The New Descriptors Effective on the Detonation Performance of Aluminized Explosives

The relationship between detonation velocity and the elemental composition of components of aluminized explosives are assessed through quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR). Here, two new reliable, simple models are proposed for estimating aluminized explosives detonation heat and velocity based on molecular structure by applying QSPR. In this methodology it is assumed that these two detonation parameters can be presented as a function of elemental composition, density and several structural parameters. This new correlation of heat detonation has determination coefficient of 0.930, root mean square deviation (RMSD) of 324.4 and average absolute deviation (AAD) of 446kJ · kg^–1 for 36 aluminized explosives with different molecular structures as the training set. The predictive power of this new correlation is checked through a cross validation method. Statistical parameters reveal relatively good result for this correlation. Also, the determination coefficient of detonation velocity for the other new model is 0.960 and it has 151.1 (RMSD) and 107.9 m · s^–1 (AAD) for 42 aluminized explosives with different molecular structures as training set. Reliability and validity of new correlation investigated (Q²_Ext = 0.948, Q²_LOO = 0.938, and Q²_LMO = 0.937). The good ability of this new model for prediction detonation velocity of aluminized explosives are confirmed.     

Syntheses,Crystal Structures,and Properties of Two Novel CL‐20‐based Cocrystals

In recent years, cocrystallization has emerged as an effective way of tuning the properties of compounds and has been widely used in the field of energetic materials. In this study, we have prepared two novel cocrystals of CL‐20 and methylimidazole, including a 1:2 CL‐20 / 2‐mercapto‐1‐methylimidazole ( 1 ) and a 1:4 CL‐20 / 4‐methyl‐5‐nitroimidazole ( 2 ). Cocrystal 1 has good physical and detonation properties (ρ₁ = 1.652 g · cm^–3, D₁ = 7073 m · s^–1, P₁ = 21.6 GPa); however, cocrystal 2 shows higher properties (ρ₂ = 1.680 g · cm^–3, D₂ = 7945 m · s^–1, P₂ = 27.4 GPa). The performance of both cocrystals is better than those of TNT. Thermal performance suggests that both the cocrystals have moderate thermal stabilities. Cocrystal 1 decomposes at 164.9 °C and cocrystal 2 has an exothermic peak at 221 °C. Both cocrystals are insensitive energetic explosives (IS > 40 J, FS > 360 N). Methylimidazole compounds are rarely used as coformers to form cocrystals with CL‐20, which possess good properties for a range of potential applications. Herein, we provide new possible directions for enriching cocrystal speciation.     

Using the QSPR Approach for Estimating the Density of Azole‐based Energetic Compounds

The relationship between density of energetic azole‐based compounds and their molecular structure is investigated through quantitative structure‐property relationship (QSPR) approach. The methodology of this work introduces a new model, which related density of azole‐based energetic compounds to the optimum elemental composition, the degree of unsaturation (DoU) of the compounds, presence of nitroimino group in the structural formula, as well as several non‐additive structural parameters. The presence of nitroimino functional group and also increasing the value of n_O/n_N in the formula of these compounds can enhance their density. The correlation is derived on the basis of experimental density values of 100 azole‐based energetic compounds with different molecular structure as training set. The determination coefficient of the new correlation is 0.923. Also, it has the root mean square deviation (RMSD) and the average absolute deviation (AAD) of 0.038 and 0.030 g · cm^–3, respectively. In addition, the correlation gives good predictions for further 25 azole‐based energetic compounds as test set (Q²_EXT = 0.901). The predictive ability of the correlation is checked using a cross validation method (Q²_LMO = 0.918). The proposed method can also apply for designing novel azole‐based energetic compounds.     

A New Method for Assessment of Performing Mechanical Works of Energetic Compounds by the Cylinder Test

A new method is introduced for assessment of performing mechanical works of energetic compounds by cylinder wall velocities of CHNOFCl energetic compounds on the basis of the cylinder test. Four suitable decomposition paths are used to evaluate the number of moles of gaseous detonation products per gram of explosive, the average molecular weight of these gases, and the heat of detonation in calories per gram by considering different decomposition products HF, HCl, CO, N₂, H₂O, H₂, and CO₂. For CHNO and fluoro energetic compounds, the predicted cylinder wall velocities of these compounds give more reliable results than one of the best available empirical methods. The predicted root mean square (rms) deviations of cylinder wall velocities of the new model for some chloro explosives at actual radial expansions 0.6 and 1.9 mm are 0.010 and 0.062 km · s^–1, which show high reliability of the new method.     

