Thermal behavior and combustion performance of Al/Bi2O3 nano thermites with the effect of potassium perchlorate

Abstract To study the effect of the addition of potassium perchlorate (KClO 4 ) on the performance of nano thermites, Al/Bi 2 O 3 nano thermites with different mass fraction (wt%) of KClO 4 was made by ultrasonic dispersion method. Then, all samples were tested by SEM, DSC and rapid excitation ignition. DSC results showed Al/Bi 2 O 3 /10 wt%KClO 4 had the highest heat release. Compared with Al/Bi 2 O 3 , the heat release increased by 28.32%. The results of activation energy calculations showed Al/Bi 2 O 3 /30 wt%KClO 4 had the lowest activation energy (Ea). Its activation energy was reduced by 30%, mere about 149.17 KJ mol −1 . Finally, it can be seen from the combustion situation that the addition of KClO 4 reduced the intensity of burning. This work found a way to increase the heat release or reduce the activation energy of nano thermites by controlling the amount of KClO 4 added.