Pyrotechnic substances do not rely on oxygen from external sources to sustain the reaction.
They are also used in military pyrotechnics, when production of large amount of noise, light, or infrared radiation is required; e.g. missile decoy flares, flash powders, and stun grenades.
Many pyrotechnic compositions – especially involving aluminium and perchlorates – are often highly sensitive to friction, impact, and static electricity.
A larger surface area to volume ratio leads to a faster reaction; this means that smaller particle sizes produce a faster-burning composition.
Using nanoparticles can drastically affect the reaction rates; metastable intermolecular composites exploit this.