Zac
Doo
renb
os1 ,
Wen
dy B
alas
Hum
mer
s2 ,P
aul R
edne
r2 , M
icha
el J
. Don
adio
2 ,an
d J
an P
uszy
nski
1,3
1 Inn
ovat
ive
Mat
eria
ls a
nd P
roce
sses
, LL
C R
apid
Cit
y, S
D 5
7702
2 AR
DE
C, P
icat
inny
Ars
enal
, NJ
0780
63 C
hem
ical
and
Bio
logi
cal E
ngin
eeri
ng D
epar
tmen
t So
uth
Dak
ota
Scho
ol o
f M
ines
and
Tec
hnol
ogy,
Rap
id C
ity,
SD
577
01
Aqu
eous
Bas
ed M
ixin
g of
Nan
othe
rmit
e C
ompo
site
s us
ing
Res
odyn
Lab
RA
M
RA
M E
nerg
etic
s C
onfe
renc
e Ju
ly 1
4th&
15th
, 201
1 B
utte
Mon
tana
OUTLINE
•B
ackg
roun
d on
In
nova
tive
Mat
eria
ls a
nd P
roce
sses
, L
LC
(IM
P)
•N
anot
herm
ite
proc
essi
ng c
halle
nges
•W
ater
-bas
ed m
ixin
g
•E
ffec
t of
pa
rtic
le
mor
phol
ogy
and
the
addi
tion
of
ga
s
gene
rati
ng a
ddit
ive
on m
ixin
g ch
arac
teri
stic
s
•A
dvan
tage
s/di
sadv
anta
ges
•C
oncl
usio
ns
Inno
vative�M
aterials�and
�Processes,�LLC
•IM
P i
s a
com
pany
foc
usin
g on
dev
elop
men
t of
new
tec
hnol
ogie
s in
the
are
a of
nano
mat
eria
ls, e
spec
ially
nan
oene
rget
ics.
•T
he c
ompa
ny w
as e
stab
lishe
d in
199
9, a
nd s
ince
tha
t ti
me
the
com
pany
has
wor
ked
on s
ever
al c
ontr
acts
fun
ded
by t
he:
•N
aval
Sur
face
War
fare
Cen
ter
at I
ndia
n H
ead,
MD
•A
RD
EC
at
Pic
atin
ny A
rsen
al, N
J.
•C
urre
nt P
roje
cts:
•L
ow-C
ost
Pro
cess
ing
of
Alu
min
um-B
ased
N
anot
herm
ites
(S
BIR
P
hase
II
Con
trac
t N
umbe
r: W
15Q
KN
-09-
C-0
143)
•D
evel
opm
ent
of
Nan
othe
rmit
e-B
ased
M
icro
thru
ster
s (S
BIR
P
hase
II
Subc
ontr
acto
r C
ontr
act
Num
ber:
W15
QK
N-0
9-C
-015
4)
•D
evel
opm
ent
and
Scal
e-up
of
Nan
othe
rmit
e C
ompo
site
for
Pro
pella
nt I
gnit
ion
(SB
IR P
hase
I –
Con
trac
t N
umbe
r: W
15Q
KN
-11-
C-0
044)
Energetic�Nan
othe
rmite�Re
search
Ene
rget
ic n
anot
herm
ite
rese
arch
sup
port
s an
eff
ort
to r
epla
ce c
ompo
unds
co
ntai
ning
hea
vy m
etal
s (l
ead)
in c
urre
nt m
ilita
ry a
pplic
atio
ns,
for
exam
ple:
•pe
rcus
sion
pri
mer
s (s
mal
l and
med
ium
cal
iber
),
•el
ectr
ic p
rim
ers
(ele
ctri
c m
atch
es, p
yrot
echn
ics)
,•
low
ene
rgy
init
iato
rs (
LE
I).
Seve
ral
met
asta
ble
ener
geti
c na
noco
mpo
site
s,
also
kn
own
as
met
asta
ble
inte
rsti
tial
co
mpo
site
s (M
IC)
or
nano
ther
mit
es
(sup
erth
erm
ites
) w
ere
iden
tifi
ed a
s th
e po
tent
ial
subs
titu
tes
for
curr
entl
y us
ed l
ead
styp
hnat
e or
le
ad t
hioc
yana
te.
Alu
min
um-b
ased
nan
othe
rmit
es (
alum
inum
-met
al o
xide
sys
tem
s)
are
of p
arti
cula
r in
tere
st in
ter
ms
of t
heir
ene
rget
ic c
hara
cter
isti
cs.
