An in-situ process for synthesizing highly pyrophoric foam materials using metal and carbon precursors wherein the precursors serve as foaming and activating agents to disperse and lock nano-sized metal particles within a rigid porous carbon matrix. The resulting carbon matrix is also pyrophoric.

An in-situ process for synthesizing highly pyrophoric foam materials using metal and carbon precursors wherein the precursors serve as foaming and activating agents to disperse and lock nano-sized metal particles within a rigid porous carbon matrix. The resulting carbon matrix is also pyrophoric.

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed towards a simulant and method relating to producing a simulant. For example, a simulant of a textured target threat includes a background material associated with a background attenuation, and a texture component(s) dispersed in the background material and associated with a component attenuation and a component characteristic. The component characteristic prevents the component attenuation of the texture component from being homogeneously dispersed throughout the background attenuation of the background material, to cause the simulant to mimic an aspect(s) of an X-ray signature of the textured target threat.

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed towards a simulant and method relating to producing a simulant. For example, a simulant of a textured target threat includes a background material associated with a background attenuation, and a texture component(s) dispersed in the background material and associated with a component attenuation and a component characteristic. The component characteristic prevents the component attenuation of the texture component from being homogeneously dispersed throughout the background attenuation of the background material, to cause the simulant to mimic an aspect(s) of an X-ray signature of the textured target threat.

An in-situ process for synthesizing highly pyrophoric foam materials using metal and carbon precursors wherein the precursors serve as foaming and activating agents to disperse and lock nano-sized metal particles within a rigid porous carbon matrix. The resulting carbon matrix is also pyrophoric.

An in-situ process for synthesizing highly pyrophoric foam materials using metal and carbon precursors wherein the precursors serve as foaming and activating agents to disperse and lock nano-sized metal particles within a rigid porous carbon matrix. The resulting carbon matrix is also pyrophoric.

A composite reactive material for use in a munition is disclosed. The composite reactive material comprises a metal lattice structure having interstitial spaces and a powder in the interstitial spaces. The powder comprises at least one metal powder and/or at least one halogen-containing polymer powder.

There is provided a composition and method of deposing an initiatory composition, said composition, comprising a:

(i) a nanothermite suspension of a metal (M) oxide and a metal (M) in a solvent, wherein the average particle size of the metal (M) oxide and a metal (M) is less than 1000 nm, provided that (M)(M),

(ii) wherein said nanothermite suspension comprises a charging reagent comprising a reagent capable of forming a stable complex with each of the metal (M) oxide and the metal (M), to from a metal (M) oxide complex, and a metal (M) complex that have the same electrostatic charge, such that said metal (M) oxide complex and a metal (M) complex repel each other in said suspension, wherein the admixture of the binder, nanothermite suspension charging reagent, has been caused to be mixed under Resonant Acoustic Mixing to provide a stable suspension of a nanothermite complex.

There is provided a composition and method of deposing an initiatory composition, said composition, comprising a:

(i) a nanothermite suspension of a metal (M) oxide and a metal (M) in a solvent, wherein the average particle size of the metal (M) oxide and a metal (M) is less than 1000 nm, provided that (M)(M),

(ii) wherein said nanothermite suspension comprises a charging reagent comprising a reagent capable of forming a stable complex with each of the metal (M) oxide and the metal (M), to from a metal (M) oxide complex, and a metal (M) complex that have the same electrostatic charge, such that said metal (M) oxide complex and a metal (M) complex repel each other in said suspension, wherein the admixture of the binder, nanothermite suspension charging reagent, has been caused to be mixed under Resonant Acoustic Mixing to provide a stable suspension of a nanothermite complex.

A system and methods for additively manufacturing energetic particles such as polymer-free nanothermite aerogels are provided. An ink containing graphene oxide (GO), Al, and Bi.sub.2O.sub.3 nanoparticles in propylene carbonate is prepared. The method includes in-situ reduction of graphene oxide (GO), by ethylenediamine, during extrusion and printing of the ink onto a substrate with a simple printing system. The printed aerogels include reduced GO as a porous scaffold for the aerogel with Al and Bi.sub.2O.sub.3 clusters embedded therein. The linear burning rate of the printed aerogels reached a higher rate (10 m/s) that reported for typical polymer-assisted 3D printed nanothermite products. Also provided is a framework for optimizing a nanothermite fuel grain structure to match a desired combustion profile. The framework was used to model optimal fuel layer thicknesses, radii and bum rates for simple thrust, complex thrust and pressure matching cases.