Integrating energetic materials with a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) to achieve miniaturized integrated smart energetic microchips is promising. The potential applications include actuation in lab-on-a-chip devices, ignition in automobile airbags, propulsion and attitude control of micro-/nano-satellites, and miniaturized electro-explosive devices. In this work, a new type of MEMS-compatible energetic arrays was in situ realized on a copper substrate, which comprised a new energetic coordination polymer (ECP; Cu1.5C2N8O2·H2O) with tunable nanostructures and a nano-aluminum (nano-Al) covering layer. The composition, morphology, and energetic characteristics of the energetic arrays can be easily tuned by adjusting the reaction time. The maximum heat release of 1850.2 J/g in thermal analysis and the intense flame in open burning experiment proved its excellent exothermic and combustion performance. A closed-bomb experiment further revealed that the ECP@nano-Al energetic arrays supported on Cu(OH)2 nanorods had a peak pressure (5.5 MPa) and a pressure duration (0.5 s) more than twice those of nanoscale Al/CuO powder because of the introduction of gas elements (e.g., C, H, and N). A preliminary impulse experiment was also conducted through the torsion pendulum method. The displacement of the torsion pendulum in the micrometer scale proved the potential application of the energetic arrays in micropropulsion systems. Overall, this work can serve as a reference for the synthesis and applications of ECPs.
Keywords: MEMS-compatible energetic arrays; energetic coordination polymer; micropropulsion system; nano-Al; tunable properties.