Acid-base synthesis of aluminum iodate hexahydrate powder as a promising propellant oxidizer

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2023-02, Vol.453 (P2), p.139953, Article 139953
• Main Authors: Miller, Kelsea K., Creegan, Shannon E., Unruh, Daniel K., Pantoya, Joseph D., Hill, Kevin J., Tran, Quan, Pantoya, Michelle L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum; Ammonium Perchlorate; Ignition; Iodate; Oxidizer; Propellant
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2022.139953

[Display omitted] •Aluminum iodate hexahydrate (AIH) was synthesized from an acid-base precipitation reaction.•AIH has an oxygen balance of +21 and three-times greater density than AP and AN.•The heat of combustion is over 50 % higher than AN and 10 % higher than AP.•Safety metrics of AIH are comparable to AN and AP and AIH has piezoelectric properties. An acid-base precipitation reaction is detailed to synthesize pure crystals of the oxidizer rich compound [Al(H2O)6](IO3)3(HIO3)2 and described here for the first time. The molecule is called aluminum iodate hexahydrate (AIH) and characterized for its energetic potential as an oxidizer in propellant applications. The synthesis method produced bipyramidal hexagonal crystals that are characterized physically and chemically by microscopy, pycnometry, and X-ray crystallography. Further energetic characterization is performed by bomb calorimetry, and impact, friction, and electrostatic discharge ignition sensitivity. This study introduces the potential of AIH as an alternative solid propellant by comparison to the properties of ammonium perchlorate (AP) and ammonium nitrate (AN).