Copper-Doped Porous Carbon Derived from Biomass Substrate: A High-Efficient Catalyst for the Thermal Decomposition and Combustion Performance of DAP-4

To address the urgent demand for eco-friendly and low-cost catalysts to replace toxic heavy-metal additives in energetic materials, this work focuses on developing biomass-derived copper-doped porous carbon (CuPC) as a high-efficiency catalyst for the thermal decomposition and combustion of molecular perovskite energetic material (H2dabco)NH4(ClO4)3(DAP-4). Biomass carbonaceous material has garnered extensive attention in many fields, owing to the low cost, high utilization efficiency, and environment protection. Herein, the CuPC catalysts were rationally designed and fabricated via the high-temperature carbonization treatment of biomass carbonaceous material precursor. The catalytic effects of CuPC on the thermal decomposition and combustion characteristics of DAP-4 were systematically investigated. The results revealed that CuPC possessed inherent catalysis property on the decomposition and combustion reaction of DAP-4. CuxOy nanoparticles were uniformly distributed on the surface of carbonized biomass substrates, endowing the catalysts with superior dispersibility. Thermal analysis results indicated that the addition of 5 wt% CuPC-3 reduced the thermal decomposition peak temperature from 378 °C of raw DAP-4 to 350 °C of DAP-4/CuPC-3. Moreover, the apparent activation energy of DAP-4 was notably decreased with the incorporation of CuPC catalysts. The combustion characterization results demonstrated that DAP-4 exhibited a more intense combustion process with the addition of CuPC, accompanied by elevated maximum combustion temperature and enhanced combustion heat. The catalytic mechanism of CuPC on the thermal decomposition and combustion of DAP-4 was further proposed. This work provides a targeted strategy for designing sustainable biomass-based catalysts to optimize the energy release performance of advanced molecular perovskite energetic materials.