Drying condition regulated Prussian blue nanoparticles embedded in graphene fibers for accelerated thermal decomposition and enhanced combustion: from energetic components to solid propellants

This study presents a drying-condition-regulated strategy for embedding Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles into graphene fibers (GFs) to fabricate Prussian blue/graphene fiber (PB/GF) combustion catalysts. GF x (x = 5, 10, 20) and PB/GF 10 -x (x = 1, 2, 3) were synthesized by varying the graphene-solution concentration and drying protocol, followed by systematic characterization of their structural and surface properties. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to assess their effects on the thermal decomposition of representative energetic components. The optimal catalyst, PB/GF 10 -1, was subsequently incorporated into Nitrate Ester Plasticized Polyether propellants containing RDX, HMX, or CL-20 to evaluate combustion performance. At 10 °C·min −1 , the maximum reductions in decomposition peak temperature ( T p ) for Cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX), Cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine (HMX), and Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20), and Ammonium perchlorate (AP) were 1.3, 1.4, 1.9, and 28.2 °C, respectively. The corresponding maximum decreases in apparent activation energy ( E a ) were 18.4, 31.2, 17.5, and 40.6 kJ·mol −1 . The small peak shifts of the nitramines were accompanied by lower fitted activation energies, while AP showed a more pronounced peak-temperature response. In the RDX-, HMX-, and CL-20-based Al-containing NEPE propellant combustion performance tests, PB/GF 10 -1 increased the average burning rates by 25.5 %, 23.6 %, and 18.4 %, respectively, with reductions in the fitted pressure exponent ( n ) from 0.58, 0.60, and 0.61 to 0.55, 0.56, and 0.58 over 1–20 MPa. These results demonstrate the potential of PB/GF as a combustion catalyst and highlight the influence of drying conditions on its performance.