Exa
mpl
es:
Al-
MoO
3, A
l-W
O3,
Al-
CuO
, Al-
Fe 2
O3
and
Al-
Bi 2
O3,
Nan
othe
rmite�Processing�Cha
llenges�and
�Ch
aracteristics
Dis
tinc
t ch
arac
teri
stic
s of
nan
othe
rmit
es:
•N
anot
herm
ites
con
sist
of
at le
ast
two
reac
ting
com
pone
nt (
fuel
and
ox
idiz
er);
•C
ombu
stio
n re
acti
on r
ate
of n
anot
herm
ite
mix
ture
s st
rong
ly d
epen
ds
on r
eact
ant’
s pa
rtic
le s
ize
and
part
icle
inte
rmix
ing;
•E
nerg
y re
leas
e ca
n be
tun
ed b
y ch
oice
of
the
reac
tive
com
pone
nts.
Pro
cess
ing
chal
leng
es o
f na
noth
erm
ites
:
•P
roce
ssin
g in
org
anic
fla
mm
able
sol
vent
s (V
OC
con
cern
);
•M
ixin
g co
mpl
eten
ess
of n
anor
eact
ants
;
•St
rati
fica
tion
of
reac
tant
s du
e to
the
dif
fere
nce
in t
heir
den
siti
es;
•P
roce
ssin
g an
d lo
adin
g of
ult
rafi
ne e
xtre
mel
y E
SD s
ensi
tive
pow
ders
;•H
igh
reac
tivi
ty o
f na
nosi
ze a
lum
inum
and
mol
ybde
num
tri
oxid
e w
ith
moi
stur
e;•
Inhe
rent
bri
ttle
ness
of
cons
olid
ated
MIC
.
Water�Based
�Processing
1 U.S
. Pat
ent 7
,670
,446
: J
.A. P
uszy
nski
, J.J
. Sw
iatk
iew
icz
and
M.B
icha
y, “
Wet
Pro
cess
ing
and
Loa
ding
of
Per
cuss
ion
Pri
mer
s B
ased
on
Met
asta
ble
Nan
oene
rget
ic C
ompo
site
s”
•A
new
mix
ing
proc
ess1
of t
he n
anot
herm
ite
com
pone
nts
in a
w
ater
slu
rry
was
dev
elop
ed b
y th
e In
nova
tive
Mat
eria
ls a
nd
Pro
cess
es L
LC
.
•W
ater
-bas
ed m
ixin
g pr
oces
s is
inhe
rent
ly s
afe.
•W
ater
sol
uble
bin
ders
can
be
adde
d di
rect
ly t
o th
e re
acti
ve s
lurr
y to
in
crea
se m
echa
nica
l str
engt
h of
dri
ed n
anot
herm
ite
mat
eria
ls.
•F
orm
atio
n of
com
pact
gra
nule
s ha
s E
SD s
afet
y ad
vant
ages
.
•D
ense
slu
rry
can
be d
osed
dir
ectl
y to
the
app
licat
ion.
Star
ting
Mat
eria
ls T
este
d in
N
anot
herm
ite
Com
posi
tes
Fue
ls:
•80
nm a
lum
inum
(N
ovaC
entr
ix)
•Nan
osca
le A
lum
inum
Fla
ke (
IMP
)•
SSA
: 10
-28
m2 /
g•
%R
eact
ive
Alu
min
um:
84-7
6%
Oxi
des:
•Acc
umet
Bi 2
O3
•SS
A:
3-4
m2 /
g•C
lark
Sub
mic
ron
Bi 2
O3
•SS
A:
1 m
2 /g
Nan
osca
le A
lum
inum
Fla
ke
80 n
m A
lum
inum
Acc
umet
Bi 2
O3
Cla
rk S
ubm
icro
n B
i 2O
3
Fla
ke A
lum
inu
m P
roce
ss
Att
riti
on m
illin
g of
alu
min
um p
recu
rsor
to
ge
nera
te
nano
scal
e al
umin
um
flak
es
wit
h tu
nabl
e sp
ecif
ic s
urfa
ce a
rea
Nan
osca
leA
lum
inum
Fla
keSS
A:
27.9
m2 /
g%
RA
: 82
%
SEM
imag
e of
mill
ed f
lake
alu
min
um
Mix
ing
of N
anot
herm
ite
Mat
eria
ls
•W
ater
bas
ed m
ixin
g pr
oces
s de
velo
ped
by
Inno
vati
ve
Mat
eria
ls
and
Pro
cess
es,
LL
C
(Pat
ent
7,67
0,44
6).
•M
ixin
g of
na
noth
erm
ites
w
as
cond
ucte
d us
ing
Res
odyn
Lab
Ram
mix
er i
n a
1 st
ep
proc
ess.
•If
gas
gen
erat
ing
addi
tive
s ar
e be
ing
used
an
init
ial
disp
ersi
on s
tep
of t
he g
as g
ener
atin
g ad
diti
ve is
rec
omm
ende
d.
•M
ixin
g ti
mes
w
here
ab
le
to
be
shor
tene
d fr
om 3
0 m
inut
es t
o 1-
15 m
inut
es.
Bin
ary
Fue
l and
Oxi
dize
r M
ixtu
res
•T
he R
esod
yn L
abR
AM
al
low
s fo
r ea
sy d
ispe
rsio
n of
bin
ary
fuel
and
ox
idiz
er n
anop
arti
cles
ha
ving
dif
fere
nt p
arti
cle
mor
phol
ogie
s an
d si
zes.
