Ignition of micron amorphous boron particles in CO₂ with shock tube

This study successfully ignited 11 μm amorphous boron (B) powder in a pure carbon dioxide (CO₂) atmosphere using a shock tube ignition platform, providing important insights for CO₂-B reaction which was generally neglected in propulsion system. The experiments were conducted at temperatures ranging from 2100 to 2900 K and 3.5 atm, focusing on the effects of temperature and CO₂ concentration on the ignition characteristics. The results show that the ignition delay time decreases with increasing temperature. And the critical ignition temperature of boron was found to beyond 2100 K. The effects of CO₂ concentration on the ignition delay time and critical ignition temperature were much complex. These findings provide new data on boron ignition characteristics in CO₂ environments, offering valuable reference information for CO₂ propulsion technologies in space exploration.