Preparation of nano-silicon fuels with high active component content and low sensitivity via vapor-phase magnesiothermic reduction of mesoporous SiO2

In this study, silicon nanoparticles (n-Si) with active component content of 93.2% were successfully synthesized through vapor-phase magnesiothermic reduction using mesoporous SiO 2 precursors as templates. The as-prepared n-Si exhibited an average particle size of about 85 nm and a specific surface area of 147 m 2 /g. The potential of prepared n-Si as fuel for metastable intermolecular composites was validated through thermal analysis and constant-volume combustion tests, by using KClO 4 as the oxidizer, although the reactivity was generally lower than that of n-Al/KClO 4 counterpart. Notably, n-Si/KClO 4 exhibits significantly reduced sensitivity to friction (30% versus 70%) and electrostatic discharge (24,750 mJ versus 12 mJ) compared to n-Al/KClO 4 . In summary, n-Si fuels prepared via the vapor-phase magnesiothermic reduction method exhibited high active component content, moderate reactivity, and extremely low electrostatic sensitivity, demonstrating application potentials in metastable intermolecular composites to substitute for n-Al where a balance between combustion characteristics and enhanced electrostatic safety is required. Graphical