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Evidence of a Kinetic Isotope Effect in Nanoaluminum and Water Combustion
Author(s) -
Tappan Bryce C.,
Dirmyer Matthew R.,
Risha Grant A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201404962
Subject(s) - kinetic isotope effect , combustion , chemical kinetics , reaction rate , kinetics , chemical reaction , reaction mechanism , chemistry , diffusion , kinetic energy , hydrogen , thermodynamics , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , chemical physics , materials science , deuterium , catalysis , organic chemistry , physics , atomic physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Abstract The normally innocuous combination of aluminum and water becomes violently reactive on the nanoscale. Research in the field of the combustion of nanoparticulate aluminum has important implications in the design of molecular aluminum clusters, hydrogen storage systems, as well as energetic formulations which could use extraterrestrial water for space propulsion. However, the mechanism that controls the reaction speed is poorly understood. While current models for micron‐sized aluminum water combustion reactions place heavy emphasis on diffusional limitations, as reaction scales become commensurate with diffusion lengths (approaching the nanoscale) reaction rates have long been suspected to depend on chemical kinetics, but have never been definitely measured. The combustion analysis of nanoparticulate aluminum with H 2 O or D 2 O is presented. Different reaction rates resulting from the kinetic isotope effect are observed. The current study presents the first‐ever observed kinetic isotope effect in a metal combustion reaction and verifies that chemical reaction kinetics play a major role in determining the global burning rate.