Propellants Explosives Pyrotechnics, Vol.38, No.1, 41-47, 2013
In-situ Preparation of a Porous Copper Based Nano-Energetic Composite and Its Electrical Ignition Properties
In this paper, the in-situ preparation and characterization of a porous copper-sodium perchlorate energetic nano-composite (PCu/NaClO4) and its electrical ignition properties are presented. Porous copper was in-situ produced by electro-deposition on a Ni/Cr alloy wire, which acts as a cathode during the electro-deposition. The PCu/NaClO4 nano-composite was produced by dipping the bridge with porous copper into a saturated sodium perchlorate acetone solution. SEM, EDS, and XRD were used to characterize the composite and DSC was used to study the thermal decomposition of the composite. The copper grain size was reduced by using additives such as CTAB in the electrolyte. The PCu/NaClO4 nano-composite on the bridge can be ignited by feeding a current through the bridge and the ignition delay time and electrical ignition sensitivity were measured.