Fabrication of electrophoretically deposited, self-assembled three-dimensional porous Al/CuO nanothermite films for highly enhanced energy output

A novel porous Al/CuO nanothermite was successfully synthetized by utilizing the controllable electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method. The morphology and phase composition of the CuO and Al/CuO films were investigated in detail by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). When the pH of the solution was 2.0, the surface area of the Al/CuO film was able to reach 495.6 m 2 /g, which was much higher than that of films grown at pH 1.0, 3.0 or 4.0. Meanwhile, the combustion performance and energy outputs were coincident with the results mentioned above. At pH 2.0, bright flames were observed after ignition, and the released heat of the nanothermite reaction reached 3.49 kJ/g, exhibiting excellent combustion performance and enhanced energy output.