Mesoporous Silica Spheres Incorporated Aluminum/Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) for Enhanced Burning Propellants

Abstract

In this paper, we demonstrate that preparation by electrospray deposition of mesoporous SiO2 particles can be employed as additives to Aluminum/Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) (Al/PVDF) to enhance reaction velocity. We find that the reaction velocity of Al/PVDF with 5 wt% SiO2 is 3× higher. The presence of meso‐SiO2 appears to accelerate the decomposition of PVDF, with a significant increase in HF release, resulting in higher heat release. We believe that hot‐spots around meso‐SiO2 may serve as multiple ignition points, with the multi‐layered structure promoting heat convection to increase the propagation rate.