Energetic and Protective Coating via Chemical and Physical Synergism for High Water-Reactive Aluminum Powder

Aluminum powder plays important role in the field of energetic materials. However, it is often vulnerable to oxygen and water due to the high reactivity of aluminum, and it is challenging to build up uniform and passivated coating via existing means. In this work, (Heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetradecyl) trimethoxysilane (FAS-17) and glycidyl azide polymer (GAP) were used to coat the surface of high water-reactive aluminum powder (w-Al) to form inactivated w-Al@FAS-17@GAP energetic materials, via the synergy of chemical bonding and physical attraction. Thermal reaction tests showed that the exothermic enthalpy of w-Al@FAS-17@GAP was 5.26 times that of w-Al. Ignition tests showed that w-Al@FAS-17@GAP burnt violently at 760 °C, while w-Al could not be ignited even at 950 °C. In addition, the combined coating of FAS-17 and GAP could effectively improve the hydrophobicity and long-term stability of w-Al, which helped to overcome the poor compatibility of w-Al with explosive components. Our work not only displayed an effective routine to synthesize O₂/H₂O proof Al energetic materials, but also pointed out a synergistically chemical and physical strategy for constructing intact high-performance surfaces.