Structure‐Engineered Mesoporous AlSi/P(VDF‐HFP) Energetic Composites with Diffusion‐Enhanced Reactivity
Aluminum (Al)-based alloys have emerged as promising solid fuels for energetic composites (ECs) owing to their multi-metallic properties. However, their energy release efficiency is severely limited by diffusion-controlled reaction kinetics. In this work, a novel functionalized mesoporous AlSi alloy fuel is designed via a sequential etching and fluorination strategy and combined with P(VDF-HFP) to form AlSi/P(VDF-HFP) ECs. This structure-engineered design effectively overcomes the kinetic constraints imposed by sluggish diffusion. The mesoporous Si framework catalyzes the decomposition of P(VDF-HFP) and provides abundant channels for gas transport. Moreover, the dissociation and recombination of F<sup>-</sup> on the fluorinated surface are analyzed by XPS, and molecular dynamics calculation shows a stronger binding capability between grafted fluorinated chains and P(VDF-HFP) through intensive C─F···F─C and C─F···H─C interactions. Remarkably, the optimized ECs exhibit a significant increase in reaction heat compared to the pristine composites, accompanied by a reduction in activation energy. Ignition and closed-bomb tests further demonstrate substantially enhanced combustion performance and pressurization capability. Based on experimental evidence, a reaction mechanism is proposed. This work provides an accessible pathway for improving the reactivity of alloy-based ECs.
Authors
- Xinwen Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0395-5921)
- Ke‐Juan Meng
- Momang Tian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5700-3884)
- Kai Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7902-0570)
- Wenhao Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2728-9750)
- Kongyu Xiong
- Xiang Zhou
Institutions
- City University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Nanjing University of Science and Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2025-12-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202513624
- Primary Topic
- Energetic Materials and Combustion
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00