Combustion characteristics of electrically controlled solid propellants using polymer electrolytes

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An experimental study was conducted on electrically controlled solid propellants to gain an understanding on the effect of an applied DC voltage on the combustion characteristics. A group of solid polymer electrolytes comprising polyethylene oxide, lithium perchlorate, and ammonium perchlorate were created and their combustion behavior was characterized. The polymer electrolyte propellants were found to decompose and ignite readily with the application of a voltage potential. The decomposition was found to always initiate at the negatively charged cathode, which resulted in a liquid decomposition zone. Ignition was found to occur once the liquid decomposition grew large enough that it made contact with the anode. Due to the requirement that the liquid decomposition zone must grow from the cathode to the anode, the spacing between the electrodes greatly effects the time to achieve ignition. It was also found that the decomposition could be throttled by changing the voltage potential and terminated by the removal of the voltage under atmospheric conditions. An electrochemical decomposition mechanism was proposed which differs from conventional thermal decomposition mechanisms. The compositions of the propellants had a considerable effect on the decomposition rate and the morphology.