A New Energetic Material and its Risk Research

Bis (1, 5‐diamino‐4‐methyl‐tetrazolium) azotetrazolate ( BMDATZT ) was synthesized with high yield in this work. The yield is 97.46%. The structure was characterized by IR, ¹H NMR, and MS. The single crystal of BMDATZT?2H₂O was first cultivated. The heat of formation, detonation pressure, and detonation velocity were first calculated. The crystalline density of BMDATZT?2H₂O is 1.573 g/cm³. BMDATZT has high detonation pressure and detonation velocity (P =25.06 GPa, D = 7.805 km s^?1), which are higher than those of 2,4,6‐Trinitrotoluene (TNT). Its thermal and mechanical sensitivities are moderate. Therefore, it is a kind of insensitive nitrogen‐rich energetic ionic salt with good performance, and it has potential application prospect in gas generating agent, explosive and solid propellant.     

Molecular design of all nitrogen pentazole‐based high energy density compounds with oxygen balance equal to zero

We designed a new family of pentazole‐based high energy density compounds with oxygen balance equal to zero by introducing −NH₂, −NO₂, −N₃, −CF₂NF₂, and −C[NO₂]₃, and the properties including density, heats of formation, detonation performances, and impact sensitivity were investigated using density functional theory. The results show that half of these new energetic molecules exhibit higher densities than RDX (1.82 g/cm³), in which H5 gives the highest density of 2.09 g/cm³. Among all the 54 designed molecules, 22 compounds have higher D and P than RDX and eleven compounds have higher D and P than HMX, indicating that designing the pentazole‐based derivatives with oxygen balance equal to zero is a very effective way to obtain potential energetic compounds with outstanding detonation properties. Taking both the detonation performance and stability into consideration, nine compounds may be recognized as potential candidates of high energy density compounds. It is expected that our results will contribute to the theoretical design of new‐generation energetic explosives.     

Synthesis of Amino,Azido, Nitro,and Nitrogen‐Rich Azole‐Substituted Derivatives of 1H‐Benzotriazole for High‐Energy Materials Applications

The amino, azido, nitro, and nitrogen‐rich azole substituted derivatives of 1H‐benzotriazole have been synthesized for energetic material applications. The synthesized compounds were fully characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, IR, MS, and elemental analysis. 5‐Chloro‐4‐nitro‐1H‐benzo[1,2,3]triazole ( 2 ) and 5‐azido‐4,6‐dinitro‐1H‐benzo[1,2,3]triazole ( 7 ) crystallize in the Pca2₁ (orthorhombic) and P2₁/c (monoclinic) space group, respectively, as determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Their densities are 1.71 and 1.77 g cm^?3, respectively. The calculated densities of the other compounds range between 1.61 and 1.98 g cm^?3. The detonation velocity (D) values calculated for these synthesized compounds range from 5.45 to 8.06 km s^?1, and the detonation pressure (P) ranges from 12.35 to 28 GPa.     

Study of Six Green Insensitive High Energetic Coordination Polymers Based on Alkali/Alkali‐Earth Metals and 4,5‐Bis(tetrazol‐5‐yl)‐2 H‐1,2,3‐triazole

Constructing insensitive high‐performance energetic coordination polymers (ECPs) with alkali/alkali‐earth metal ions and a nitrogen‐rich organic backbone has been proved to be a feasible strategy in this work. Six diverse dimensional novel ECPs (compounds 1 – 6 ) were successfully synthesized from Na^I, Cs^I, Ca^II, Sr^II, Ba^II ions and a nitrogen‐rich triheterocyclic 4,5‐bis(tetrazol‐5‐yl)‐2 H ‐1,2,3‐triazole (H₃BTT). All compounds show outstanding stability and low sensitivity, the thermal stability of these ECPs are significantly improved as the structural reinforcement increases from 1D to 3D, in which the decomposition temperature of 3D Ba^II based compound 6 is as high as 397 °C. Long‐term storage experiments show that compounds 5 and 6 are stable enough at high temperature. Moreover, the six compounds hold considerable detonation performances, in which Ca^II based compound 5 possesses the detonation velocity of 9.12 km s⁻¹, along with the detonation pressure of 34.51 GPa, exceeding those of most energetic coordination polymers. Burn tests further certify that the six compounds can be versatile pyrotechnics.     

