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Mechanochemical Mechanism For Fast Reaction Of Metastable Intermolecular Composites Based On Dispersion Of Liquid Metal, Valery I. Levitas, Blaine W. Asay, Steven F. Son, Michelle Pantoya

Steven F. Son

An unexpected mechanism for fast reaction of Alnanoparticles covered by a thin oxide shell during fast heating is proposed and justified theoretically and experimentally. For nanoparticles, the melting of Al occurs before the oxide fracture. The volume change due to melting induces pressures of 1–2 GPa and causes dynamic spallation of the shell. The unbalanced pressure between the Al core and the exposed surface creates an unloading wave with high tensile pressures resulting in dispersion of atomic scale liquid Al clusters. These clusters fly at high velocity and their reaction is not limited by diffusion (this is the opposite of …