Effect of oleic acid on the stability and the combustion of nanoaluminium/JP-10 bi-phase system: Experimental and molecular dynamics studies

Abstract

Aluminum-containing hydrocarbon fuels cannot fully release their energy due to the poor dispersion and easy agglomeration of aluminum nanoparticles (ANPs). To solve the issues, oleic acid (OA) was used to modify the surface of ANPs, and then Al@OA particles were incorporated into exo-tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene (JP-10) to form Al/JP-10 bi-phase system. Experimental and molecular simulation methods were used to analyze the stability, ignition, and combustion performance of the Al/JP-10 bi-phase system. The results show that at low temperatures, OA can improve the antioxidant and hydrophobic performance of Al@OA particles, which can effectively protect the ANPs from deep oxidation. At high temperatures, OA can accelerate the oxidative exothermic process of ANPs, and the Al@OA particles can shorten the ignition delay time of JP-10 droplets and intensify the combustion. Notably, when the ratio of Al and OA is 10:3 in the Al@OA particles, the Al/JP-10 droplet exhibits the shortest ignition delay.