Synthesis of Nano Composite Super Thermites with Tunable Energy Release

Nanoscale materials have been found to be effective in increasing the energy released and burn rates of “superthermites”,which are mixtures of nanoscale CuO or iron oxide with nano-Al particles. In Phase 1, a new class of energetic materials based on combining high surface area, nanostructured silicon powder with metal oxides was fabricated and shown to be energetic. In Phase II, the tunability of various Si-oxidizer combinations will be demonstrated by extensive testing of the energetic characteristics and the handling and safety aspects will be characterized through sensitivity testing. The production of nanostructured silicon will be scaled up to kilogram quantities and the Si-oxidizer composites to a ½ to 1 kg. These efforts will lay the foundation for commercialization of these materials.