Preparation of Spherical HMX/DMF Solvates, Spherical HMX Particles, and HMX@NTO Composites: A Way to Reduce the Sensitivity of HMX

Abstract

To reduce the sensitivity of HMX (HMX = high-melting explosive� cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine), spherical HMX/DMF (DMF = dimethylformamide) solvates, spherical HMX particles, and HMX@NTO (NTO = 1,2,4-triazol-5-one) composites are prepared by crystallization. The structure and performance of spherical HMX crystals, HMX particles, and HMX@NTO composites are characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, accelerating rate calorimetry, and mechanical sensitivity test. The results show that the space group of the spherical HMX/DMF solvate is R̅ 3c with the lattice parameters of a = 15.9159(4) Å, b = 15.9159(4) Å, and c = 30.5136(8) Å. The non-isothermal stability and adiabatic thermal stability of HMX/ DMF solvates are similar to those of HMX particles. The non-isothermal stability of HMX@NTO composites is lower than that of NTO and HMX particles, while the adiabatic thermal stability of HMX@NTO composites is higher than that of NTO but lower than that of HMX particles. The mechanical sensitivities of spherical HMX/DMF cocrystals, spherical HMX particles, and HMX@NTO composites are lower than that of raw HMX. This study can provide some guidance for desensitizing HMX and other energetic materials.

Preparation of μ-HMX/C-Based Composite Energy Composite Microspheres by Microdroplet Technology

“…As a core component of military equipment, energy-containing materials have been transformed from high performance to practicality and safety, and safety has become an important criterion for measuring the performance of weapons. Improved formulation and passivation treatment is one of the important methods to improve the safety of weapons. − High-energy ammonium nitrate explosives 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocane (HMX) are widely used as the main charge of conventional weapons combat sections, but they suffer from problems such as irregular crystal morphology, nonuniform size distribution, and crystal defects . In the continuous production process, the morphology size and crystal quality of explosives are usually affected by factors such as the mixing efficiency of raw materials, which makes it difficult to obtain high-quality crystal products .…”

Facilitating polymorphic crystallization of HMX through ultrasound and trace additive assistance

“…To achieve optimal loadability and performance in formulations, the availability of HMX particles with impeccable quality, compact, preferably spherical shapes, and a diverse range of sizes is imperative [40] , [41] . Different application scenarios impose unique demands on the crystal size distribution of HMX, with coarse HMX crystals (300 μm in size) dominating PBX formulations to achieve unparalleled loadability and compacting density [42] .…”

Graphene-Material-Modified PMMA Coated with 1,3,5,7-Tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazacyclooctane

“…With a melting point of 281 • C, a density of 1.96 g/cm 3 , no moisture absorption, and a high detonation speed, it is one of the best single-mass explosives, because of its high density and detonation speed and is widely used in military and civilian fields [1][2][3][4]. In the context of the rapid development of blunt projectile technology, HMX shows poor sensitivity to shock, friction, shock wave, thermal energy and electric spark, and does not meet the safety requirements of blunt projectile charge, thus limiting the application of HMX [5,6]. Out of these studies, the selection of excellent-performing binders to coat energy-containing materials has been shown to be an effective way to address the safety of energy-containing materials.…”