Fabrication, Characterization, and Combustion Performance of Al/HTPB Composite Particles

ABSTRACTIn this work, Al/HTPB composite particles are prepared by solvent evaporation method. The morphology and structure are characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared. Results show that Al/HTPB composite particles have a core-shell structure, and the HTPB exists on the surface of Al nanoparticle (n-Al) with an average thickness of 3 nm. n-Al is coated by HTPB through physical coating and the structure of n-Al is not affected. Thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis show that the Al/HTPB composite particles are stable under ambient environment. The burning performance measurement shows that, compared to the addition of n-Al and microaluminum (micro-Al), the addition of Al/HTPB composite particles into the solid propellants can significantly improve the burning performances. These findings demonstrate that HTPB can prevent the oxidation of n-Al and the Al/HTPB composite particles can enhance the burning properties of the solid propellants.