A polyester-based initiation strategy for achieving high-efficient cracking of hydrocarbon fuels

Active cooling of scramjets by endothermic hydrocarbon fuels is considered as an effective approach to addressing the thermal problem for hypersonic aircrafts. To accelerate the endothermic cracking reactions of these fuels for a better cooling capability, a strategy for hydrocarbon cracking using polymer-based macromolecular initiators has been proposed. To verify the universality of this strategy and also to enhance the solubility of macromolecular initiators, a novel polyester macromolecular initiator (MI) is designed. It is clarified that the MI features high-efficient thermal cracking of hydrocarbon fuels in a tubular reactor with an improved conversion ratio, gas yield, and alkene selectivity. The possible mechanism behind the macromolecular initiator is revealed on the basis of intermediate analyses and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which show the radical fragments from MI decomposition are effective in accelerating JP-10 dehydrogenation. The successful implementation of polyester materials in hydrocarbon fuels holds immense promise for the optimal use of hydrocarbon fuels in hypersonic aircrafts.