A New Strategy for Storage and Transportation of Sensitive High‐Energy Materials: Guest‐Dependent Energy and Sensitivity of 3D Metal–Organic‐Framework‐Based Energetic Compounds

Reaction of Co(II) with the nitrogen‐rich ligand N,N‐bis(1H‐tetrazole‐5‐yl)‐amine (H₂bta) leads to a mixed‐valence, 3D, porous, metal–organic framework (MOF)‐based, energetic material with the nitrogen content of 51.78%, [Co₉(bta)₁₀(Hbta)₂(H₂O)₁₀]_n?(22 H₂O)_n ( 1 ). Compound 1 was thermohydrated to produce a new, stable, energetic material with the nitrogen content of 59.85% and heat of denotation of 4.537 kcal cm^?3, [Co₉(bta)₁₀(Hbta)₂(H₂O)₁₀]_n ( 2 ). Sensitivity tests show that 2 is more sensitivity to external stimuli than 1 , reflecting guest‐dependent energy and sensitivity of 3D, MOF‐based, energetic materials. Less‐sensitive 1 can be regarded as a more safe form for storage and transformation to sensitive 2 .     

Synthesis and thermal decomposition behavior of nitrogen- and oxygen-rich energetic material N-trinitromethyl-4,5-dicyano-2H-1,2,3-triazole

N-trinitromethyl-4,5-dicyano-2H-1,2,3-triazole was readily synthesized from 4,5-dicyano-2H-1,2,3-triazole. Its crystal structure was obtained for the first time and its crystalline density in 296 K was 1.729 g cm⁻³. It shows high nitrogen and oxygen content up to 77.6%, high calculated solid heat of formation (564 kJ mol⁻¹), and superior detonation pressure and detonation velocity (D = 8619 m s⁻¹, P = 30.8 GPa). This new hydrogen-absent explosive shows high impact and friction sensitivities (IS: 1.25 J, FS: 32 N), which is lower than commercial primary explosive 2-diazonium-4,6-dinitrophenol (DDNP) (IS: 1 J, FS: 5 N). The relationship between intermolecular interaction and sensitivity as well as thermal stability of the title compound was investigated by Hirshfeld surface analysis and fingerprint plot. Its thermodynamic properties were studied by non-isothermal kinetic methods based on the results of differential scanning calorimeter. It is interesting that apparent activation energy (E_a) at T_p1 (210.89–214.17 kJ mol⁻¹) is higher than those at T_p2 (133.90–134.87 kJ mol⁻¹). In addition, gaseous product of this new energetic compound was analyzed by the rapid scanning Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy from 20 to 200 °C and its detonation products was theoretically predicted. Based on the decomposition products, its decomposition mechanism was discussed under inert atmosphere. It is undoubted that these significant physicochemical properties make N-trinitromethyl-4,5-dicyano-2H-1,2,3-triazole a potential hydrogen-absent primary explosive.

     

Syntheses,Crystal Structures,and Thermal Properties of Energetic Semicarbazide Salt,Manganese(II) Salt,and Coordination Compound of 3,5‐Dinitrobenzoic Acid

Nitro compounds have been actively researched as driven by their potential to be high‐performing energetic materials. Herein, three new nitro compounds including semicarbazide 3,5‐dinitrobenzoate, (SCZ)(DNBA), manganese 3,5‐dinitrobenzoate dihydrate, [Mn(DNBA)₂(H₂O)₂]_n, and bis(semicarbazide) manganese(II) 3,5‐dinitrobenzoate, Mn(SCZ)₂(DNBA)₂, were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. The results indicated that the above mentioned compounds are ionic, polymeric, and molecular in nature, respectively. Moreover, their thermal decomposition properties were assessed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Their non‐isothermal reaction kinetics parameters, critical temperature of thermal explosion (T_bp), entropy of activation (ΔS^≠), enthalpy of activation (ΔH^≠), and free energy of activation (ΔG^≠) of the exothermic decomposition process were also calculated. Results suggest that there was a relationship between the structure and thermal stability.     

Crystal structure,thermodynamic properties and detonation characterization of bis(5‐amino‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐yl)methane

Bis(5‐amino‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐yl)methane (BATZM, C₅H₈N₈) was synthesized and its crystal structure characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction; it belongs to the space group Fdd2 (orthorhombic) with Z = 8. The structure of BATZM can be described as a V‐shaped molecule with reasonable chemical geometry and no disorder. The specific molar heat capacity (C_p,m) of BATZM was determined using the continuous C_p mode of a microcalorimeter and theoretical calculations, and the C_p,m value is 211.19 J K^?1 mol^?1 at 298.15 K. The relative deviations between the theoretical and experimental values of C_p,m, H_T – H_298.15K and S_T – S_298.15K of BATZM are almost equivalent at each temperature. The detonation velocity (D) and detonation pressure (P) of BATZM were estimated using the nitrogen equivalent equation according to the experimental density; BATZM has a higher detonation velocity (7954.87 ± 3.29 m s^?1) and detonation pressure (25.72 ± 0.03 GPa) than TNT.     

