Preparation and characterization of energetic nichrome firing based on Al/CuO energetic ink jet printing

With the development of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology, the manufacture of energy conversion elements with metal bridge membranes is becoming more mature, which can be applied in the field of self-destruction of pyrotechnics and improve the immediacy of MEMS fuse safety devices. A micro-nichrome bridge (NCB) was fabricated using MEMS technology, which has a high level of integration. Nanothermite Al/CuO with an inkjet printing charging method was selected to study the ignition characteristics of Al/CuO energetic nichrome bridge (ENCB) under constant current incentive and capacitor discharge. The critical firing current within 5 min and 50 ms, the electrical explosion delay time and critical burst energy were analyzed. The experimental results demonstrate that the prepared NCB can be used as an insensitive ignition element, and its ENCB has a lower ignition current under short pulses. Both the electrical explosion delay time and critical burst energy of NCB and ENCB decrease with increasing voltage. Additionally, incorporating an energetic ink film can significantly reduce the critical burst energy. When the voltage exceeds 30 V, the incorporation of inkjet-printed Al/CuO significantly enhances the ignition performance of the energetic nichrome bridge, which makes it have great prospects for application in low-power micro initiators.