Facile fabrication of well-dispersed Cu_xO nanoneedle on porous carbonized nano sponge and its promising application in the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

To meet demands of composite solid propellants, seeking a promising material as catalyst for the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) has drawn attention. Herein, a commercially available nano sponge was used as the carbon source and a novel Cu_xO/carbonized nano sponge (Cu_xO/CNS) nanocomposite was successfully prepared via a facile precipitation method followed by a calcination process. Cu_xO/CNS nanocomposite was a simple sponge carbonization combined with Cu_xO nanoneedles grown directly on the surface of carbonized sponge substrate. Especially, Cu_xO nanoneedles looked like grass or leaf, dotted with carbon sponge skeleton. To further deeply evaluate the catalytic effect of Cu_xO/CNS nanocomposite on the thermal decomposition of AP, DSC technique was carried out. As expected, Cu_xO/CNS nanocomposite exhibited excellent catalytic effect on the thermal decomposition of AP. In a word, this finding provides a new insight into promising application of new catalysts in AP-based solid propellants.