Mesoporous cauliflower-like CuO/Cu(OH)2 hierarchical structures as an excellent catalyst for ammonium perchlorate thermal decomposition

Abstract Nanostructured CuO-based materials are promising catalysts in the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP). Here, a facile ammonia-evaporation-induced fabrication of novel mesoporous nanoparticles-aggregated cauliflower-like CuO/Cu(OH)2 structures is reported. The influence of the as-prepared material on AP decomposition was analyzed by TG and DSC and the results revealed its excellent catalytic performance. Adding 3 wt% CuO/Cu(OH)2 to AP decreases the decomposition temperature by 96 °C, reduces the activation energy from 86 ± 4 kJ mol−1 to 65.2 ± 0.6 kJ mol−1 and increases the total heat release by 38.6%. Such catalytic activity approaches or exceeds those of the best performing CuO-based catalysts, making CuO/Cu(OH)2 a strong candidate for use in catalyzed thermal decomposition of AP.