Preparation and Thermal Characterization of HTPB-coated Aluminum Nanopowders Prepared by Laser-induction Hybrid Heating

An aluminum nanopowder with an average particle size of 50 nm was prepared by a new laser – induction hybrid heating method. The temperature distribution of the aluminum during the preparation process was calculated using ANSYS. The calculated maximum temperature at the crucible center can reach 3870 K, which is much higher than the boiling point of aluminum, 2733 K. The higher the temperature, the greater the amount of aluminum that is vaporized, and the higher the output of aluminum nanopowder. Aluminum nanopowder coated with hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) was prepared using a kneading machine from the nanopowder prepared by the laser – induction hybrid heating method. Thermal characterization of the HTPB-coated aluminum nanoparticles was performed by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed that the enthalpy release of the HTPB-coated nanopowder in pure oxygen was 4.954 kJ/g at 542.7°C. The stability of the HTPB-coated nanopowder exceeded that of an Al2O3-passivated aluminum nanopowder owing to the hydrophobic nature of HTPB and the hydrophilic nature of Al2O3.