Synthesis and application of multi-heterostructured nanoporous metal oxide composites

Abstract

In this study, we synthesized composite metal oxide nanoporous structures using the Polymer-confined Direct Solution Pyrolysis (PDSP) method, which efficiently produces metal oxide nanoporous materials. By combining multiple metal nitrates with polymer templates, we fabricated oxide structures composed of CuO, Fe2O3, and ZnO. The formation of these individual oxides and spinel structured composite oxides such as CuFe2O4 and ZnFe2O4 was confirmed through XRD, TEM and FactSage thermodynamic calculations. We investigated the explosive characteristics of these structures when used as oxidizers in high-energy materials, demonstrating that the combustion rate could be effectively controlled by adjusting the composition of the oxides. Specifically, the introduction of CuFe2O4 alongside CuO acted as a retardant, slowing the explosive propagation. This work highlights the potential of the PDSP method for producing advanced, customizable nanoporous materials for various applications.