[NewCandle] NanoThermite / Aluminum oxide anodic fusion connection?

[Keith Nagel]

Hey folks,

Came across this today on local hero John Youngs website Cryptome.
An interesting application of the alumina films we were experimenting
with over the winter, and of course one's interest is peaked
by the claimed three order of magnitude increase in energy
release...

K.

http://cryptome.org/explosives.htm

Excerpt from link -
Scientists at Texas Tech University made a nanocomposite of
aluminum and iron oxide (Fe2O3) that reacts exothermically when
ignited. The material could have applications in explosives or
as an energy source in micro-electro-mechanical systems devices or
in space. The researchers made a honeycomb-like alumina template by
electrochemical anodization of an aluminum foil in an acid. They
were able to tailor the diameter of the template’s pores by
altering the voltage and the acid used, producing pores between
10 and 150 nanometers (nm). The team then electrodeposited iron
inside the template pores, which they later oxidized to make Fe2O3
nanowires. After various additional steps, the researchers added a
50-nm layer of aluminum on top of the nanowires, forming a structure
in which the nanowires were partially embedded in the aluminum layer.
Igniting samples of the nanocomposite caused them to burn with a flame
temperature of around 4,000° C. The scientists estimated that the
energy released was about 1,000 times greater than the amount released
by a purely surface reaction. The researchers planned to study the
reaction mechanism, thermodynamics, and kinetics of the
ignition process (Kalaugher, 2004§)