Thermal behavior and combustion performance of Al/Bi2O3 nano thermites with the effect of potassium perchlorate

Abstract

To study the effect of the addition of potassium perchlorate (KClO _4 ) on the performance of nano thermites, Al/Bi _2 O _3 nano thermites with different mass fraction (wt%) of KClO _4 was made by ultrasonic dispersion method. Then, all samples were tested by SEM, DSC and rapid excitation ignition. DSC results showed Al/Bi _2 O _3 /10 wt%KClO _4 had the highest heat release. Compared with Al/Bi _2 O _3 , the heat release increased by 28.32%. The results of activation energy calculations showed Al/Bi _2 O _3 /30 wt%KClO _4 had the lowest activation energy (Ea). Its activation energy was reduced by 30%, mere about 149.17 KJ mol ^−1 . Finally, it can be seen from the combustion situation that the addition of KClO _4 reduced the intensity of burning. This work found a way to increase the heat release or reduce the activation energy of nano thermites by controlling the amount of KClO _4 added.

Keywords

• KClO4
• activation energy
• heat release
• nano thermites
• combustion