Quantification of Oxidizer Systems for Porous Silicon Combustion

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe present the first quantitative assessment of combustion dynamics of on-chip porous silicon (PS) energetic material using sulfur and nitrate-based oxidizers with potential for improved moisture stability and/or minimized environmental impact compared to sodium perchlorate (NaClO4). Material properties of the PS films were characterized using gas adsorption porosimetry, and profilometry to calculate specific surface area, porosity and etch depth. The PS/sulfur energetic composite was formed using three pore loading techniques, where the combustion speeds ranged from 2.9 – 290 m/s. The nitrate-based oxidizers were solution-deposited using different compatible solvents, and depending on the metal-nitrate yielded combustion speeds of 3.1 – 21 m/s. Additionally, the combustion enthalpies from bomb calorimetry experiments are reported for the alternative PS/oxidizer systems in both nitrogen and oxygen environments.