Microencapsulated Nanolaminate Pyrophoric Powders for High Energy Explosives

Metal additives are commonly used in high energy military and commercial explosives, solid fuel rocket propellants and military and commercial. pyrotechnics. In high energ systems, the energy of the blast and the velocity of the detonation wavefront can be limited by the utilization efficiency and burning rate of the metal fuel. Efforts to improve early time reaction rates have lead to the development of large surface area micron size powders that present the additional challenge of passivation and desensitization to assure safety when h Ui - ancl mixing This program win demonstrate that the demanding task of producing safe and stable ultra high surface area metal fuels, can be accomplished using a proprietary process for forming a nanostructured composite fuel. The bulk material is a I ecomposite that incorporates a metal fuel such as HAfnium, micro encapsulated with a thin coating of Titanium and a polymer binder. At higher temperatures, the polymer decomposes and release 10s or 100s of nanoflakes of fuel. During Phase L this program will establish proof-of-concept that ultra high surface -area Ti/HF/tt/polymer nano aminate powder particles can be produced that have the desired safety chemical stability, superior volumetric fuel value, and fAst reaction rates, In the Phase II work the process will be transferred to larger scale equipment that is already in place at Sigma to produce Kg quantities of powder for larger scale experiments and field tests.