Combustion of boron particles coated with an energetic polymer material

• DOI: 10.1007/s11814-016-0173-8
• Publication Date: 2016-08-19T04:24:10Z
• Authors: Weon Gyu Shin; Doohee Han; Yohan Park; Hyung Soo Hyun; Hong-Gye Sung; Youngku Sohn
• Keywords: Vaporization; Particle (ecology); Tube furnace

Elemental boron has attracted considerable attention as a potential high energetic material for explosives and propellants. However, its use has been hindered by its high vaporization temperature and surface oxide layer. In this study, boron particles were coated with glycidyl azide polymer (GAP) to improve their combustion characteristics. The coated particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. XPS performed before and after Ar+ ion sputtering confirmed that the azide (−N3) group of GAP was positioned at the proximity of the boron surface. In addition, B@GAP particles could be decorated with metallic Ag (∼10 nm) nanoparticles. The combustion characteristics were examined using a newly designed pre-heated (1,800 K) drop tube furnace and a high speed camera. Two stages of combustion were observed for a dust cloud of GAP-coated boron particles. The burning time was estimated to be approximately 37.5 msec.