Preparation and characterization of Al/B/Fe₂O₃ nanothermites

A sol-gel synthetic approach combined with an ultrasonic method was utilized to prepare Al/B/Fe₂O₃ nanothermites. The structure and properties of the prepared nanothermites were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and an impact sensitivity test. The results verified that the nano-aluminum and the micro-boron were uniformly dispersed in the pores of the iron oxide gel. The heat of the prepared Al/B/Fe ₂O₃ nanothermites was 1.3 times that of the simple physically mixed sample. In addition, the heat of the combustion test showed that these materials were indeed energetic. Small-scale safe experiments also showed that the prepared materials through sol-gel were relatively insensitive to standard impact.