Metal Oxides/Carbon Black (MOs/CB) Composites and Their Effect on the Thermal Decomposition of Ammonium Perchlorate

This paper deals with metal oxides/carbon black (MOs/CB) composites and their influence on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate. It is shown that the developed synthesis method can be used to form the nanosized metal oxide coating on the surface of the carbon carrier. The SEM and DLS data demonstrate that the particle size for the MOs/CB catalysts ranges from 200 to 500 nm. The XRD analysis has revealed that the bivalent copper and nickel oxides are formed on the surface of the carbon support. The DSC study on the effect of MOs/CB on the thermolysis of ammonium perchlorate shows that the MOs/CB catalysts contribute to a lowering in the peak temperatures of the low and high temperature AP decomposition stages. It has also been found that bioxide MOs / CB catalysts are more efficient in this case than monoxide catalysts. The evaluation of mass spectrometry results for the decomposition products of AP formed in the presence of carbon‐based mono‐ and bioxide catalysts makes it possible to conclude that the carbon base of metal oxide catalysts causes the low‐temperature AP decomposition to proceed deep in the composite. MOs/CB catalysts, in turn, ensure a more complete decomposition of ammonium perchlorate followed by the formation of a greater number of oxidized and reduced forms of low molecular weight composites. It has been established that, for bioxide MOs/CB catalysts, the amount of chlorine formed exceeds the corresponding value for pure AP by more than ∼4 times.