Gem‐dinitromethyl‐substituted Energetic Metal–Organic Framework based on 1,2,3‐Triazole from in situ Controllable Synthesis

Synthesizing energetic metal–organic frameworks at ambient temperature and pressure has been always a challenge in the research area of energetic materials. In this work, through in situ controllable synthesis, energetic metal–organic framework gem‐dinitromethyl‐substituted dipotassium 4,5‐bis(dinitromethyl)‐1,2,3‐triazole with a “cage‐like” crystal packing was obtained and characterized. Most importantly, for the first time, we found that it could be successfully afforded with a catalytic effect of trifluoroacetic acid. This new compound exhibited its high density (2.04 g cm^?3) at ambient temperature, superior detonation velocity (8715 m s^?1) to that of lead azide (5877 m s^?1) and comparable to that of RDX (8748 m s^?1). Its detonation products are mainly N₂ (48.1 %), suggesting it is also a green energetic material. The above‐mentioned performance indicates its potential applications in detonator devices as lead‐free primary explosive.     

Preparation and characterization of nitrogen-rich bis-1-methylimidazole1H,1′H-5,5′-bistetrazole-1,1′-diolate energetic salt

A new nitrogen-rich energetic salt of bis-1-methylimidazole 1H,1′H-5,5′-bistetrazole-1,1′-diolate salt, (1-M)₂BTO, was synthesized and characterized (FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, elemental analysis, and X-ray single-crystal diffraction). Results indicated that (1-M)₂BTO crystallizes in the triclinic space group P-1. The thermal decomposition behavior of (1-M)₂BTO was determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric tandem infrared spectroscopy. The decomposition peak temperature of (1-M)₂BTO was 530 K, which suggested that the salt is strong heat resistance. The apparent activation energies were 130.56 kJ mol^?1 (Kissinger’s method) and 132.50 kJ mol^?1 (Ozawa’s method), respectively. The enthalpy of formation for the salt was calculated as 917.3 kJ mol^?1. The detonation velocity and detonation pressure of (1-M)₂BTO were 7448 m s^?1 and 20.7 GPa, respectively, using the Kamlet-Jacobs equation. Furthermore, the sensitivity test results showed that its impact sensitivity is greater than 50 J and friction sensitivity is 180 N, indicating that it has a lower sensitivity.

     

Crystal structure,thermal properties and detonation characterization of bis(5‐amino‐1,2,4‐triazol‐4‐ium‐3‐yl)methane dichloride

Bis(5‐amino‐1,2,4‐triazol‐4‐ium‐3‐yl)methane dichloride (BATZM·Cl₂ or C₅H₁₀N₈²⁺·2Cl^?) was synthesized and crystallized, and the crystal structure was characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction; it belongs to the space group C2/c (monoclinic) with Z = 4. The structure of BATZM·Cl₂ can be described as a V‐shaped molecule with reasonable chemical geometry and no disorder, and its one‐dimensional structure can be described as a rhombic helix. The specific molar heat capacity (C_p,m) of BATZM·Cl₂ was determined using the continuous C_p mode of a microcalorimeter and theoretical calculations, and the C_p,m value is 276.18 J K^?1 mol^?1 at 298.15 K. The relative deviations between the theoretical and experimental values of C_p,m, H_T – H_298.15K and S_T – S_298.15K of BATZM·Cl₂ are almost equivalent at each temperature. The detonation velocity (D) and detonation pressure (P) of BATZM·Cl₂ were estimated using the nitrogen equivalent equation according to the experimental density; BATZM·Cl₂ has a higher detonation velocity (7143.60 ± 3.66 m s^?1) and detonation pressure (21.49 ± 0.03 GPa) than TNT. The above results for BATZM·Cl₂ are compared with those of bis(5‐amino‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐yl)methane (BATZM) and the effect of salt formation on them is discussed.     

