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Synergistic Catalytic Effect of Thermite Nanoparticles on HMX Thermal Decomposition

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Abstract

Even though HMX is one of the most vigorous energetic materials for solid propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics; it has high thermal stability and low sensitivity to common catalysts. Metal oxides with hydrous surface can release active \(\dot{\text{{O}}}\)H radicals at low temperature. These active radicals could attack HMX heterocyclic ring and alter HMX decomposition mechanism form C-H bond cleave to hydrogen atom abstraction. This study reports on the facile synthesis of Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) of 8 nm average particle size. Aluminum NPs of 80 nm was employed in combination with Fe2O3 NPS; this nanothermite binary mixture can induce not only catalytic effect but also vigorously-exothermic thermite reaction with high heat output. Colloidal thermite mixture Fe2O3/Al was effectively-integrated into HMX crystals via co-precipitation technique. Uniform distribution of nanothermite particles into HMX was confirmed via elemental mapping using EDAX. Nanothermite mixture as high energy density material offered an increase in HMX total heat release by 82% using DSC. Furthermore, nanothermite particles offered superior catalytic effect with decrease in HMX activation energy by 25% using Kissinger method. Kinetic decomposition parameters using KAS model were found to be in good agreement with Kissinger's model. Colloidal nanothermite particles can act as high energy density material, and as a catalyst with decrease in required activation energy.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Nanotechnology Research Center, School of Chemical Engineering, Military Technical College, Egyptian Armed Forces, and Zeiss microscope team in Cairo for their invaluable advice during this study. Figures 2 and 13 had been created by Biorender.com.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Head of Nanotechnology Research Center, School of Chemical Engineering, Military Technical College (MTC), Egyptian Armed Forces, Cairo, Egypt

    Sherif Elbasuney

  2. School of Chemical Engineering, Military Technical College (MTC), Egyptian Armed Forces, Cairo, Egypt

    Sherif Elbasuney, M. Yehia, Abdelaziz Hamed, Mohamed Mokhtar, Mohamed Gobara, Eslam Elsaka & Gharieb S. El-Sayyad

  3. Science and Technology Center of Excellence, Cairo, Egypt

    Ahmed Saleh

  4. Drug Radiation Research Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA), Cairo, Egypt

    Gharieb S. El-Sayyad

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  1. Sherif Elbasuney
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Elbasuney, S., Yehia, M., Hamed, A. et al. Synergistic Catalytic Effect of Thermite Nanoparticles on HMX Thermal Decomposition. J Inorg Organomet Polym 31, 2293–2305 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10904-021-01916-3

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