Materials scientists have evaluated the effect of metal additives on the combustion rate of rocket fuel

A team of scientists from the National Research Technological University "MISiS" carried out a comprehensive assessment of the effect of metallic nano- and microadditives of aluminum, boron, zinc, nickel, copper and molybdenum on the combustion rate of solid fuel containing aluminum powders. The experiment showed that copper nanoparticles are the most effective additives. An article about the development was published in the journal Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics.

Combustion of solid fuel with the subsequent creation of jet thrust implies the presence of the following main components: fuel, oxidizer and catalyst. As a result of the action of the catalyst, the reaction rate increases, a gas release is generated, and a jet stream is formed.

Today, the so-called cyclic nitramines are used as a combustible material in solid rocket fuel. However, these substances are quite resistant to the action of existing catalysts (oxides and derivatives of stearic acid), which imposes a limitation on the fuel burning rate and, as a consequence, on the speed of the object. The search for new catalysts for the combustion of various types of jet fuel is a fundamental scientific task.

A team of scientists from the National Research Technological University "MISiS" proposed an alternative version of the component composition of solid fuel: aluminum powder was used as fuel. As catalysts, scientists used nano- and microadditives of aluminum, boron, zinc, nickel, copper, molybdenum and their oxides.