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The miracle of energy release at the nanoscale: How do superthermal explosives break through the limitations of traditional explosions?
With the continuous advancement of science and technology, nanotechnology has shown its huge potential in many fields, of which nano-thermal explosives (Nano-thermite) are a striking example. This particular explosive is composed of a metallic fuel and an oxidizer, and its particles are all less than 100 nanometers in size, making it extremely fast and customizable. Nowadays, nanothermal explosives are widely researched and used in military, propellant, explosives, pyrotechnics and other fields, and are considered to be a symbol of progress in future explosives technology.
Nano thermal explosives react faster than traditional explosives, which gives them greater energy release potential.
The key to nanothermal explosives lies in the fine structure of their composition. Traditional thermal explosives are composed of relatively large powder particles, while nanothermal explosives are composed of extremely fine particles that are close to the atomic scale in size. This not only increases reactivity but also improves the rate of energy release. Therefore, nanothermal explosives have greater advantages in reaction mechanisms and are regarded as one of the important materials for the development of new bombs in military applications.
Potential uses
The past applications of traditional thermal explosives have been limited by their relatively slow energy release rate. The energy release rate of nanothermal explosives is greatly increased due to the close proximity between the constituent particles. Compared with traditional explosives, nanothermal explosives can store more energy and have tailored energy release characteristics. With the development of this technology, nanothermal explosives are regarded as the support for many emerging military applications, such as thermobaric bomb weapons.
The U.S. military has been conducting research on the military applications of nanoscale materials since the early 1990s, hoping to develop new bombs that are far more effective than conventional explosives.
Various types and productions
Nanothermal explosives can have many different fuel-oxidizer combinations, some of which include aluminum-molybdenum (VI) oxide, aluminum-copper (II) oxide, and aluminum-iron (II, III) oxide. Researchers have studied various combinations that can achieve different energy release properties.
One of the keys to producing nanothermal explosives is the acquisition of nanoaluminum powder. This type of aluminum powder is an important component of most nanothermal explosives, and its main manufacturing methods include dynamic gas phase condensation and electrothermal synthesis. A major challenge in the production process is to be able to effectively control the particle size distribution and its uniformity to ensure stable performance.
Ignition and hazards
In the research of nanoscale explosives, ease of ignition and controllability have become the goals pursued by scientists. Some nanothermal explosives can even be ignited by laser pulses. During ignition, the products of the reaction are usually metal oxides and elemental metals, and the state of these products may be solid, liquid, or gaseous.
Nano thermal explosives react at extremely high temperatures, are difficult to extinguish, and produce dangerous ultraviolet (UV) light, requiring special protective measures.
Although nanothermal explosives have great potential in energy release, their safety issues still cannot be ignored. This type of explosive is highly susceptible to electrostatic discharge (ESD), and how to improve the safety of its operation is one of the challenges that researchers need to face. Adding carbon nanofibers around these materials may help improve their safety, but this also requires further empirical research.
As nanothermal explosive technology gradually matures, more efficient and safer energy-releasing materials may be developed in the future. Will this enable us to see new application scenarios in both military and civilian fields?
