MXene Templated Assembly of Hierarchical Al/CuO/V2C Nanothermite with Excellent Energy Release Efficiency and Highly Tunable Performance

Nanothermite garners significant interest due to its higher energy release rate and reactivity. However, the agglomeration of nanoparticles has become the major hindrance to the energy release efficiency of nanothermite. Here, we proposed a bottom-up strategy and a facile preparation method to build a hierarchical Al/CuO/V ₂ C nanocomposite triggered by ordered self-assembly of Al and CuO nanoparticles in ethanol suspension, using V ₂ C MXene as a template. The unique structure is formed by the competition between the electrostatic force of Al and the covalent Cu-O-V bond to the V ₂ C surface. The established structure as well as the high reactivity of V ₂ C result in a complete oxidation of Al, and the heat of the reaction reaches 3156.2 J/g with a 10 wt% addition of V ₂ C in air atmosphere, being sevenfold of the Al/CuO control group. The evolving concentration-dependent structure provides highly tunable energetic performance, which varies from a shortened 3-ms deflagration to a prolonged 16-ms combustion. The lower gas release improves the safety of Al/CuO/V ₂ C while paving the way for promising application in microinitiators.