Calculation of Some Thermodynamic Properties and Detonation Parameters of 1‐Ethyl‐3‐Methyl‐H‐Imidazolium Perchlorate, [Emim][ClO4], on the Basis of CBS‐4M and CHEETAH Computations Supplemented by VBT Estimates

This paper estimates some thermochemical (in kcal mol^–1) and detonation parameters for the ionic liquid, [emim][ClO₄] and its associated solid in view of its investigation as an energetic material. The thermochemical values estimated, employing CBS‐4M computational methodology and volume‐based thermodynamics (VBT) include: lattice energy, U_POT([emim][ClO₄]) ≈? 123 ± 16 kcal · mol^–1; enthalpy of formation of the gaseous cation, Δ_fH°([emim]⁺, g) = 144.2 kcal · mol^–1 and anion, Δ_fH°([ClO₄]^–, g) = –66.1 kcal · mol^–1; the enthalpy of formation of the solid salt, Δ_fH°([emim][ClO₄],s) ≈? –55 ± 16 kcal · mol^–1 and for the associated ionic liquid, Δ_fH^o([emim][ClO₄],l) = –52 ± 16 kcal · mol^–1 as well as the corresponding Gibbs energy terms: Δ_fG°([emim][ClO₄],s) ≈? +29 ± 16 kcal · mol^–1 and Δ_fG^o([emim][ClO₄],l) = +24 ± 16 kcal · mol^–1 and the associated standard absolute entropies, of the solid [emim][ClO₄], S°₂₉₈([emim][ClO₄],s) = 83 ± 4 cal · K^–1 · mol^–1. The following combustion and detonation parameters are assigned to [emim][ClO₄] in its (ionic) liquid form: specific impulse (I_sp) = 228 s (monopropellant), detonation velocity (V_oD) = 5466 m · s^–1, detonation pressure (p_C–J) = 99 kbar, explosion temperature (T_ex) = 2842 K.     

Detonation Properties of High Explosives Containing Ammonia Borane

Ammonia borane (AB) is used as a combustion agent to improve the properties of high explosives. The detonation velocity (D_v) and detonation pressure (P) of raw high explosives and of samples containing AB were calculated and compared. The detonation properties, impact sensitivities, thermal sensitivities, and thermal decomposition characteristics of high explosives containing AB were also measured. The results indicated that when the AB content was 20 wt‐%, the optimal detonation velocity and detonation pressure were achieved. Both the detonation velocity and detonation pressure of the high explosives containing AB were clearly increased compared with those of the raw high explosives. Moreover, the detonation velocities of high explosives containing AB were 7078 to 7423 m · s^–1 and their density ranged from 1.570 to 1.589 g · cm^–3. The detonation pressure ranged from 34.5 to 37 GPa and the average heat of detonation was 6688 J · g^–1. Furthermore, the impact and thermal sensitivities were 170 cm and 613 K, respectively, whereas a slight change occurred in the thermal decomposition characteristics. These results suggest that AB can serve as a powerful combustible agent in energetic materials and improve the detonation properties and sensitivities of high explosives.     

Design and properties prediction of modified CL-20 energetic derivatives

We designed a series of energetic compounds based on the CL-20 molecular skeleton, and the properties including molecular geometric structures, electronic structures, density, heat of formation, detonation performances, and impact sensitivity were evaluated using density functional theory (DFT). The results indicate that five molecules have higher density values than that of Octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX; 1.91 g/cm³) and A4 has a larger density value (2.07 g/cm³) than that of CL-20 (2.04 g/cm³). In addition, most of the molecules have better detonation performances and stability than those of CL-20, with A4 showing much greater detonation velocity (9.93 km/s) and pressure (47.32 GPa) than those of CL-20 with a h₅₀ value of 14.02 cm. Taking both excellent detonation performance and low sensitivity into consideration, all seven compounds except for A3 and A5 are considered as potential energetic compounds. These theoretically calculated results would be conducive to the design and synthesis of novel nitramine energetic compounds.     

Distribution of Valence Electron Density in C n H m and BnHm Framework and Polyhedral Molecules and Orbital-Reduntant Bonds

In framework molecular cations and radical cations of adamantane C₁₀H _m ^q+ and also in polyhedral molecules and molecular ions C₅H₅ ⁺, C₆H₆ ^{2 +}, B₅H₉, and B₁₀H₁₀ ^{2 -}, the charge density of valence electrons in the central areas of C _n and B _n cavities and faces is significant. In the molecule of adamantane C₁₀H₁₆, the valence electron density in central areas of the cavity and faces of the C₁₀ framework is small as compared to the electron density along its edges C-C. These distinctions are due to the fact that, in the electronic structure of C _n H ^q _m cations and radical cations and also of B _n H _m molecules and molecular ions, there is an additional orbital interaction involving vacant valence orbitals of C⁺ or B (orbital-reduntant bonds); the absence of vacant valence orbitals of C atoms in neutral adamantane molecule excludes additional orbital interactions in excess of C-H and C-C.