Graphite oxide–iron oxide nanocomposites as a new class of catalyst for the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

Abstract

Graphite oxide (GO) is receiving increased attention due to its special surface properties and layered structure for the synthesis of GO containing nanocomposites. It is possible that integration of GO sheets and iron oxide nanoparticles may result in enhanced properties and enlarge the application range. Herein, we report the effect of Fe₂O₃–GO nanocomposite as a new class of catalyst for the decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP), a rocket propellant oxidizer, and study the effect of Fe₂O₃ : GO ratio on the catalytic activity. The material was characterized by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy and the formation of Fe₂O₃ and GO were confirmed. FESEM analysis showed that the Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles are highly dispersed between and on the graphene layers. With the addition of 3% of the composite with 1 : 1 Fe₂O₃–GO ratio, the decomposition temperature of AP was reduced by 45 °C, showing a high catalytic activity for the new composite. The high catalytic activity of the in situ synthesized Fe₂O₃–GO composite may be attributed to the uniform distribution of iron oxide nanoparticles which in turn provide a number of active sites on the surface due to the presence of GO.