Improvement of Corrosion Resistance by Silane Coupling Agents of Magnesium Powder Used in Pyrotechnics

ABSTRACT Humidity‐sensitive magnesium (Mg) powder serves as fuel for the essential flash effect in pyrotechnics. This study investigated surface modification using silane coupling agents to prevent corrosion due to humidity, while the conventional method utilizes environmentally and biologically harmful potassium dichromate. Mg surfaces processed with 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane, hexadecyltrimethoxysilane, and butyltriethoxysilane were examined using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. A humidity test revealed that the silane coupling agents improved the corrosion resistance of the Mg powder. A combustion test showed that Mg modified with silane coupling agents displayed a 104%–106% increase compared with that of Mg; furthermore, the modification had little influence on the spectrum of the emission light.