2D carbon-supported MgCo2O4 as an efficient catalyst for ammonium perchlorate decomposition

Optimizing the thermal behavior of ammonium perchlorate (AP) is the key to promoting the development of composite solid propellants. In this work, MgCo2O4 nanocomposites modified with highly dispersed two-dimensional carbon materials (rGO, g-C3N4) were prepared by one-pot synthesis. The structure of the composite was characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, and XPS. The catalytic performance of MgCo2O4 (rGO, g-C3N4) was examined by DSC. The results show that MgCo2O4/rGO can effectively reduce the high-temperature decomposition (HTD) peak temperature of AP to 272.3 °C (198.9 °C lower), and the apparent activation energy of AP is reduced from 296.2 kJ·mol−1 to 110.3 kJ·mol−1. The introduction of rGO effectively inhibits the agglomeration of MgCo2O4 nanoparticles while facilitating electron transfer from MgCo2O4 to AP, thereby accelerating its thermal decomposition process. This work provides a feasible strategy for optimizing the thermal behavior of AP.