(564f) Graphene Oxide-Based Microwave Ignitable Energetic Materials with Thermally Switchable Ignition Characteristics

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets have been previously demonstrated to be a good microwave electromagnetic field absorber while its counterpart, graphene oxide (GO), reflects microwave energy. The differing absorptivities of GO and rGO may enable the capability to thermally switch an energetic from reflection to absorption mode. In this effort, rGO and GO sheets are wrapped around nanoscale fuel and oxidizer particles in order to deposit microwave energy to particle-particle interfaces. The microwave ignitability of composites are thermally switched through heating and subsequent microwave ignition delay times are measured via diode and high-speed video within a resonant microwave cavity.

The rGO/GO wrapped thermite powder is characterized using thermal gravitational analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and other techniques to explain the effects of synthesis conditions on ignitability. The development of energetic materials with on-command controllable microwave energy absorption characteristics has potential to lead to the development of insensitive igniters and the ability to dynamically control ignition.