ALICE (propellant)

This allows aluminum to burn with a large release of heat in substances that one normally considers to be inert, such as carbon dioxide and water.

This generally has relegated aluminum's role in rocketry to that of being an additive to solid rocket propellants, increasing their density and combustion temperature, and stabilizing the burn.

The oxide layer in nano-aluminum powder, however, is thinner and easier to overcome than in that of larger particles.

Furthermore, as the aluminum consumes the oxygen, it liberates hydrogen which functions as a low-molecular-mass working fluid to translate the heat of combustion (and subsequently condensation) into expansion and thrust.

The base combustion reaction is:[1] ALICE has been proposed as a propellant well-suited for on-site production on outer space bodies such as the Moon, as both aluminum oxide (a source of aluminum) and water are abundant resources in the universe, while the high propellant density decreases the dry mass of the rocket.