Based on the title I was expecting to see “energetic materials”, which are carefully engineered variants of thermite. For example, alternating layers of alumin

Based on the title I was expecting to see “energetic materials”, which are carefully engineered variants of thermite. For example, alternating layers of aluminium and iron oxide can be deposited in the same manner as seen in chip production by evaporating the materials in a vacuum chamber. This allows layers tens of nanometers thin, essentially a perfect mixing and a very intimate contact between the reactants. Some of these materials have far more bang per unit mass than conventional explosives.