Dyn
amic
pr
essu
re
prof
iles
gene
rate
d by
th
e co
mbu
stio
n of
50
m
g of
A
l-F
e 2O3
wit
hni
troc
ellu
lose
in a
n 8.
5 cc
pre
ssur
e ch
ambe
r.
Add
itio
n of
Gas
Gen
erat
ing
Age
nts
•T
he R
esod
yn L
abR
AM
allo
ws
for
easy
dis
pers
ion
of s
olid
fi
brou
s ga
s ge
nera
ting
ad
diti
ves
wit
hin
the
nano
ther
mit
e.
•T
he a
ddit
ion
of t
he g
as
gene
rati
ng a
ddit
ives
allo
ws
for
the
com
bust
ion
prop
erti
es o
f th
e na
noth
erm
ite
to b
e tu
ned.
Dyn
amic
pr
essu
re
prof
iles
gene
rate
d by
th
e co
mbu
stio
n of
30
0 m
g of
A
l-F
e 2O3
wit
hni
troc
ellu
lose
in a
n 8
cc p
ress
ure
cham
ber.
Adv
anta
ges/
Dis
adva
ntag
es T
o U
sing
R
eson
ant
Aco
usti
c M
ixin
gA
dvan
tage
s•S
ingl
e st
ep m
ixin
g pr
oces
s
•Sho
rt m
ixin
g ti
mes
•Mix
ing
effe
ctiv
enes
s
•Pos
sibi
lity
of t
hick
slu
rry
mix
ing
•Par
ticl
e m
orph
olog
y ha
s no
eff
ect
on
mix
ing
•Wet
ting
and
dis
pers
ion
of n
anop
owde
rs in
liq
uids
•Saf
ety
in m
ixin
g of
nan
othe
rmit
e m
ixtu
res
in w
ater
Dis
adva
ntag
es•B
atch
pro
cess
•Int
rodu
ctio
n of
air
into
slu
rry
wit
hout
an
appl
icat
ion
of a
vac
uum
set
up.
•Can
not
mix
und
er c
onti
nuou
s va
cuum
due
to
low
vis
cosi
ty o
f th
e m
ixtu
re
Vac
uum
Mix
ing
Ves
sel
•D
ue
to
low
vi
scos
ity
of
nano
ther
mit
e m
ixtu
res
and
the
high
L
abR
AM
m
ixin
g in
tens
itie
s ne
eded
to
ac
hiev
e go
od
disp
ersi
on
of
the
reac
tant
s,
a ne
w
mix
ing
vess
el w
as d
esig
ned.
Vac
uum
atta
chm
ent
and
valv
eN
anot
herm
ite
reac
tant
s an
d so
lven
t
Qui
ck c
onne
ct
flan
ge li
d
Thi
n w
alle
d st
ainl
ess
stee
l va
cuum
mix
ing
vess
el
Con
clus
ions
•R
eson
ant
acou
stic
mix
ing
can
be s
ucce
ssfu
lly u
sed
to m
ix b
inar
y fu
el a
nd
oxid
izer
nan
opar
ticl
es h
avin
g di
ffer
ent
part
icle
mor
phol
ogie
s.
•T
he R
esod
yn L
abR
AM
is s
uita
ble
for
mix
ing
of n
anot
herm
ite
com
posi
te
mat
eria
ls f
or a
wat
er-b
ased
con
tinu
ous
load
ing
of p
ercu
ssio
n an
d el
ectr
ic
prim
ers.
•So
lid g
as g
ener
atin
g ag
ents
can
be
easi
ly
adm
ixed
into
nan
othe
rmit
e m
ater
ials
usi
ng
reso
nant
aco
usti
c m
ixin
g.
Ack
now
ledg
emen
t
The
au
thor
s of
th
is
pres
enta
tion
w
ould
lik
e to
ac
know
ledg
e th
e fi
nanc
ial
supp
ort
from
A
RD
EC
, P
icat
inny
A
rsen
al,
NJ
unde
r th
e fo
llow
ing
cont
ract
s:
•“D
evel
opm
ent
of
Nan
othe
rmit
e-B
ased
M
icro
thru
ster
s”(C
ontr
act
#: W
15Q
KN
-09-
C-0
154)
•“D
evel
opm
ent
and
Scal
e-up
of
Nan
othe
rmit
e
Com
posi
tes
for
Pro
pella
nt I
gnit
ion”
(Con
trac
t #:
W15
QK
N-1
1-C
-004
4)
Con
tact
Inf
orm
atio
n:Z
ac D
oore
nbos
Pri
ncip
al R
&D
Eng
inee
rT
el:
(605
)484
-343
4In
nova
tive
Mat
eria
ls a
nd P
roce
sses
, LL
CE
mai
l: D
oore
nbos
@im
p-co
.com
