Catalyzed combustion of a nanofluid fuel droplet containing polydopamine-coated metastable intermixed composite n-Al/CuO

Abstract The ignition and combustion characteristics of kerosene fuels containing polydopamine (PDA)-coated metastable intermixed composite (MIC) nano-aluminum (n-Al)/nano-copper oxide (CuO) are experimentally investigated, with a focus on the mass content of CuO in n-Al@PDA@CuO MICs. The total heat release of n-Al@PDA@CuO (2%) is found to be higher than that of the other n-Al@PDA@CuO samples. During the combustion of n-Al@PDA@CuO (2% and 5%)/kerosene droplets, a yellow flame appears around the agglomerate, which eventually evolves into a yellow light sphere with a diameter of around 5 mm after the kerosene flame extinguishes. Examination of the normalized droplet diameter curves and the morphology of combustion residues shows that the n-Al@PDA@CuO (2%)/kerosene droplet has the best all-around combustion characteristics. A mechanism is proposed for the enhancement of kerosene combustion by n-Al@PDA@CuO. Supporting data from thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) measurements are presented. The findings and data in this study are expected to advance the development of new kerosene-based nanofluid fuels that meet the high energy demands of liquid propulsion systems.