Enhancing the energy release and combustion performance of nanothermites through the introduction of GO

Al/GO/CoWO₄ were prepared by a self-assembly method and the introduction of GO can effectively weaken the agglomeration of nanoparticles and improve the ignition performance. The different Φ and GO contents were adjusted to investigate the optimum performance. Al/GO/CoWO₄ shows a tight layered stacking structure and the energy release can reach 2500–3300 J·g⁻¹, much higher than those of Al/CoWO₄ (3064 J·g⁻¹) and Al/Co₃O₄ (2084 J·g⁻¹). Al/GO-7.5 wt%/CoWO₄(Φ = 1.50) has the largest energy release (3249 J·g⁻¹) and Al/GO-7.5 wt%/CoWO₄(Φ = 1.75) has the largest flame area, the shortest burning time (7 ms) and ignition delay time (2 ms) among all, indicating that the excess Al contributes to the full combustion of nanothermite reaction. The DSC results show the superior catalytic performance on ammonium perchlorate (AP) and cyclotrimethylenetrini-tramine (RDX). The results indicate the outstanding combustion and catalytic performance of Al/GO/CoWO₄