Mesoporous Silica Spheres Incorporated Aluminum/Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) for Enhanced Burning Propellants

Abstract

In this paper, we demonstrate that preparation by electrospray deposition of mesoporous SiO 2 particles can be employed as additives to Aluminum/Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) (Al/PVDF) to enhance reaction velocity. We find that the reaction velocity of Al/PVDF with 5 wt% SiO 2 is 3× higher. The presence of meso‐SiO 2 appears to accelerate the decomposition of PVDF, with a significant increase in HF release, resulting in higher heat release. We believe that hot‐spots around meso‐SiO 2 may serve as multiple ignition points, with the multi‐layered structure promoting heat convection to increase the propagation rate.