Energetic Materials in Ceramics Synthesis

Abstract

AbstractCombustion of a proper combination of an oxidizer and a fuel can produce the exothermicity required for the simultaneous synthesis of oxide ceramic powders. Oxidizers include metal nitrates, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium perchlorate, while urea, carbohydrazide, glycine and others have been used successfully as fuels. Combustion methods are particularly well-suited to producing multicomponent metal oxides, yielding compositionally homogeneous, fine particles with low impurity content. Organic fuels, particularly those containing nitrogen, also serve as a complexant in the precursor, which inhibits inhomogeneous precipitation from occurring prior to combustion. The exothermic redox decomposition of these oxidizer-fuel mixtures is initiated at low temperatures, usually <250°C. Properties of the products are influenced by the nature of the fuel and the oxidizer/fuel ratio. Many technologically important oxide ceramics have been produced by these methods.