Nanoenergetic materials: the perspectives of application in combustion and propulsion

摘要

It is known fact that the energy densities of traditional energetic materials are limited by the enthalpies of product species formed, resulting in relatively low volumetric and gravimetric energy densities. Nanoenergetic materials became available during last 3 decades and they offer promise of much higher energy densities and faster rate of energy release. The investigation of transformations in nanoenergetic materials is a quite young field but is very active, and the expected results could lead to interesting breakthrough in the development of microenergetic devices. The energy densities in nanoenergetic devices can reach 50 MJ/kg that are higher by the order of magnitude of those values for combustion of classical propellants. Extremely fast burning rates exceeding 3 km/s can be realized in combustion of porous silicon nanoenergetic composites.