thermite 3.0

thermite 3.0

Reactive nanolaminate research in our group is performed primarily using a dedicated four-cathode magnetron sputtering tool. The instrument is equipped with RF and DC power supplies, a quartz crystal oscillator for in situ thickness measurements, and a water cooled and rotating substrate stage to facilitate clean and minimally reacted interfaces. materials of interest for our laminate work include Zr, Mg, Al, Sc, and Nb as the reducer and CuO, ZnO, and Bi2O3 as the oxidizer. Thermite 3.0 is so-named because it is the third generation instrument to serve this research purpose.  This instrument also features a rotating water-cooled stage to enable metastable structures that can be prepared and handled without unwanted energy release reactions. The nanolaminates are of interest for a variety of propulsion and nano-energetic defense applications. 

Chloe Skidmore is the principal instrument user.