Bioinspired Fabrication of Insensitive HMX Particles with Polydopamine Coating

Abstract

The development of a facile method for large scale production of insensitive HMX particles is of great importance for energetic materials, especially for insensitive munitions. Inspired by mussels, HMX particles with a thin, robust, wettable and uniform coating based on the self‐polymerization of dopamine were prepared by one‐step solution stirring processes in the study. The as‐prepared HMX@PDA particles showed stable shape, size, and polymorphy compared with original HMX particles. With PDA (polydopamine) coating, the HMX@PDA particles exhibited better wettability, which could improve the adhesive properties between particles and other liquid components in a PBX (plastic bonded explosive). Furthermore, the mechanical sensitivities were decreased for the HMX@PDA particles because of the uniform and smooth PDA coating decreasing the hot spots on the surface of the HMX particles. HMX@PDA particles produced by a facile scalable process might provide a promising substitute for sensitive HMX particles to enhance the safety and adhesive properties when used in PBX.

Tailoring the irreversible thermal expansion of 1,3,5‐triamino‐2,4,6‐trinitrobenzene crystals by bioinspired polydopamine coating

“…Hereby, PDA could simultaneously provide strong chemical adhesion and high rigidity and is favorable to coat the TATB crystals in order to reduce irreversible expansion. Recently, the in situ polymerization of dopamine was introduced to coat energetic organic crystals through a simple immersion method . It has been found that the compact and rigid PDA coating is significant for inhibition of phase transition, protection of energetic crystals against thermal damage, and decreasing sensitivity of HMX after heating .…”

“…Recently, the in situ polymerization of dopamine was introduced to coat energetic organic crystals through a simple immersion method. 26,27 It has been found that the compact and rigid PDA coating is significant for inhibition of phase transition, protection of energetic crystals against thermal damage, and decreasing sensitivity of HMX after heating. 26 However, there is no work, to the author's best knowledge, exploring the application of in situ dopamine polymerization technology on the energetic crystals to control thermal expansion.…”

Thermal Decomposition Enhancement of HMX by Bonding with TiO2 Nanoparticles

“…The surfaces of the original HMX and HMX@PDA particles were smooth and uniform, as shown in our previous work [14]. The surface morphology of the HMX@PDA@TiO 2 composites was observed by SEM, as shown in Figure 1.…”

“…The BET surface area of the composite was 0.96 m 2 g À1 , which is larger than the original HMX and HMX@PDA (the measurement data were shown in our previous work), owing to the nanostructures formed by the TiO 2 nanoparticles on the surfaces. The XRD pattern of the composite confirmed that the 2q values of 14 [28] in the region of 10~608 in Figure 2, which demonstrated that the TiO 2 nanoparticles were deposited on the HMX surface.…”

“…HMX (C 4 H 8 N 8 O 8 , cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine) is one of the most common energetic materials used in propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics [14,15], owing to its high detonation heat, detonation velocity and detonation pressure [16,17]. The combustion performance of HMX, which is one of a most focused property in propellants, is affected by its thermal behavior [16], and some catalytic agents have been mixed with HMX to regulate its thermal properties [18].…”