Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots as the Support for the Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles and Their Applications as New Catalysts for the Decomposition of Composite Solid Propellants

Juan P Melo; Paulina L Ríos; Paula Povea; Cesar Morales-Verdejo; María B Camarada

doi:10.1021/acsomega.8b00837

Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots as the Support for the Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles and Their Applications as New Catalysts for the Decomposition of Composite Solid Propellants

ACS Omega. 2018 Jul 3;3(7):7278-7287. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.8b00837. eCollection 2018 Jul 31.

Authors

Juan P Melo¹, Paulina L Ríos¹, Paula Povea², Cesar Morales-Verdejo¹, María B Camarada¹

Affiliations

¹ Facultad de Ciencias, Centro de Nanotecnología Aplicada, Universidad Mayor, Camino la Pirámide 5750, 8580745 Santiago, Chile.
² Laboratorio de Materiales Energéticos, Instituto de Investigaciones y Control del Ejército de Chile (IDIC), Av. Pedro Montt 2136, 8370899 Santiago, Chile.

Abstract

Graphene oxide quantum dot (GOQD) and reduced GOOD (rGOQD) were synthetized using a simple and straight methodology based on an oxidative treatment and sonication. GOQD and rGOQD were used as supporting agents for the in situ generation of gold nanoparticles, avoiding the use of additional stabilizers. GOQD resulted as a better support than rGOQD because of the presence of higher functional groups that can interact with gold. Theoretical studies through density functional theory revealed the important role of the epoxy groups of GOQD on the stabilization of gold. GOQD and GOQD-Au were tested for the first time as catalysts for the decomposition of solid composite propellants. GOQD not only lowered the decomposition temperature of ammonium perchlorate (AP) but also enhanced the exothermic heat of AP, in comparison to graphene and GO. GOQD-Au increased the energy release; however, the effect on the decrease of the decomposition temperature of AP was not as significant as other previous reported catalysts.