Low signature near-infrared illuminants functionalized with potassium, rubidium, and cesium ion salts

Eight low signature near-infrared illuminants, with potassium nitrate, potassium perchlorate, rubidium nitrate, cesium nitrate, and/or cesium carbonate as the oxidizer(s) and infrared radiation source(s), were prepared via the mechanical mixing method.The micromorphology, thermal reactions, and safety of these materials were evaluated.In particular, as a focus of this work, their combustion performance was investigated via a combinatorial method using a visible and near-infrared light spectrometer (380-1050 nm), a thermal infrared camera, and a high-speed camera.The results indicated that, owing to the use of mechanical mixing, although the ingredients had different particle sizes, they were mixed very homogeneously, which was confirmed by their scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images.The safety of all the energetic composites was very high, as their impact and friction sensitivities were very low and their thermal sensitivity were also low.The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data revealed that all the composites had low reaction temperatures, high activation energies, and high