SBIR-STTR Award

Energetic materials that store energy chemically are used as green primers or additives to propellants and explosives in military applications. Nanometer scale materials are of interest for energetic applications because their small particle size leads to enhanced burn rates and energy released, so the properties can be tuned. It is proposed to develop nano composite super thermites with tunable energy release using a high surface area particulate form of silicon that exhibits high reactivity with strong oxidizers. Metal oxide incorporation into this material by sol-gel methods will be investigated and the rates of reaction and energy released will be determined.

Benefits:
The anticipated benefit would be the development of a cost-effective energetic material with tunable energy release and high environmental stability. Potential non-military applications include sensors, automotive airbag initiators, solid state semiconductor electrodes, biomedical devices (e.g. drug delivery systems and cancer diagnostics), photonic materials, and mass spectrometry. As these markets grow, the cost of porous silicon will drop as the production volume goes up.

Keywords:
nanocomposites, silicon, oxidation, thermites

Nanoscale materials have been found to be effective in increasing the energy released and burn rates of “superthermites”,which are mixtures of nanoscale CuO or iron oxide with nano-Al particles. In Phase 1, a new class of energetic materials based on combining high surface area, nanostructured silicon powder with metal oxides was fabricated and shown to be energetic. In Phase II, the tunability of various Si-oxidizer combinations will be demonstrated by extensive testing of the energetic characteristics and the handling and safety aspects will be characterized through sensitivity testing. The production of nanostructured silicon will be scaled up to kilogram quantities and the Si-oxidizer composites to a ½ to 1 kg. These efforts will lay the foundation for commercialization of these materials.

Keywords:
Keywords : Silicon, Oxidation, Thermites, Metal Oxides, Energetic Materials