Novel Green Propulsion Systems for Aerospace Applications

This research presents the development of green and innovative propulsion systems for aerospace applications, focusing on creating safe and efficient alternatives to traditional and toxic fuels (such as hydrazine). At the core of the work, the researchers developed and characterized novel polymeric complexes of transition metals (Mn and Cu) with a guanine-type ligand. These complexes (Mn-GU and Cu-GU) were designed to serve as catalysts in nitrocellulose (NC)-based fuel mixtures, with the goal of achieving rapid hypergolic ignition (self-ignition) upon contact with a green oxidizer — high-concentration hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂).

The results indicate that incorporating the Mn-GU complex (even at a low concentration of 15 wt%) in a mixture with nitrocellulose (85%) produced very rapid hypergolic ignition with an ignition delay of only 49 milliseconds (ms) — a figure that meets the stringent requirements of hypergolic propulsion systems. In addition, thermodynamic calculations (using EXPLO 5 software) showed that these formulations exhibit a promising specific impulse in the range of 236–240 seconds, indicating high performance potential. These findings represent a significant step forward in the development of greener, safer, and more efficient hybrid rocket engines.