Effect and Mechanism of Different Surfactants on the Stability of the Al/JP-10 Nanofluid Fuel System

Al/JP-10 nanofluid fuel is a novel energetic blended fuel with a high application prospect, but it suffers from agglomeration and sedimentation during the storage process. To improve the stability of Al/JP-10 nanofluid fuel systems, aluminum nanoparticles modified with different surfactants were prepared by a liquid-phase reflux method. The stability of the fuel systems was characterized based on the sedimentation method, while the isothermal adsorption process and adsorption energy of surfactants on the surface of the aluminum nanoparticles were simulated using a molecular dynamics approach. The effects of the carbon chain length, unsaturated bonding, and adsorbent structure of surfactant molecules on the stability of the fuel system were examined for the first time from a molecular perspective. The adsorbent structure had the most significant effect on the stability of the fuel system, followed by the unsaturated bond. A cross-sectional comparison of commonly used Span-system surfactants revealed that Span-65-modified aluminum nanoparticles (1 wt %) were highly stable, and no significant settling was observed within 4 weeks of stabilization. The mechanism by which Span-65 improves the stability of the fuel system is proposed.