Opportunities in Engineering Energetic Materials

Abstract

When Michael Faraday introduced his famous lectures on candles, he introduced the topic with: "There is no better, there is no more open door by which you can enter into the study of natural philosophy than by considering the physical phenomena of a candle." [1] This is even more true in the study of energetic materials that is arguably more multidisciplinary, including chemistry, physics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and material science, and in addition function at the extremes in pressure, temperature, and time scale. Amazingly, there are nearly endless possibilities for novel energetic materials that can stimulate all other areas of this exciting research area.