Facile Fabrication of Cu-doped Carbon Aerogels as Catalysts for the Thermal Decomposition of Ammonium Perchlorate

We report a simple and effective method to produce copper-doped carbon aerogel (Cu-CA) using sodium alginate as a carbon precursor through ion crosslinking and high-temperature carbonization. Results indicate that Cu-alginate has a 3D scaffold structure with pores. The effect of using different metal salt mass ratios of Cu-CA on the catalytic thermal decomposition of AP is also investigated. The thermal decomposition temperature of AP decreases by 94.24 °C, and the activation energy of the decomposition reaction is reduced by 45.7 kJ/mol. These results demonstrate that the composite exhibits superior catalytic performance compared with a single-component transition metal salt.