Uniform- And High-Yield Carbon Nanotubes With Modulated Nitrogen Concentration for Promising Nanoscale Energetic Materials

Abstract

It is well known that pure polynitrogen systems are metastable. Recently, a theoretical study showed that when polymeric nitrogen chain is encapsulated in a carbon nanotube, it will be stable at ambient pressure and room temperature, which makes carbon nanotubes new promising as nanoscale energetic materials. Here, we report a systematic study of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with different nitrogen-doping amounts produced by aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition, in which growth temperature, hydrogen flow rate and aerosol amount have been varied. The morphological and compositional changes of N-doped carbon nanotubes were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The detailed investigation of N-doped carbon nanotubes will provide a route to obtain evidence of the above theoretical prediction and will have potential applications in nanoscale energetic materials.

Energetic Molecules Encapsulated Inside Carbon Nanotubes and between Graphene Layers: DFT Calculations

“…The use of insensitive energetic materials for propellants is of interest because of the reduced shock wave sensitivity, resulting in lowered risks associated with their manufacture, transport and storage. − However, for conventional high energy formulations, the insensitivity is accompanied by significant degradation in performance. In this regard, the relatively new insensitive high-performance material, molecular crystal FOX-7 (1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethylene), has attracted considerable attention. , FOX-7 has low sensitivity but a performance that is only a few percent lower than the energetic materials commonly used today.…”