Unraveling the Nanosheet\nZeolite-Catalyzed Combustion\nof Aluminum Nanoparticles-Doped exo-Tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene (JP-10)\nEnergetic Fuel

Nanosheet MFI zeolites (Zeolite Socony Mobil, five) have\ngrown\nin popularity in cracking catalysis considering their tunability in\nporous topologies, acidic sites, and sheet thickness, thus allowing\nthem to selectively adsorb molecules of specific sizes, shapes, and\npolarities, resulting in improved cracking performance for a specific\nfuel. Five different MFI zeolites in the form of a mesoporous nanosheet\nstructure with a controlled concentration of acidic sites denoted\nas NSMFI(y), where y is Si/Al ratio, have been synthesized. The effects\nof the relative acidity content of these NSMFI(y) samples on the zeolite-catalyzed\ncombustion of aluminum nanoparticles (AlNPs)-aided exo-tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene\n(JP-10) mixed energetic fuel droplets levitated in an oxygen–argon\natmosphere were investigated using time-resolved imaging (optical\nand thermal infrared) and spectroscopic techniques (UV–vis\nand FTIR). The addition of 1.0 wt % of NSMFI(y) zeolites to AlNPs-JP-10\nfluid fuel results in critically reduced ignition delays (9 ±\n2 ms), elevated ignition temperatures (2800 ± 170 K), and prolonged\nburning times (60 ± 10 ms) with an enhanced combustion efficiency.\nThe NSMFI(y) zeolites, which possess high acidity and significant\nmesoporosity, play a crucial role in improving the combustion efficiency\nby effectively catalyzing the chemical activation of JP-10 and prolonging\nthe burning of the igniting droplet. The NSMFI (60) variant with the\nhighest acidic site content achieved a maximum combustion efficiency\nof 80 ± 6%. A comprehensive catalytic combustion mechanism has\nbeen elucidated based on the detected reactive intermediates such\nas hydroxyl radical (OH) and aluminum monoxide (AlO). These findings\nwill help to critically advance the development of next-generation,\nsustainable, and innovative mixed nanofluid fuels.