MXene-modified SASN: A composite with broad-spectrum absorption and microwave response

Abstract

To address the limitations of narrow-spectral absorption and poor microwave response of silver acetylide-silver nitrate (SASN, a light-initiated explosive), a SASN@MXene (x%) composite with different MXene contents (0.5–1.5 wt%) was prepared via electrostatic self-assembly. MXene with 1.0 wt% exhibits an ideal balance between photosensitivity, energy release and combustion behavior. Compared with pure SASN, SASN@MXene (1.0 %) exhibits not only a broad-spectrum absorption characteristic but also significantly enhanced photosensitivity with improvements of 80.0 % in the visible waveband (450–750 nm) and 57.1 % in the infrared waveband (2500–25000 nm), respectively. In addition, SASN@MXene (1.0 %) shows a fast microwave response with an ignition delay of 54.7 ms and an ignition power threshold of 20.0 W, while pure SASN failed to ignite under the same conditions. Notably, the SASN@MXene (1.0 %) also exhibits an optimal combustion behavior with the maximizing pressurization rate. The experimental results show that the addition of MXene effectively extends the light absorption spectrum of SASN, while the microwave response of SASN is also enhanced. This work provides a modified approach for creating multi-stimuli-response of SASN.