Preparation and characterization of the AP/Al/Fe2O3 ternary nano-thermites

A novel ammonium perchlorate (AP)/aluminum (Al)/iron oxide (Fe2O3) nano-thermites was prepared by orderly using sol–gel, wet impregnation, and solvent-anti-solvent processes. Samples prepared in this work were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), nitrogen adsorption–desorption tests, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) measurements. The results showed that AP and nano-aluminum were dispersed in the pores of the iron oxide gel, resulting in a large specific surface area (84.7 m2 g−1). The XRD results showed that AP dispersed homogeneously in the energetic composites at nano-scale. DSC analyses indicate that the Al/Fe2O3 nano-thermites played a catalytic role in the thermal decomposition of AP, thus the interaction of thermite reaction was greatly enhanced by accelerated decomposition of AP. The experimental results showed that the as-prepared AP/Al/Fe2O3 nano-thermites were of high energy, making it a competitive candidate material in the field of micro-propellants.