Preparation and characterisation of nanofibrous CuO/Al metastable intermolecular composite films

Metastable intermolecular composite (MIC) has been widely touted for their potential to fulfil the objectives of high energetic materials and nanotechnology. In this study, nanofibrous CuO/Al MIC films on the silicon substrate were successfully synthesised by evaporating and depositing Al on the surface of nanoporous CuO films, which were prepared by calcinating polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/Cu(NO₃)₂ films obtained through the electrospinning process. The structures and energetic properties of the nanofibrous CuO/Al MIC films were characterised by a scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, TGA-DSC and open-air combustion experiments. The results revealed that the electrospinning process was an effective way to prepare energetic films. The optimised calcination temperature of the PVP/Cu(NO₃)₂ composite films was 500°C, and the starting reaction temperature of the nanoporous CuO/Al MIC film was 532°C.