Core-Shell Al-Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Configurations to Enhance Reaction Kinetics and Energy Performance for Nanoenergetic Materials

The energy performance of solid energetic materials (Al, Mg, etc.) is typically restricted by a natural passivation layer and the diffusion-limited kinetics between the oxidizer and the metal. In this work, we use polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as the fluorine carrier and the shielding layer to construct a new type of nano-Al based fuels. The PTFE shell not only prevents nano-Al layers from oxidation, but also assists in enhancing the reaction kinetics, greatly improving the stability and reactivity of fuels. An in situ chemical vapor deposition combined with the electrical explosion of wires (EEW) method is used to fabricate core-shell nanostructures. Studies show that by controlling the stoichiometric ratio of the precursors, the morphology of the PTFE shell and the energy performance can be easily tuned. The resultant composites exhibit superior energy output characters than that of their physically mixed Al/PTFE counterparts. This synthetic strategy might provide a general approach to prepare other high-energy fuels (Mg, Si).