Controlled Synthesis and Application of Nano-energetic Materials Based on the Copper Oxide/Al System

Nanothermite composites containing metal oxide and metal fuel are attracting attention due to their outstanding combustion characteristics. The morphology of metal oxide is important for the performance of nanothermite composites. In this paper, branch-, plate-, sphere-, and hollow sphere-like CuO nano/microstructures were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal process. The CuO/Al based nanothermites were prepared via ultrasonic mixing of the asobtained CuO products and nano-Al. The combustion behaviour of CuO/Al based nanothermites was analyzed by DSC and laser ignition. This study shows that this nanoscale mixing resulted in a large interfacial contact area and low diffusional resistance between the fuel and the oxidizer, and the reaction reflects large energy and laser ignition sensitivity.