Combustion of Aluminum and Boron Particles in Energetic Materials

This research community investigates the ignition, combustion, and thermal decomposition of metal particles—primarily aluminum and boron—within solid propellants and energetic composites. The work focuses on understanding and modifying the chemical and physical processes that drive energy release in these fuel systems.

The core of this literature centers on the behavior of micron-sized and nano-sized aluminum and boron powders. Researchers examine how these particles ignite and burn, often in the presence of oxidizers like ammonium perchlorate, ammonium nitrate, or potassium nitrate. A significant portion of the work involves developing composite materials where metal particles are embedded in binders or combined with catalysts such as copper oxide to enhance combustion efficiency and energy release. The studies frequently employ molecular dynamics simulations and experimental characterization of thermal decomposition pathways to optimize the performance of these solid rocket propellants and energetic materials.

The community is most heavily concentrated in boron research, accounting for 0.9% of all tracked boron literature, and contributes 291 papers to that element's record. It also appears in fluorine (0.5% share, 146 papers) and potassium (0.3% share, 84 papers) research. Boron is both the element with the highest share of this community's output and the element with the highest paper count within this group.

The community comprises 2,167 papers, published predominantly in Combustion and Flame, Fuel, and Chemical Engineering Journal.

Recent work continues to focus on the fundamental mechanisms of particle combustion, including the interfacial oxidation of boron and the ignition of aluminum-lithium alloy particles. Current research also explores the use of nano-additives and coordination polymers to stabilize energetic compounds like CL-20 and catalyze the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate.

Papers behind this description

Probing the combustion characteristics of micron-sized aluminum particles enhanced with graphene fluoride — Combustion and Flame, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.combustflame.2024.113858
Highly Energy Release of Aluminum@Ammonium Perchlorate Composites Incorporated with Graphene Oxide‐based Energetic Coordination Polymer — Advanced Functional Materials, 2025 — doi:10.1002/adfm.202423205
Interfacial polarization and lattice hydrogenation enable accelerated aluminum combustion with hydrogen-rich fluoropolymers — Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.cej.2025.167068
Boron-based composite energetic materials (B-CEMs): Preparation, combustion and applications — Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 2022 — doi:10.1016/j.pecs.2022.101038
Experimental study on high-temperature thermal oxidation and laser ignition of aged boron powder — Acta Astronautica, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.04.024
Thermal decomposition and combustion behavior of the core-shell Al@AP composite embedded with CuO as a catalyst — Fuel, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2023.129587
Al-Mg@PVDF and Al-Si@PVDF composites with enhanced combustion and energy release characteristics — Defence Technology, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.dt.2024.12.020
Modifying the ignition, combustion and agglomeration characteristics of composite propellants via Al-Mg alloy additives — Combustion and Flame, 2022 — doi:10.1016/j.combustflame.2021.111926
Ammonium perchlorate@graphene oxide/Cu-MOF composites for efficiently catalyzing the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate — Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials, 2023 — doi:10.1007/s42114-023-00651-2
Comparison on the ignition and combustion characteristics of single Al-Li alloy and Al fuel microparticles in air — Combustion and Flame, 2023 — doi:10.1016/j.combustflame.2023.113114
PTFE-modified Al through bridging approach to enhance combustion reaction and energetic performance — Chemical Engineering Journal, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.cej.2024.154459
Thinking Outside the Energetic Box: Stabilizing and Greening High-Energy Materials with Reticular Chemistry — Accounts of Chemical Research, 2024 — doi:10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00330
Effects of Li content and particle size on the thermal decomposition and combustion characteristics of Al–Li alloys — Fuel, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2025.135368
Fabrication of flower-shaped copper 2-nitroterephthalate coordination polymer and its carbon nanotubes-encapsulated nanocomposite: An effective catalyst for the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate — Applied Surface Science, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.apsusc.2025.163537
Combustion and heat transfer characteristics of nano-aluminum-based green liquid propellants in electrical ignition method — International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2025.127406
Enhancing solid rocket propellants with nano-additives: a review of thermal and kinetic performance — Discover Applied Sciences, 2025 — doi:10.1007/s42452-025-07782-9
The Stabilization Mechanisms of CL-20 Crystals by Intercalation of Graphene Oxide Coated with Polydopamine — The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2025 — doi:10.1021/acs.jpcb.5c05464
Embedding of ferrocenes in the nanochannels of manganese energetic coordination polymers to retard their migration trends and enhance their catalytic efficiency in the thermal degradation of ammonium perchlorate — Applied Surface Science, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.apsusc.2025.164042