Enhancing laser-driven flyer velocity by optimizing of modulation period of Al/Ti reactive multilayer films

Reactive multilayer films (RMFs), a type of nanostructured energetic material, are recognized as an indispensable component for laser-driven flyer plate initiator systems. In this work, Al/Ti-RMF with three different modulation periods (600, 300, and 150 nm) were prepared and integrated into multilayer flyer plates, and energetic material with optimized performance for laser-driven flyers was obtained. Cross-sectional observations demonstrate that the modulation periods of the RMF are precisely regulated, with thickness errors falling within 3.4%. The velocity of the flyer plates was significantly higher with a modulation period of 150 nm, reaching 2174.16 m/s. Molecular dynamics simulation results show that as the modulation period decreases, the diffusion rate of atoms increases, enabling the reaction between the RMF to be completed in a shorter time span, which makes for higher velocity of the flyer. The energy coupling efficiency results indicate that the kinetic energy coupling efficiency of the RMF with a modulation period of 150 nm is 145.6% and 29.8% higher compared to those with modulation periods of 600 and 300 nm, respectively. It is proved that Al/Ti-RMF have high-energy output performance and can be a novel candidate for laser-driven flyer plates, which will play a critical role in complex electromagnetic interference environments in the future.