Polymer-Grafted Metal Nanoparticles for Fuel Applications

Abstract

Ultrafine metal powders have been identified as very promising fuels for future energetic material formulations. However, the large specific surface area that gives these powders a high reactivity also makes them particularly difficult to remain in a nonoxidized state. They also agglomerate easily during compounding processes due to strong particle-to-particle interactions. The coating of the particles with a polymer may offer a solution to these problems. We investigated two in situ polymerization processes using thermoplastic and thermoset coatings. Polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene were obtained using a modified Ziegler-Natta reaction scheme. This process was found to be flexible enough to control the amount of polyethylene grafted onto the powders. The second type of coating was based on polyurethane chemistry. Nanometric-sized aluminum and boron powders were treated and characterized by means of thermogravimetric analysis, electronic microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron microscopy. The barrier properties of the polymer layer grafted onto the particles were evaluated using a chemical digestion method and thermoanalytical techniques. Polyethylene-coated particles showed a better resistance to early aging under stringent conditions of humidity and temperature and therefore would be expected to demonstrate a longer shelf life in a propellant formulation.