vacuum stability, combustion performance, and condensed combustion products (CCPs).
Main Results:
- Solid propellants with AHAPs (SP13) and AHAPs-F (SP14) showed significantly enhanced reactivity and energy output compared to conventional Al/AlH3 mixtures (SP12).
- Total heat releases for SP13 and SP14 were 1.2 and 1.7 times higher than SP12, respectively.
- SP14 propellants achieved the highest reaction heat (5887 J g-1), flame radiation (31.4 × 10^3), and combustion wave temperature (2495 °C) with narrower and smaller CCPs, leading to higher combustion efficiency.
Conclusions:
- Functionalized coatings and advanced preparation techniques effectively enhance the performance of AlH3-based energetic materials.
- The developed AHAPs-F composite particles offer superior combustion characteristics, making them highly suitable for advanced solid propellant applications.
- This research paves the way for next-generation high-energy solid propellants with improved efficiency and performance.
Keywords:
acoustic resonance technologyaluminum hydride (AlH3)combustion propertiescondensed combustion productssolid propellantsthermal decompositionMore Related Videos
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