Assembling Silver Cluster-Based Organic Frameworks for Higher-Performance Hypergolic Properties

Increasing research
efforts have been focused on developing next-generation
propellants. In this work, we demonstrated that assembling zero-dimensional
(0D) silver clusters with energetic ligands into 3D metal organic
frameworks (MOFs) not only inherited the short ignition delay (ID)
time of the alkynyl-silver cluster but also significantly increased
the output energy. Among them, the open cationic framework of ZZU-363
incorporating counter NO3– ions achieved
a considerably reduced energy barrier and eventually the shortest
ID time (26 ms), together with the highest volumetric energy density
(40.4 kJ cm–3) and specific impulse (263.1 s), which
is far superior to traditional hydrazine-based propellants. The underlying
mechanisms are clearly revealed by theoretical calculations. This
work opens a venue to significantly enhancing the hypergolic activity
of metal clusters and MOFs.