Comparative study on Al/Fe₂O₃ nano-composite with different structures

Three different processes were applied to obtain the Al/Fe₂O₃ nano-composite with different structures. The products were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), respectively. The results indicate that the nanothermite particles obtained by sol-gel method are uniform and well-proportioned less than 100 nm in diameter, compared to the products basically with micron or submicron grain sizes obtained by conventional processes. XRD verifies that the synthetic product is of high purity. Thermal analysis data shows that the initial decomposition temperature of Al/Fe₂O₃ is lower, but the exothermic enthalpy is higher, stating clearly that the nanominiaturization improves the security as well as the energy release rate of the material significantly.