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.