Catalytic Reactivity of Graphene Oxide Stabilized Transition Metal Complexes of Triaminoguanidine on Thermolysis of RDX

In this paper, the graphene oxide (GO) doped transition metal (Cu, Co, and Ni) complexes of triaminoguanidine (TAG) have been prepared where the GO serves as the stabilizing agent. The catalytic reactivity of GO stabilized TAG-M (M = Cu, Co, Ni) energetic composites on thermolysis of 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (RDX) has been investigated by using DSC/TGA techniques. It has been found that these materials have strong catalytic effects on decomposition of RDX by decreasing the apparent activation energy. Meantime, GO would not only stabilize TAG-M energetic composites but also enhance the thermal stability of RDX due to its high thermal conductivity. The physical models that govern the decomposition processes were also studied, and it has been shown that different reaction processes are accomplished by varying transition metals or in cooperation with GO. The complex catalyst, with improved thermal stability, represents a unique class of catalyst of considerable value for catalytic combustion and safety issue of solid propellants.