Fullerene rocket fuels
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorWilliam D. Stephens
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Solid fuel gas generator compositions for use in ducted rockets, in which fullerenes or substituted fullerenes are used. Fullerene compounds in which easily oxidizable groups, oxidizing groups, or salts of oxidizing acids are attached to the spherical carbon skeleton of the fullerene.
Claims6
In the method of operation of a ducted rocket comprising a primary combustor containing a solid fuel gas generator for supplying hot fuel gases and partial decomposition products for combining with oxygen acquired from air during flight for producing complete combustion products in a secondary combustor and discharging combustion gases through a nozzle to provide thrust for said ducted rocket, the improvement in said method of operation of said ducted rocket for achieving high efficiency in the operation of said ducted rocket comprising incorporating into a solid fuel gas generator composition a solid fuel selected from the group consisting of fullerenes having a cage structure and derivatives of fullerenes having a cage structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.