Preparation, Characterization, and Application of Superthermites in Solid Propellant

Superthermites have been regarded as a series of promising materials in defense science and technology. The preparation and characterization of superthermites and their applications in double-base propellants are systematically investigated in this chapter. The superthermites Al/PbO, Al/CuO, and Al/Bi2O3 were obtained using different methods, and their compositions, structures, and morphologies are characterized. The results confirm that they are composites instead of physical mixtures. To understand the formation mechanisms of superthermites, investigations were conducted on the decomposition reaction of the precursor for Al/CuO. The apparent activation energy of this reaction was calculated to be 164.1kJ/mol and the Mampel power law with n=1/4 (dα/dt=1014.0×4α3/4e−2.0×104/T) was proposed to describe the decomposition reaction. The introduction of the three superthermites, especially Al/PbO and Al/Bi2O3, into double-base propellant results in enhanced burning rates and decreased pressure exponents, indicative of their high catalytic activity on propellant combustion.