Composite solid propellants (CSPs) have widely been used as main energy source for propelling the rockets in both space and military applications. Internal ballistic parameters of rockets like characteristic exhaust velocity, specific impulse, thrust, burning rate etc., are measured to assess and control the performance of rocket motors. The burn rate of solid propellants has been considered as most vital parameter for design of solid rocket motors to meet specific mission requirements. The burning rate of solid propellants can be tailored by using different constituents, extent of oxidizer loading and its particle size and more commonly by incorporating suitable combustion catalysts. Various metal oxides (MOs), complexes, metal powders and metal alloys have shown positive catalytic behaviour during the combustion of CSPs. These are usually solid-state catalysts that play multiple roles in combustion of CSPs such as reduction in activation energy, enhancement of rate of reaction, modification of sequences in reaction-phase, influence on condensed-phase combustion and participation in combustion process in gas-phase reactions. The application of nanoscale catalysts in CSPs has increased considerably in recent past due to their superior catalytic properties as compared to their bulk-sized counterparts. A large surface-to-volume ratio and quantum size effect of nanocatalysts are considered to be plausible reasons for improving the combustion characteristics of propellants. Several efforts have been made to produce nanoscale combustion catalysts for advanced propellant formulations to improve their energetics. The work done so far is largely scattered. In this review, an effort has been made to introduce various combustion catalysts having at least a metallic entity. Recent developments of nanoscale combustion catalysts with their specific merits are discussed. The combustion chemistry of a typical CSP is briefly discussed for providing a better understanding on role of combustion catalysts in burning rate enhancement. Available information on different types of combustion nanocatalysts is also presented with critical comments.

复合固体推进剂（CSP）已广泛用作在太空和军事应用中推进火箭的主要能源。测量火箭的内部弹道参数，例如特征排气速度，比冲，推力，燃烧率等，以评估和控制火箭发动机的性能。固体推进剂的燃烧速率已被认为是满足特定任务要求的固体火箭发动机设计的最重要参数。固体推进剂的燃烧速率可以通过使用不同的成分，氧化剂的负载程度及其粒度，以及更通常地通过掺入合适的燃烧催化剂来调整。各种金属氧化物（MOs），络合物，金属粉末和金属合金在CSP燃烧过程中表现出积极的催化行为。这些通常是固态催化剂，在CSP的燃烧中起多种作用，例如降低活化能，提高反应速率，改变反应相的顺序，影响冷凝相燃烧以及参与气相燃烧过程。相反应。纳米级催化剂在CSP中的应用由于其与大体积同类催化剂相比优越的催化性能，在最近几年已大大增加。纳米催化剂的大的体积比和量子尺寸效应被认为是改善推进剂燃烧特性的合理原因。已经做出了一些努力来生产用于高级推进剂配方的纳米级燃烧催化剂，以改善其能量。迄今为止完成的工作大部分是分散的。在这篇评论中，已经努力引入具有至少金属实体的各种燃烧催化剂。讨论了具有特定优点的纳米级燃烧催化剂的最新进展。简要讨论了典型CSP的燃烧化学，以提供对燃烧催化剂在提高燃烧速率中的作用的更好理解。还提供了有关不同类型的燃烧纳米催化剂的可用信息，并附有批判性注释。