Energetic Tagged Zirconium-Based Metal-Organic Framework: A Novel Catalyst and High Energy Dense Material for Solid Propellants

Catalyst for ammonium percholorate (AP) decomposition was limited to inert particles, with subsequent decrease in main decomposition temperature. Recently much attention has been directed to reactive catalyst particles with high decomposition enthalpy. Energetic metal-organic frameworks (EMOFs) could contribute to the decomposition enthalpy; with the exclusive evolution of catalyst nanoparticles. UiO-66-NH₂ is a three-dimensional metal-organic framework (MOF) composed of tetravalent metal ions Zr(IV) and ditopic 2-Amino Terephthalic acid linker (H₂ATPT). UiO-66-NH₂ is multi-functional MOF with exceptional surface area and thermal stability. UiO-66-NH₂ can expose superior combustion enthalpy of 18 KJ/g. This study reports on facile solvothermal synthesis of UiO-66-NH₂; that was integrated into ammonium percholorate (AP) matrix via anti-solvent technique. UiO-66-NH₂ boosted AP decomposition enthalpy by + 227.3%, with decrease in main decomposition temperature by 92.72 °C. Decomposition kinetics was investigated via isoconversional (model free) and model fitting. Kissinger, Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS), integral isoconversional method of Ozawa and Flyn and Wall (FWO). UiO-66-NH₂/AP demonstrated apparent activation energy of 75 KJ mol^− 1 compared with 176.1 KJ mol^− 1 for virgin AP. While virgin AP experienced complex decomposition models beginning with F3 to A2; UiO-66-NH₂/AP nanocomposite demonstrated A3 decomposition model. The developed UiO-66-NH₂ exposed a dual function as high energy dense material with superior catalytic effect due to the exclusive evolution c-ZrO₂ nanocatalyst on decomposition.