Nano-thermite or super-thermite is a metastable intermolecular composite (MIC) characterized by a particle size of its main constituents, a metal fuel and oxidizer, under 100 nanometers.
As the mass transport mechanisms that slow down the burning rates of traditional thermites are not so important at these scales,[citation needed] the reaction proceeds much more quickly.
Historically, pyrotechnic or explosive applications for traditional thermites have been limited due to their relatively slow energy release rates.
Because nanothermites are created from reactant particles with proximities approaching the atomic scale, energy release rates are far greater.
[2] Because of their highly increased reaction rate, nano-thermitic materials are being studied by the U.S. military with the aim of developing new types of bombs several times more powerful than conventional explosives.
Nanoaluminum, or ultra fine grain (UFG) aluminum, powders are a key component of most nano-thermitic materials.
Another method for production is electrothermal synthesis, developed by NovaCentrix, which uses a pulsed plasma arc to vaporize the aluminum.
In 2002, the production of nano-sized aluminum particles required considerable effort, and commercial sources for the material were limited.
[2] An application of the sol-gel method, developed by Randall Simpson, Alexander Gash and others at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, can be used to make the actual mixtures of nano-structured composite energetic materials.