Cu-Cr-Pb nanocomposites: Synthesis, characterization and their catalytic effect on thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

In this study, we present the synthesis of Cu-Cr-Pb nanocomposites by a simple co-precipitation method and evaluate the catalytic performance of the as-fabricated Cu-Cr-Pb nanocomposites on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP). The X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetric techniques were employed to characterize the crystal phases, sizes and catalytic properties of as-obtained Cu-Cr-Pb nanocomposites, respectively. The results revealed that dropping Pb in CuCr2O4 could form Cu-Cr-Pb nanocomposites. The structure, size and catalytic property of the as-synthesized Cu-Cr-Pb nanocomposites are closely relevant to the Cu/Pb molar ratio in the starting reactants. Noticeably, when Cu-Cr-Pb nanocomposites were synthesized under the condition of the molar ratio of Cu/Pb = 4:1, the dispersion is better, the size distribution is narrower, and the catalytic performance for AP is more effective than those of the particles obtained by other Cu/Pb molar ratios, which may lead to potential applications of Cu-Cr-Pb nanocomposites in AP-based solid propellants in future. © 2015 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.