Thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate catalyzed with CuO nanoparticles

Ammonium perchlorate (APC) is the most common oxidizer in use for solid rocket propulsion systems. However its initial thermal decomposition is an endothermic process that requires 102.5 J·g⁻¹. This manner involves high activation energy and could render high burning rate regime. This study reports on the sustainable fabrication of CuO nanoparticles as a novel catalyzing agent for APC oxidizer. Colloidal CuO nanoparticles with consistent product quality were fabricated by using hydrothermal processing. TEM micrographs demonstrated mono-dispersed particles of 15 nm particle size. XRD diffractogram demonstrated highly crystalline material. The synthesized colloidal CuO particles were effectively coated with APC particles via co-precipitation by using fast-crash solvent–antisolvent technique. The impact of copper oxide particles on APC thermal behavior has been investigated using DSC and TGA techniques. APC demonstrated an initial endothermic decomposition stage at 242 °C with subsequent two exothermic decomposition stages at 297.8 °C and 452.8 °C respectively. At 1 wt%, copper oxide offered decrease in initial endothermic decomposition stage by 30%. The main outcome of this study is that the two main exothermic decomposition peaks were merged into one single peak with an increase in total heat release by 53%. These novel features can inherit copper oxide particles unique catalyzing ability for advanced highly energetic systems.     

Recent progress on transition metal oxides and carbon-supported transition metal oxides as catalysts for thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

As a main oxidizer in solid composite propellants, ammonium perchlorate (AP) plays an important role because its thermal decomposition behavior has a direct influence on the characteristic of solid com-posite propellants. To improve the performance of solid composite propellant, it is necessary to take measures to modify the thermal decomposition behavior of AP. In recent years, transition metal oxides and carbon-supported transition metal oxides have drawn considerable attention due to their extraor-dinary catalytic activity. In this review, we highlight strategies to enhance the thermal decomposition of AP by tuning morphology, varying the types of metal ion, and coupling with carbon analogue. The enhanced catalytic performance can be ascribed to synergistic effect, increased surface area, more exposed active sites, and accelerated electron transportation and so on. The mechanism of AP decom-position mixed with catalyst has also been briefly summarized. Finally, a conclusive outlook and possible research directions are suggested to address challenges such as lacking practical application in actual formulation of solid composite propellant and batch manufacturing.