Designing Novel Dual-Silane-Capped Boron Nanoparticles for Jet Fuels Targeting Simultaneous Enhancement in Combustion and Dispersion Stability

Abstract

Dual-silane-capped boron nanoparticles (DS-BNPs) with enhanced dispersion stability in jet fuels were synthesized for the first time. To this end, a complete dual-silane capping process was implemented via continuous stirring under standard reference conditions. The ratio of dual-silane was adjusted to optimize the experimental procedure for successfully capping the BNPs. The same amount of silane could completely cap the surfaces of the BNPs. The morphological and chemical changes, thermal properties, and comprehensive behavior of the BNPs after single-and dual-silane capping were investigated by using analytical methods. The analysis results indicated the successful dual-silane capping of the BNPs owing to the oxide layer and its hydroxyl group, which enabled the organic groups of silane to replace the hydroxyl groups of the BNPs, resulting in successful surface modification by the condensation reaction. The DS-BNPs showed excellent dispersion stability in jet fuels for 50 days without sedimentation and the shortest combustion time (1300 ms) with the highest calorific value of 10,734 kcal kg −1 . Surface modification successfully achieved optimal dispersion stability and increased the energy content of the nanofluid fuel. This study highlights the significant benefits of DS-BNPs as promising materials for nanofluid fuels to improve the performance of jet fuels.