SALVAGNAC , Ludovic

Sputter-deposited Al/CuO multilayers are used to manufacture tunable igniters and actuators, with applications in various fields such as defense, space and infrastructure safety. This paper describes the technology of deposition and the characteristics of Al/CuO multilayers, followed by some examples of the applications of these energetic layers.

Electro-pyrotechnic initiators used to ignite an explosive, a propellant or any other energetic substances are widely used in many applications including micropropulsion, drug injection, Safe Arming and Firing for missiles, rockets, munitions and airbag inflation … Our research group has recently reported the integration of nanothermites within...

We developed a triggerable ultimate security device capable of physically destroying a memory chip that contains classified data, within a few milliseconds, upon the detection of intrusion.

Pyroswitches and circuit breakers play an important safety role in electrical systems. A miniature one-shot circuit breaker based on the violent reaction of a nanothermite is presented for safety application as protection against overcurrent, external perturbation and short circuit of a broad range of equipment and systems. This device consists...

Aluminum has demonstrated compelling attributes over decades of research, encompassing affordability, abundance and a high specific energy density when utilized as a fuel in energetic materials such as nanothermites. However, combustion performance of Al suffers from its high ignition point and sintering tendency, the latter being hypothesized...

Sputter-deposited Al/CuO multilayers are used to manufacture tunable igniters and actuators with applications in various fields of application such as defense, space and infrastructure safety. This paper describes the technology of deposition and characteristics of Al/CuO multilayers followed by some examples of applications of these energetic layers.

Aluminum as fuel has demonstrated compelling attributes over decades of research, including affordability, abundance, and a high specific energy density. It stands out as the most extensively studied metallic fuel 1,2 . However, Al faces a challenge in the form of a high ignition point, primarily attributed to the presence of its native oxide....

Thermite multilayered films composed of alternating thin layers of metal/oxidizers have various uses in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), microelectronics and materials bonding applications. Recently, applied research especially on the micro-initiator applications has engendered an urgent need to improve ignitability without changing the...

Reactive multilayer films are a high energy dense configuration for energetics widely studied for various pyrotechnic applications. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of substrate-induced localized stress on the combustion properties of Al/CuO reactive thin films. Square microbumps are patterned on glass substrates to...

This study reports on a new ternary thermite comprising of Al-TiB 2 /CuO multilayers, designed to take advantage of the high ignitability of titanium (Ti), high volumetric density of boron (B), and low melting point of aluminum (Al). Results demonstrate synergetic effects leading to an energetic layer outperforming single fuel counterparts,...

In this study we demonstrate the effect of change of the sputtering power and the deposition pressure on the ignition and the combustion properties of Al/CuO reactive thin films. A reduced sputtering power of Al along with the deposition carried out at a higher-pressure result in a high-quality thin film showing a 200% improvement in the burn...

National audience

The development of an efficient photocatalyst capable of producing enough hydrogen for applications in everyday life under direct sunlight exposure is still challenging. In this work, a new concept for a three-dimensional microstructured photocatalyst is proposed, in which a standard deep-reactive ion etching process allows for the...

To reduce the size inconvenience of airbag systems employed in human-body protection devices while maintaining comparable gas generation performance, a new family of gas-generating energetic composites are proposed mixing Al/CuO nanothermite with copper complex (Cu(NH 3) 4 (NO 3) 2) known for its propensity to generate gases (0.03 mol/g) such...

La photocatalyse, à distinguer de la photo-électro-catalyse, permet de produire de l'hydrogène par photo-réduction de l'eau, tout en s'affranchissant de l'utilisation d'électrodes, d'un courant électrique, ou encore de l'utilisation d'un bain électrochimique. [1] Dans ce cadre, nous avons développé un dispositif de panneau solaire hydrogène...