Tuning the Reactivity of Novel Nanoenergetic System Based On Iodine Pentoxide

A preparation and thermal characterization of a novel nanoenergetic materials based on iodine pentoxide and aluminum nanoparticles is reported. We studied the influence of ratio of Al/I2O5 and the reactants particle size on the reactivity, gas generation and thermal wave behavior during the detonation of Al/I2O5. The ignition of a homogeneous mixture of iodine pentoxide and aluminum nanoparticles occurs at the range of ~600 °C. It generates a high discharge pressure up to ~11 MPa and a shock wave with a velocity of ~2000 m/s. The pressure very rapidly rose to its peak during ~4 microseconds with a dP/dt of up to 2750 GPa/s. The ignition temperature exceeded by at least 100 °C those of conventional thermite systems implying that the Al/I2O5 nano mixtures can be safely stored and handled. The activation energy for the nanoscale reaction of 3I2O5+10Al=5Al2O3+6I was estimated to be 152 kJ/mol. The maximum pressure x volume (PV-value) obtained by a 0.5 g mixture was ~3.8 kPa.m3. This compares well with the highest reported value of 3.9 kPa.m3 for the Bi2O3/Al mixture for the same sample mass. The behavioral features of the Al/I2O5 mixture indicate potential for applications as propulsion, explosives and pyrotechnic components.