Facilitating laser ignition and combustion of boron with a mixture of graphene oxide and graphite fluoride

• Published in: Applications in energy and combustion science 2020-12, Vol.1-4, p.100013, Article 100013
• Main Authors: Jiang, Yue, Demko, Andrew R., Baek, Jihyun, Shi, Xinjian, Vallez, Lauren, Ning, Rui, Zheng, Xiaolin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Boron; Combustion; Energetic materials; Graphene oxide; Graphite fluoride; Laser ignition
• ISSN: 2666-352X; 2666-352X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaecs.2020.100013

•We report a new and effective additive for enhancing B ignition and combustion.•B/GO/GtF shows a reduced ignition delay and promoted burning with BO2 emission.•GO/GtF brings multiple effects, providing heat, gases, and fluorine species to B.•Functionalized graphene and graphite are promising additives for metal combustion. Boron (B), with high energy density and low cost, is regarded as a promising fuel for energetic applications such as propellants. However, achieving efficient combustion of B is challenging due to its delayed ignition and slow combustion. Additives are needed to promote the ignition and combustion of B particles by providing heat, gases, and/or fluorine-containing species. In this study, we demonstrated that a mixture of graphene oxide (GO) and graphite fluoride (GtF) is a new and effective additive for B particles. We compared the energetic performance of B/GO/GtF mixtures with B/GO, B/GtF, and B/PTFE in a laser ignition experiment. B/GO/GtF has the shortest ignition delay time, longest burning duration, and strongest BO2 emission among all four samples. This enhancement is caused by the synergistic properties of GO and GtF, which releases heat, gases, and fluorocarbon radicals to facilitate B ignition and combustion. Our study suggests that the mixture of functionalized graphene and graphite materials can be a new class of promising additive for metal combustion and other energetic materials.