Premium
Combustion of Environmentally Altered Molybdenum Trioxide Nanocomposites
Author(s) -
Moore Kevin,
Pantoya Michelle L.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.56
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1521-4087
pISSN - 0721-3115
DOI - 10.1002/prep.200600025
Subject(s) - molybdenum trioxide , combustion , thermite , materials science , nanocomposite , molybdenum , chemical engineering , humidity , ignition system , aluminium , composite material , metallurgy , chemistry , thermodynamics , organic chemistry , physics , engineering
Nanocomposite thermite mixtures are currently under development for many primer applications due to their high energy densities, high ignition sensitivity, and low release of toxins into the environment. However, variability and inconsistencies in combustion performance have not been sufficiently investigated. Environmental interactions with the reactants are thought to be a contributing factor to these variabilities. Combustion velocity experiments were conducted on aluminum (Al) and molybdenum trioxide (MoO 3 ) mixtures to investigate the role of environmental interactions such as light exposure and humidity. While the Al particles were maintained in an ambient, constant environment, the MoO 3 particles were exposed to UV or fluorescent light, and highly humid environments. Results show that UV and fluorescent lighting over a period of days does not significantly contribute to performance deterioration. However, a humid environment severely decreases combustion performance if the oxidizer particles are not heat‐treated. Heat treatment of the MoO 3 greatly increases the material's ability to resist water absorption, yielding more repeatable combustion performance. This work further quantifies the role of the environment in the decrease of combustion performance of nanocomposites over time.