In this report, thin films of copper oxide, a common thermite oxidant, and varying metallic species (Al, Zr, and Mg) were deposited in an alternating layered geometry on sapphire by magnetron sputtering. Keeping stoichiometric equivalence, the effects of varying metallic constituents were studied with respect to their onset reaction temperature and energy output. Reaction progression was characterized by a systematic step wise vacuum anneal followed by subsequent ex situ X-ray diffraction, and differential thermal analysis. It was found that reaction temperature depends heavily on the terminal oxide's diffusion properties, showing a correlation (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.