Surface Treatment Method for Maximizing Combustion Efficiency and Dispersion Stability of Various Energetic Materials in Hydrocarbon Fuels

초록

High-energy metal nanoparticles (MeNPs) have been widely used to enhance the combustion efficiency of scramjet fuels. However, their application is hindered by native oxide layers on the surface, causing agglomeration and incomplete combustion. To overcome limitation, chemical surface modification method on MeNPs has been introduced to improve the affinity with hydrocarbon fuels. Silane capping, using a reactive silane head (-OSiX3) and an organic tail (-R), offers a simple and straightforward solution. In this study, a systematic comparison was conducted between two silane coating methods, rapid injection and dropwise addition, using octadecyltrimethoxysilane, which possesses long hydrocarbon tails. Surface functionalization of MeNPs after silane capping is confirmed via various chemical analyses. Dispersion stability and combustion performance are evaluated by dispersing the silane-capped MeNPs in fuel with concentrations of 1.0 to 5.0 wt%. Notably, nanofluids with 2.0 wt% additive, which have prepared by the dropwise method, exhibited the highest energy output (10,739.5 kcal kg?1). Furthermore, aforementioned nanofluid have manifested shortened combustion times of 1604 ms and stable dispersion stability up to 50 days. Conclusively, experimental results have successfully confirmed the effect of silane capping method on MeNPs for nanofluid. Key Words: Endothermic hydrocarbon fuel(탄화수소 흡열연료), Metal additives(금속 첨가제), Silane capping(실란 도입), Dispersion stability(분산 안정성), Combustion(연소) 사 사 본 연구는 2025년 정부(방위사업청)의 재원으로 국방과학연구소의 지원을 받아 수행된 미래도전국방기술 연구개발사업임(No. 915066201).