Electrophoretic Fabrication of an Al–Co₃O₄ Reactive Nanocomposite Coating and Its Application in a Microignitor

Abstract

Because of its high energy density, an Al–Co3O4 reactive nanocomposite (Al–Co3O4 RNC) has attracted vast attention. In this study, Al–Co3O4 RNC was successfully prepared as a coating by an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method. An ethanol–acetylacetone (1:1 in volume) mixture containing 0.25 mM nitric acid was employed as a suitable dispersion medium for EPD. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed that the obtained Al–Co3O4 was a high-energy coating with a maximum heat release of 2638 J·g–1. Moreover, an attempt at assembling an electrophoretic Al–Co3O4 RNC coating onto an electrothermal copper bridge was also made. A successful ignition test indicated that this novel Al–Co3O4 RNC coating has great potential for application in the microignitor field.