Preparation of different morphology Cu/GO nanocomposites and their catalytic performance for thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

Shengnan Li; Ziteng Niu; Yuke Jiao; Peng Jin; Desheng Yang; Chaofei Bai; Jiaran Liu; Guoping Li; Yunjun Luo

doi:10.1039/d2ra03772f

Preparation of different morphology Cu/GO nanocomposites and their catalytic performance for thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

RSC Adv. 2022 Aug 15;12(35):22806-22814. doi: 10.1039/d2ra03772f. eCollection 2022 Aug 10.

Authors

Shengnan Li¹, Ziteng Niu¹, Yuke Jiao¹, Peng Jin¹, Desheng Yang¹, Chaofei Bai¹, Jiaran Liu¹, Guoping Li^{1

2}, Yunjun Luo^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology Beijing 100081 China.
² Key Laboratory for Ministry of Education of High Energy Density Materials, Beijing Institute of Technology Beijing 100081 China.

Abstract

Cu nanoparticles are more active catalytically than CuO nanoparticles, which have been widely studied as catalysts for organic synthesis, electrochemistry, and optics. However, Cu nanoparticles are easily agglomerated and oxidized in air. In this research, columnar, flower-like, bubble-like and teardrop-shaped Cu/GO nanocomposites were fabricated via a water-solvent thermal method and high temperature calcination technique using deionized water (H₂O), methanol (CH₃OH), ethanol (CH₃CH₂OH) and ethylene glycol (EG) as the solvent, respectively. The structures, the morphology and the catalytic performance and catalytic mechanism for thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) of the Cu/GO nanocomposites have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption tests (BET), simultaneous thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC) and thermogravimetric couplet with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TGA-FTIR), respectively. The experimental results show that the morphology of the Cu/GO nanocomposites has a significant effect on the surface area and the teardrop-shaped Cu/GO nanocomposites have the largest specific surface area and the best catalytic performance among them. When 5 wt% of the Cu/GO nanocomposites was added, the decomposition temperature of AP decreased from 426.3 °C to 345.5 °C and the exothermic heat released from the decomposition of AP increased from 410.4 J g^-1 to 4159.4 J g^-1. In addition, the four morphological Cu/GO nanocomposites exhibited good stability, their catalytic performance for thermal decomposition of AP remained stable after 1 month in air. Excellent catalytic performance and stability were attributed to the strong catalytic activity of pure metal nanoparticles, and GO can accelerate electron movement and inhibit the agglomeration of nanoparticles, as well as the multiple effects of inhibiting the oxidation of Cu nanoparticles in air. Therefore, it has important application potential in high-energy solid propellant.