Issue 24, 2013

Metastable nanostructured metallized fluoropolymer composites for energetics

Abstract

Fluoropolymers have long served as potent oxidizers for metal-based pyrolant designs for the preparation of energetic materials. Commercial perfluoropolyethers (PFPEs), specifically known as Fomblins®, are well-known to undergo accelerated thermal degradation in the presence of native metals and Lewis acids producing energetically favorable metal fluoride species. This study employs the use of PFPEs to coat nano-aluminum (n-Al) and under optimized stoichiometric formulations, harness optimized energy output. The PFPEs serve as ideal oxidizers of n-Al because they are non-volatile, viscous liquids that coat the particles thereby maximizing surface interactions. The n-Al/PFPE blended combination is required to interface with an epoxy-based matrix in order to engineer a moldable/machinable, structurally viable epoxy composite without compromising bulk thermal/mechanical properties. Computational modeling/simulation supported by thermal experimental studies showed that the n-Al/PFPE blended epoxy composites produced an energetic material that undergoes latent thermal metal-mediated oxidation. Details of the work include the operationally simple, scalable synthetic preparation, thermal properties from DSC/TGA, and SEM/TEM of these energetic metallized nanocomposite systems. Post-burn analysis using powder XRD of this pyrolant system confirms the presence of the predominating exothermic metal-mediated oxidized AlF3 species in addition to the production of Al2O3 and Al4C3 during the deflagration reaction. Details of this first epoxy-based energetic nanocomposite entrained with a thermally reactive formulation of PFPE coated n-Al particles are presented herein.

Graphical abstract: Metastable nanostructured metallized fluoropolymer composites for energetics

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 Apr 2013
Accepted
26 Apr 2013
First published
26 Apr 2013

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 7050-7058

Metastable nanostructured metallized fluoropolymer composites for energetics

H. A. Miller, B. S. Kusel, S. T. Danielson, J. W. Neat, E. K. Avjian, S. N. Pierson, S. M. Budy, D. W. Ball, S. T. Iacono and S. C. Kettwich, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013, 1, 7050 DOI: 10.1039/C3TA11603D

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