Nacre-like aluminum/PVDF energetic composites with enhanced combustion and mechanical properties

Abstract

This study introduces a nacre-inspired aluminum (Al) flake/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) energetic composite, designed to enhance its combustion and mechanical performance for propulsion applications. In comparison to Al/PVDF composites utilizing spherical micron-sized Al particles, the nacre-like Al/PVDF composite with aligned Al flakes showed a 115% enhancement in tensile strength, a 10% increase in toughness, but a 75% reduction in elongation. A hybrid composite, combining aligned Al flakes and spherical particles, demonstrated a balanced improvement in mechanical properties: a 122% increase in tensile strength, a 96% rise in toughness, and a more modest 29% reduction in elongation. Furthermore, the aligned Al flakes enhanced the thermal conductivity of the composites, resulting in a 53% faster burn rate of Al/PVDF, suggesting that microstructural tuning through flake alignment and particle incorporation influences both mechanical and combustion properties. These findings highlight that nacre-like microstructure can effectively augment the performance of Al/PVDF energetic composites, indicating potential applications in propulsion.