To improve the pressure output ability of nanothermites
to meet
the needs in many fields, with the more volatile advantage of metal
fluoride products (AlF3), this paper proposes the scheme
of nanothermites (Al/CuF2). The energy release process
of Al/CuF2 with different equivalent ratios under slow
and fast heating rates has been studied. Under the slow heating rates,
it was found that the equivalent ratio (Φ) has a significant
influence on the energy release process. When Φ ≤ 1,
the product is dominated by Cu. With the increase of the equivalent
ratio, Al2Cu gradually appeared in the product, indicating
that the increase of Al powder contributed to the enhancement of the
alloy reaction. On the other hand, to further investigate the actual
application of the Al/CuF2 mixture, combustion experiments
in a closed container and in open air were carried out and compared
with those of Al/CuO. In accordance with our design concept, AlCuF2 shows more excellent gas release ability. Al/CuF2 (Φ = 3) has the most excellent pressure output capacity (2.67
MPa), which increases by 107% compared to 1.29 MPa (Al/CuO). In addition,
Al/CuF2 displays more excellent ignition performances in terms of
shorter delay time and less ignition energy. Therefore, Al/CuF2 composite
particles, as a novel nanothermite design, are expected to be widely
used in the gas generator, micropropulsion, and other military and
civilian fields.