Enhancing the energy release performance of nanothermites through metal oxides free oxygen and pores

Efficient energy release and the large-scale preparation of thermite with high energy density are currently crucial issues in the field of explosive systems. In this study, we focused on the utilization of porous metal oxides (pMxOy) prepared through urea co-precipitation and high-temperature annealing to enhance the ignition and combustion performance of nanothermites. We compared the thermochemical reactivity, ignition, and combustion performance of nAl/pMxOy with those of nanothermites composed of nano metal oxides. We found that the use of pMxOy resulted in significantly increased the reaction exergy and reduced the activation energy of nanothermites, the energy released by the nanothermite containing pMxOy increased by up to 33.4%, while the activation energy decreased by up to 34.8%. Furthermore, the ignition and combustion results show that better semiconductor bridge ignition, pressurization, and combustion performance of nanothermites consisting of high free oxygen ratio and high porosity pMxOy. This improvement can be attributed to the enhanced contact between nAl and pMxOy, as well as the improved oxygen ionic conductivity of pMxOy. We believe that this high-performance nanothermite, which utilizes porous metal oxides exhibiting high interfacial activity, can be extensively employed in various initiating explosive devices. Notably, the simplicity of the batched preparation process further enhances its potential for practical application.