Ignition Study of Copper Oxide Nanoparticle Coated Boron Micro Spheres using Shock Tube

Boron is an attractive solid fuel for propellants and explosives. But natural oxide layer on the boron surface hinders ignition and combustion of boron. The present work aims to improve the ignition performance of boron by coating the copper oxide nanoparticles on micro sized boron particles. Structural study shows the growth of nanocrystalline copper oxide particles on the surface of boron particles. Continuous and uniform distribution of copper oxide nanoparticles creating a continuous layer were observed from surface morphology. Further, it shows the size of copper oxide nanoparticles is less than 10 nm. The existence of elements viz. copper, boron and oxygen in the samples were confirmed by EDS and XPS analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the onset oxidation temperature of boron shifted to lower temperature after coated with copper oxide. This shift in temperature depends on the coating density of copper oxide nanoparticles. Maximum shift in onset oxidation temperature was 98°C compared with those of pristine boron. The shock tube examination reveals that the boron coated with copper oxide particles have a quicker ignition delay time than those of pristine boron particles resulting in a 6% decline in ignition delay time.