Effect of the Particle Size of Al/Ni Multilayer Powder on the Exothermic Characterization

In this study, the exothermic temperature performance of various Al/Ni multilayer powders with particle sizes ranging from under 75 to over 850 µm, which generate enormous heat during self-propagating exothermic reactions, was determined using a high-speed sampling pyrometer. The Al/Ni multilayer powders were prepared by a cold-rolling and pulverizing method. The multilayer constitution of the Al/Ni multilayer powders was examined by observing the cross-section of the powders using scanning electron microscopy; the results indicate that the powders had similar lamellar structures regardless of the particle size. Exothermic reactions were carried out to measure the temperature changes during the experiment using a pyrometer. We found that the maximum temperature and the duration of the exothermic reaction increased with an increase in the particle size caused by the heat dissipation of the surface area of the Al/Ni multilayer powder. This indicates that the thermal characteristics of the exothermic reaction of the Al/Ni multilayer powder can be controlled by adjusting the particle size of the Al/Ni multilayer powder. Finally, we concluded that this controllability of the exothermic phenomenon can be applied as a local heating source in a wide range of fields.