Graphene Oxide–(Ferrocenylmethyl) Dimethylammonium Nitrate Composites as Catalysts for Ammonium Perchlorate Thermolysis

Graphene oxide has attracted attention due to its excellent catalytic properties, and it is expected to be used in the field of burning rate catalysis. To investigate the synergistic effect of graphene oxide and ferrocene derivatives, graphene oxide–(ferrocenylmethyl) dimethylammonium nitrate composites (GO–FcMANO3) were prepared and characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and their thermal stability and catalytic effect on ammonium perchlorate (AP) were studied by thermogravimetry–differential scanning calorimetry (TG–DSC) techniques. Based on interaction region indicator (IRI) analysis, electrostatic potential (ESP) and energy decomposition analysis on the basis of forcefield (EDA-FF), the dispersion effect is the dominant component of interaction energy, and the contribution of electrostatic attraction is small. The frontier molecular orbitals illustrate that a higher highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy makes GO–FcMANO3 more susceptible to oxidization and is more conducive to catalyzing AP decomposition. The TG data illustrated that the presence of GO in the composites increased the thermal stability of FcMANO3 during AP decomposition. The catalytic effect of GO–FcMANO3 for AP decomposition manifested in two ways: it advanced the peak temperature in the second stage of AP decomposition and reduced the exothermic temperature width between two stages; it also increased the heat released during AP decomposition. Combined kinetic analysis and the Friedman method provided more detailed information about the catalytic behavior of composites for AP thermolysis, and GO–FcMANO3 composites decreased the Ea of the second stage of AP decomposition. The introduction of GO influenced the decomposition physical model of FcMANO3 for AP catalysis. The first stage of AP decomposition transformed from random nucleation and two-dimensional growth of nuclei model (A2) to random nucleation and three-dimensional growth of nuclei model (A3), and the second stage changed from the phase boundary-controlled reaction (R2) to random nucleation and two-dimensional growth of nuclei model (A2).