Doping of Al/CuO with microwave absorbing Ti3C2 MXene for improved ignition and combustion performance

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2023-01, Vol.451, p.138375, Article 138375
• Main Authors: Cheng, Jian, Zhang, Zehua, Wang, Yueting, Li, Fuwei, Cao, Jinle, Gozin, Michael, Ye, Yinghua, Shen, Ruiqi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Combustion; Energetic materials; Microwave ignition; MXene; Nanothermites
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2022.138375

[Display omitted] •A microwave sensitive nanothermite was prepared by doping of Al/CuO with MXene.•The composites’ microwave ignition power and delay time were significantly reduced.•The combustion and ignition performance of composites could be modulated by MXene. Nanothermites have a wide application in many civil and defense applications, including propulsion and detonations systems, micro-electromechanical (MEMs) and other systems that require fast energy release rate and low ignition temperature. Traditional ignition methods are commonly based on surface excitation (spot ignition), possessing a risk of undesired ignition. Safe and selective microwave (MW)-based igniting systems can interact with an ignitable material (typically a thermite) over its full volume at once. Unfortunately, thermites have low susceptibility to MW due to the presence of Al2O3 oxide shell on Al particles, which would commonly require a high ignition power of MW radiation and long ignition delay times. In this work, Ti3C2 MXene was introduced as a MW susceptor into Al/CuO energetic nanocomposites. The samples were ignited using a MW probe, showing that the introduction of MXene into Al/CuO/MXene could significantly reduce the power required for its MW ignition, as well as shorten the ignition delay time versus the parent Al/CuO nanothermite. Besides, presence of MXene could modulate and control a heat release, gas production and combustion performance of the Al/CuO/MXene composites, substantially extending safety, flexibility and adaptability of new nanothermites to various operational requirements.