The Effects of Metal Complexes of Nano-Graphene Oxide to Thermal Decomposition of FOX-7

1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethene (FOX-7) an insensitive high-energetic compound, has rarely been reported previously with respect to combustion performance. In order to quickly apply it to propellants, the thermal decomposition behaviors of FOX-7 should be optimized. Metal complexes of nano-graphene oxide have an obvious effect on the thermal decomposition of energy materials. In this paper, the metal (Cu2+ and Fe3+) complexes of nano-graphene oxide (nGO) have been synthesized using nGO as a ligand and metal ions as a coordination center. They were mixed with FOX-7 as additives to form energetic composites, and the chemical bond distributions and thermal decomposition processes of these composites have been investigated. The results show that Cu2+ and Fe3+ are uniformly distributed on the surface of the nGO. The thermal decomposition processes of nGO-metal-FOX-7 composites have been fully characterized by Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and Thermal gravimetric analyzer-Differential scanning calorimeter-Infrared spectroscopy-Mass spectrum (TG-DSC-IR-MS) coupling technology. The results show that the Fe3+ based complex affect the decomposition of FOX-7 than the Cu2+ based one with the initial decomposition temperature of 230 °C and the apparent heat release of 3535.6 J·g−1. Moreover, the addition of nGO-metal complexes could promote the formation of nitrogen during the decomposition of FOX-7, indicating a more complete decomposition.