Preventing Agglomeration and Enhancing the Energetic Performance of Fine Ammonium Perchlorate through Surface Modification with Hydrophobic Reduced Graphene Oxide

Abstract

AbstractThe combustion rate of energetic composite propellants (ECPs) is adversely affected by the agglomeration of fine ammonium perchlorate (AP), which is the most commonly used oxidizer. To address this issue, this study explores the use of hydrophobic reduced graphene oxide (R‐GO) for surface modification of fine AP particles. An intermittent spray coating technique was used to coat the fine AP particles with graphene oxide (GO) dispersion. Hydrophilic GO was transformed into hydrophobic R‐GO by gentle thermal annealing. Fine AP was then scrutinized for changes in hygroscopicity and thermal decomposition behavior before and after coating with R‐GO. The findings demonstrate that surface modification significantly reduces the hygroscopicity of fine AP, reducing the moisture adsorption rate from 0.28 % to 0.11 % after a 10‐day exposure to ambient humidity. Moreover, this surface modification markedly enhances its energetic performance, doubling the energy release from 717.5 to 1413.5 J ⋅ g−1 when incorporating a 0.3 % mass of R‐GO coating. This study suggests that surface modification of fine AP with R‐GO is a promising strategy for addressing its agglomeration issue and improving its performance in ECPs.