Formation of dispersed Al/MoO3 interfaces and their effect on the energy release performance of Al-Ni composites

To find an efficient approach to tailoring the energy release performance of Al-Ni composites, flake-like alpha-MoO3 was added. Flake-like, micron-sized MoO3 particles assemble at the grain boundaries of Al matrix due to the weak interlayer bonding of alpha-MoO3 and the high affinity of Al and MoO3. At the Al/MoO3 interfaces, charge transfer takes place and increases the onset temperature of the Al-Ni intermetallic-forming reaction. The onset temperatures for the intermetallic-forming and Al-MoO3 thermite reactions are close together, leading to the interaction of these two reactions and higher reaction intensities. In addition, MoO3 distributes at Al grain boundaries, causing intergranular fracture and providing more, fresh, activated Al surfaces that can be oxidized during impact loading. The energy release performance of the Al-Ni composites was significantly improved by co-contribution from intermetallic formation and thermite and oxidation reactions due to the formation of dispersed Al/MoO3 interfaces.

Automated summary

By forming dispersed Al/MoO3 interfaces, the energy release performance of Al-Ni composites was significantly improved through the co-contribution of intermetallic formation reaction, thermite reaction, and oxidation reaction.