Electrostatic Self-Assembly of PEI-Imidazole Derivative and its Application in Catalytic Thermal Decomposition of AP

Ammonium perchlorate (AP) is a commonly used oxidant for rocket solid propellants. To control the thermal decomposition of AP, a new PEI-imidazole derivative (PEI-ICA) was synthesized. With the combination of Cu compound, the heat decomposition behavior of the AP’s composites was tuned, and the activation energy was also reduced. To explore the potential reason for the catalytic effect, a series of measurements were also carried out, which indicates the electrostatic self-assembly of PEI-ICA and its combination with Cu compound should be responsible for the different heat decomposition behavior of AP. Graphical Abstract