Fabrication and Remote Laser Ignition of Al/CuO Energetic Nanocomposites Incorporated with Functional Dyes for Enhanced Light Absorption

ABSTRACT In this study, we investigated the effects of dyes on the laser ignition characteristics of Al nanoparticles (NPs) and CuO NPs-based energetic nanocomposites. Various functional dyes (e.g., N-719, rose bengal (RB), methylene blue (MB)) were employed as a light absorbing medium for Al/CuO energetic nanocomposites. According to UV-vis spectrometer analysis results, N-719, RB, and MB dyes had relatively strong light absorption in the blue, green, and red wavelength ranges, respectively. The results of red, green, and blue (RGB) laser ignition tests for various dye-coated Al/CuO composites demonstrated that the laser ignition threshold power density for the composites gradually decreased with increasing dye concentration. To test the possibility of selective optical ignition, the various dye-coated Al/CuO composites were irradiated using RGB laser beams operating with a fixed and relatively low power density. The results showed that the N-719-, RB-, and MB-coated Al/CuO composites were only successfully ignited under the condition of blue, green, and red laser beam irradiation, respectively. This suggests that energetic nanocomposites coated with special dyes could be employed as potential igniters and heat energy sources, the reactions of which are initiated by selective and remote light-energy irradiation, in various thermal engineering applications.