Synthesis and characterization of self-assembled nanoenergetic Al-Fe₂O₃ thermite system

Nanothermite composites powders have superior exothermic characteristics and possess properties unobtainable by traditional micron-sized predecessors. In this paper, the reaction kinetics of a self-assembled Al-Fe₂O₃ thermite system are discussed and compared with conventional physical mixed references. Surfactant self-assembly allows an increase in interfacial contact area between Al and Fe₂O₃, which hastens the thermite reaction process to produce significant enhancement in the reaction kinetics. It was found that intimate mixing is a more important consideration for improving the combustion kinetics of thermite systems rather than the size of the individual components.