Fluorinated graphene improving thermal reaction and combustion characteristics of nano-aluminum powder

Abstract Two-phase flow loss is an important factor to reduce the combustion performance of aluminum-based solid propellants, which can be decreased if aluminum particles burn more rapidly and produce more gaseous products to crack their agglomeration. To reduce aluminum agglomeration and improve the combustion performance, fluorine-containing organic substances (FCOS) is used as a modified material for aluminum powder. Fluorinated graphene (FG) is a promising FCOS with both the physical and chemical properties of graphene and polytetrafluoroethylene, so we studied the effects of FG on the combustion and agglomeration of nano-aluminum powder. Specifically, the ignition, combustion, and agglomeration characteristics of FG modified nano-aluminum with ammonium perchlorate were studied. Results show that FG can promote the decomposition of ammonium perchlorate. An appropriate amount of FG has a positive effect on the ignition delay time and flame propagation velocity of nano-aluminum powder. The increase of FG content can reduce the size of aluminum agglomerates. These results can be useful for the applications of FG in aluminum-based solid propellants.