Layered magnesium diboride and its derivatives as potential catalytic and energetic additives for tuning the exothermicity of ammonium perchlorate

In this article, we studied the effect of layered magnesium diboride (LMDB) and its micro and nano derivatives as catalytic and energetic additives towards the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP). We synthesized micro derivatives by mechanical activation of MgB<inf>2</inf> using ball milling and nano derivatives by dissolution recrystallization method. The mechanically activated MgB<inf>2</inf> (MA-MgB<inf>2</inf>) showed better performance than pristine MgB<inf>2</inf> (P-MgB<inf>2</inf>) and boron-based nanosheets (NSs) on improving the thermal decomposition characteristics of AP. Addition of one wt. % of MA-MgB<inf>2</inf> to AP remarkably enhances the energy release by 78 % and significantly reduces the decomposition temperature by ∼73 °C. Using the isoconversional method, we obtained activation energy, pre-exponential factor, and reaction model of AP and AP + 1%MA-MgB<inf>2</inf>. The MA-MgB<inf>2</inf> performs much better than many other catalysts at similar loadings. This study provides a newer perspective to utilize the untapped potential of metal diborides and their derivatives for composite solid propellants.