The 2kg (4.4lbs) bomb generated a fireball exceeding 1,000 levels Celsius (1,832 levels Fahrenheit) for greater than two seconds – 15 instances longer than equal TNT blasts – with out utilizing any nuclear supplies, it mentioned.
Developed by the China State Shipbuilding Company’s (CSSC) 705 Analysis Institute, a key participant in underwater weapon methods, the gadget makes use of a magnesium-based solid-state hydrogen storage materials.
When activated by typical explosives, the magnesium hydride underwent speedy thermal decomposition, releasing hydrogen gasoline that ignited right into a sustained inferno, the researchers mentioned in a peer-reviewed paper printed within the Chinese language-language Journal of Projectiles, Rockets, Missiles and Steerage.
“Hydrogen gasoline explosions ignite with minimal ignition vitality, have a broad explosion vary, and unleash flames that race outward quickly whereas spreading broadly,” mentioned the group, led by CSSC analysis scientist Wang Xuefeng.