Liquid Carbon-Boron Cluster Additives for Mixed Amine-50

Area of Science:

• Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Aerospace Engineering

Background:

• Boron-containing compounds possess high calorific value, enhancing energy density in propellants.
• Traditional liquid propellants can be improved by incorporating advanced materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a novel liquid cluster material based on ortho-carborane.
• To formulate and evaluate a new cluster liquid propellant for enhanced performance.

Main Methods:

• Chemical modification of C-H bonds in ortho-carborane to synthesize C,C '-Bis(2-ethylhexanoylmethyl)-o-carborane (BEHMC).
• Formulation of a cluster liquid propellant by combining BEHMC with mixed amine-50.
• Evaluation of key performance metrics including density, freezing point, and calorific values.

Main Results:

• The novel propellant achieved a density of 0.884 g·cm⁻³, a freezing point below -55 °C, a mass calorific value of 41.13 kJ·g⁻¹, and a volumetric calorific value of 36.36 kJ·cm⁻³.
• Theoretical specific impulse reached 346 s, and theoretical density impulse was 2.99 × 10⁶ N·s·m⁻³.
• The cluster liquid propellant showed a 2.3% increase in theoretical specific impulse and a 3.8% increase in theoretical density impulse compared to traditional propellants.

Conclusions:

• BEHMC is a stable liquid cluster material with excellent energy properties.
• The formulated cluster liquid propellant offers superior performance metrics over traditional propellants.
• This research paves the way for advanced, high-performance liquid propellants.