Advanced Nanomaterials and Energetic Application: Experiment and Simulation

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, significant advancements have been made in the exploitation, combustion, ignition, and application of innovative nano-metric energetic materials, including solid fuels, energetic combustion catalysts, metal particles, thermites, and energetic composites, etc., due to the technological novelties in the field of nano-scale science and technology. One of the main reasons for utilizing innovative nano-metric energetic materials and their composites in various chemical propulsion systems is due to the high heat of formation, high specific surface area, high reactive activation and high energy density. Although innovative nano-metric energetic materials have the very attractive feature of extremely high heat release rates and tailored burning rates, producing high energy in their combustion processes and high combustion efficiency during their industry application presents a great challenge to many engineers and scientists. Various techniques have recently been developed to overcome the intrinsic difficulties. Fundamental research investigations have also been conducted to explore the detailed physicochemical processes associated with innovative nano-metric energetic material preparation, combustion and application. In particular, state-of-the-art rocket propulsion systems have greatly benefited from innovative nano-metric energetic material development in recent years, especially in terms of future prospective nano-metric energetic materials for rocket fuels and fabrication of propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics.

This Special Issue presents compiled results of the most recent development of innovative nano-sized energetic materials, including nano-sized metal fuels, nano-sized combustion catalysts, nano-sized energetic composite nano-sized oxidizers, nano-sized thermites, etc., for use in simulations, ignition and combustion, with a particular focus on energetic application technology in chemical propulsion systems. This effort focuses on the design and investigation of novel high-tech nano-metric energetic materials for metal fuels, oxidizers, combustion catalysts, thermites, and further additives for solid, liquid, gelled, hybrid, electro-controlled and propellant systems. On the one hand, considerable effort is being spent on the improvement and perfecting of the propulsion systems themselves, which are designed exclusively for the nano-metric ingredients they work with. On the other hand, the research for new nano-metric ingredients for chemical propulsion is a challenge for chemistry. In recent years, for nano-metric energetic material ingredients for chemical propellants, great progress has been made in the development of propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics. Despite the impressive progress witnessed in the field of nano-EMs during the last century, it must be admitted that the rate of progress is much slower when compared to other fields such as polymer chemistry, electronics, and computers owing to a number of constraints and restrictions that nano-EM scientists have to encounter in developing a new nEM. These include safety, stability (thermal, storage, etc.), cost, and other considerations.

The submission of contributions on the advanced energetic nanomaterials in chemical propulsion from the viewpoint of experiment and simulation aspects, including research papers, reviews, short communications, etc. is encouraged.

Dr. Weiqiang Pang
Dr. Djalal Trache
Prof. Dr. Kaili Zhang
Guest Editors

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• nano-energetic materials
• nano-metal fuels
• nano-technology
• nano-energetic composites
• nanocatalysts
• nanothermites
• solid rocket propellant
• thermal decomposition
• combustion
• molecular dynamic simulation