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A screening of novel energetic materials is presented. These materials are selected according to their energy content and heat release during ignition. These material mixtures will be fabricated into composites that can also perform structural functions. A composite fabrication route is developed using fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition; coating a metallic layer onto the particles as a method to control mechanical properties and reaction kinetics. These reactive metal matrix composites can be developed to offer optimum performance with specific strength, modulus and energetic capabilities.

The overall strength and toughness of ceramic matrix composites is very much affected by the interfacial properties that govern the bonding between the reinforcing fibers and the matrix. The ability to control this interaction is very important. One method involves coating the ceramic fibers with an appropriate material. There is a definite advantage in using lower-temperature processes to produce the coatings:  fibers subjected to high-temperature coating processes are more prone to degradation due to microstructure and crystallization changes. Matrix and fiber materials could also react at high temperatures to form a strong bond at the interface making the composite brittle. Metal−organic precursors were used to produce aluminum oxide and chromium oxide coatings on SiC and Al2O3−SiO2 based ceramic fibers. These metal oxides were deposited on the reinforcing fibers by the pyrolysis in air of their respective metal acetylacetonates at temperatures of 500 °C or less. The coated ceramic fibers showed some reduction in tensile strength but still had considerable strength for use in composites.