Graphene oxide–supported Cu/Co nano-catalysts for thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate composites

In this work, graphene oxide–supported Cu/Co nano-catalysts with low scale and large surface area were prepared by solvothermal and heat treatment, and the composite of the catalyst and ammonium perchlorate was obtained by spray method. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) were used to analyze the surface morphology, phase composition, and electronic structure of the catalyst and composites. The Kissinger equation and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) test were used to determine the thermodynamic data. The results demonstrate that when the heating rate was 5 K/min and the catalyst GO/Cu-Co-MOF-650 was mixed mechanically, the high-temperature decomposition temperature of AP was decreased by 100 °C, and the activation energy was decreased by 38.99 kJ/mol. By using a composite spray instead of mechanical stirring, AP@GO/Cu-Co-MOF-650 completely eliminated the low-temperature decomposition temperature of ammonium perchlorate, increased the high-temperature decomposition temperature by 117.9 °C, decreased the activation energy by 54.24 kJ/mol, and increased the heat release of ammonium perchlorate by more than four times. These results suggest that the composite of the catalyst and the ammonium perchlorate increased the specific surface area of these two materials in contact with one another, further enhancing the catalytic efficiency.