Research on Impact-Induced Reaction Characteristics of Al2Ce/AP Reactive Material

To overcome the low strength of conventional polytetrafluoroethylene/aluminum (PTFE/Al) reactive materials and the insufficient reaction efficiency of aluminum, this study introduces highly reactive aluminum–cerium alloys (Al-Ce-1#, -2#, and -3#, with Ce contents of 30, 50, and 70%, respectively; the primary phase in Al-Ce-3# is Al2Ce) with a multiscale structural design (comprising both micron-sized and nano-sized particles) into an ammonium perchlorate (AP) matrix. Al/AP reactive materials and Al-Ce/AP reactive materials with varying Ce contents were prepared. The thermal decomposition characteristics, dynamic mechanical properties, and impact ignition behavior were systematically investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) experiments. The results demonstrate that the addition of Al2Ce significantly alters the thermal decomposition process of AP, substantially lowering its decomposition temperature (by approximately 69 °C) and promoting concentrated exothermic decomposition. SHPB tests reveal that Al2Ce/AP composites exhibit higher dynamic yield strength and flow stress than the Al/AP, accumulating faster strain energy density under impact loading, which indicates a more violent fragmentation failure mode. This enhanced mechanical failure behavior, which provides highly reactive interfaces and promotes hotspot formation, synergizes with the catalytic effect of Al2Ce on AP decomposition. Together, these mechanisms jointly improve the impact ignition sensitivity of the material, significantly lowering its ignition threshold and shortening its combustion duration. This study confirms that Al2Ce/AP is a novel reactive material combining excellent dynamic mechanical properties with outstanding impact reactivity, providing theoretical and technical support for the application of highly reactive rare-earth aluminum alloys in aluminum-based reactive materials.