Tantalum-tungsten oxide thermite composites prepared by sol-gel synthesis and spark plasma sintering

Energetic composite powders consisting of sol-gel derived nanostructured tungsten oxide were produced with various amounts of micrometer-scale tantalum fuel metal. Such energetic composite powders were ignition-tested and the results show that the powders are not sensitive to friction, spark and/or impact ignition. Initial consolidation experiments, using the High-Pressure Spark Plasma Sintering (HPSPS) technique, on the sol-gel derived nanostructured tungsten oxide produced samples with higher relative density than can be achieved with commercially available tungsten oxide. The sol-gel derived nanostructured tungsten oxide with immobilized tantalum fuel metal (Ta-WO₃) energetic composite was consolidated to a density of 9.17 g cm⁻³ or 93% relative density. In addition, those samples were consolidated without significant pre-reaction of the constituents, thus retaining their stored chemical energy.