Preparation And Properties Of Nano-composite Energetic Materials Characterization

Energetic composite materials being composed of one or more principal energetic components and some addtitive or binder, have been widely used in military. These energetic materials with nano-component dispersing uniformly can display the surface activities of nano-materials, improve the performance of traditional energetic materials, and enhance the practical effects. In this paper, we investigated the preparation technologies of nano-composites energetic materials using the sol-gel method and the carbon nanotubes arrays (CNTAs), and determined correlative performances of prepared energetic materials.Solution crystal method was used to prepare the RDX/SiO₂ gel, and the xerogel and the aerogel of RDX/SiO₂ nano-composite were separately obtained by freeze-drying and supercritical drying. Powder/particle addition approach was also chosen to prepare the RDX/SiO₂ gel, and the freeze-drying was used to get the xerogel.The results of surface topography and microstructure analysis by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) etc. indicate that the crystal growth of RDX has been effectively controlled when the solution crystal method is used to prepare the RDX/SiO₂ nano-composite and that the RDX nano-particle has been dispersed in the SiO₂ framework. Both RDX/SiO₂ nano-composite xerogel and aerogel have relatively integrative and monolithic structures.The DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter) analysis of RDX/SiO₂ nano-composite explosives and starting RDX shows that the initiative and peak temperatures of RDX/SiO₂ decomposition decrease compared with the corresponding values of the starting RDX. The tested results of impact sensitivities illustrate that the RDX/SiO₂ nano-composite prepared by solution crystal and powder/particle addition approaches are less sensitive than the starting RDX and that the more the content of SiO₂, the less sensitive the RDX/SiO₂ nano-composite. The static spark sensitivity of RDX/SiO₂ nano-composite decreases also.The preparation of explosive/CNTAs nano-composite with RDX filled in the regular cavum of CNTs has been explored. The microstructure analysis confirms the presence of RDX in the cavum of carbon nanotubes arrays. The DSC analysis of RDX/CNTAs nano-composite explosives shows that the initiative and peak temperatures of RDX/CNTAs decomposition decrease compared with those of the starting RDX.These characteristics of nano-composite energetic materials provide new subject for their further research and military application.