Inside Cover: Preparation and Characterization of Nanoenergetics Based Composition B (Prop., Explos., Pyrotech. 11/2017).

Qiu, Hongwei; Stepanov, Victor; Patel, Rajen B.; Samuels, Philip; Maier, Katherine H.

The inside cover picture shows the preparation of nanoenergetics‐based Comp B (N‐Comp B) by spray drying and mechanical compaction. Spray drying previously has been proven to be a facile materials processing method for the preparation of nanoscale crystals of high explosives (i.e., nanoenergetics)‐based formulations (H. Qiu et al., J. Hazard. Mater. 2011, 185, 489–493). In this work, N‐Comp B, which consists of nanoscale RDX and TNT, was produced by compacting the molding powder prepared by spray drying an acetone solution of RDX and TNT. Reduced shock sensitivity was observed from N‐Comp B, attributed to the elimination of large voids, but the decrease seems to have been limited by the presence of a large number of voids. Thermal cycling induced significant structural change, i.e., the increase of both void size and the crystal size, causing an increase in sensitivity. Procedures are proposed to further reduce the sensitivity and enhance the thermal stability of N‐Comp B. This work continues to demonstrate the versatility of spray drying for nanoenergetics. Furthermore, it illustrates that a materials science‐based approach can facilitate the development of next generation explosives with high performance and low sensitivity. More details can be found in the Full Paper by Hongwei Qiu et al. on page 1309 ff.

ATOMIZATION; DROPLETS; EVAPORATION (Chemistry)

Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics, 2017, Vol 42, Issue 11, p1240

0721-3115

Academic Journal

10.1002/prep.201781102