Metallized energetic composites in the form of nanoscale thermite materials have been the topic of much research within the past decade as an alternative material to high explosives, such as trinitrotoluene (TNT), for their potential for transient, high yield energy release and applicational reach. Previous studies conducted on various thermite systems have shown there to be three metal oxides of interest due to their potential exothermicity and differences in the mechanisms by which they react. These metal oxides include Bi2O3, a known condensed phase oxidizer with high ion mobility, CuO, a well-studied gas phase oxidizer with favorable heat of formation, and Fe2O3, the most common oxidizer for tradition thermite systems. Our studies contribute to this work and focuse on the ability to precisely probe the oxygenation pathways originating from 18O-labeled metal oxides synthesized at the University of Maryland-College Park. The analysis of the thermite reaction behavior with T-Jump/Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (T-Jump/TOFMS) was performed at the University of California-Riverside.

Analysis of thermite reaction behavior for 18O-labeled metal oxides

2019 Fall National Meeting

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