Bio-inspired design of PTFE/B energetic materials with high reactivity and flexibility

Although new-type energetic materials have been investigated extensively, there is a challenge on how to integrate energy density and mechanical properties of energetic materials simultaneously. Herein, a versatile approach was proposed to design energetic materials with high energy density, reactivity, and flexibility based on a bio-inspired strategy. By mimicking the “brick-and-mortar” structure within a natural nacre, the energetic film with alternative layers of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and boron (B) was successfully fabricated. The nacre-mimetic PTFE/B energetic film exhibited excellent reaction heat (4413.9 J⋅g⁻¹) and bright combustion flame, which may originate from the exothermic reaction mechanism between fluorine (F) and B. Even more remarkably, such PTFE/B energetic film revealed prominent mechanical flexibility reported for the first time. These findings indicate that the nacre-mimetic strategy provides an effective route to engineer energetic materials with high energy density, reactivity, and flexibility.