Electrostatic self-assembly of a nanoscale thermite system into ordered microspheres

摘要

Electrostatic self-assembly was utilized to create a nanoscale thermite system from the bottom-up. Ligands with a positive or negative ω-functionalization were attached to the surface of each nanoparticle to create a charged self-assembled monolayer (SAM). The positively charged nanoaluminum and negatively charged nanocupric-oxide were each suspended in a separate solution and upon mixing the two constituents, they self-assembled into microspheres with diameters on the order of 1 μm. These self-assembled nanothermite microspheres (SANTMs) are the first known energetic thermite systems created from the bottom-up.