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Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Highly Energetic Materials
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Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Highly Energetic Materials

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 4567

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xiaogang Guo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chongqing Key Laboratory of Inorganic Special Functional Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangtze Normal University, Chongqing 408100, China
Interests: energetic materials; heat release capacity; ignition and combustion behavior; propellants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Highly energetic material is a material that can react quickly and release heat energy under the stimulation of a small amount of external energy. Some reactions are accompanied by loud popping sounds and bright flames. In particular, due to the small size, high activity, and large contact area, nano-sized highly energetic materials have certain surface, volume, and quantum size effects, which have received more research attention. Because of their outstanding heat release ability, energetic materials have been widely used in igniters, thrusters, detonators, sensors, welding repairs, binders, and many other fields.

Although some breakthrough research has been carried out on designing novel structures or exploring promising technologies to improve the heat release properties of highly energetic materials, there is a time lag and certain gap between theoretical research and practical applications, leading to huge research space. Any novelty and promising breakthroughs are encouraged to be submitted to this research topic. This Special Issue aims to gather the latest results in simulation, synthesis, advanced characterization, and potential applications of highly energetic materials.

This section aims to host significant advances in the aforementioned areas, including, but not limited to:

  • Metastable intermolecular composites (MIC);
  • Propellants;
  • Explosives;
  • Other novel, highly energetic materials with different structures (e.g., layered structure, core–shell structure, porous structure, etc.);
  • Exploration of preparation technology or characterization technique;
  • Theoretical analysis and related simulation research.

Dr. Xiaogang Guo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • energetic materials
  • potential application
  • energetic materials science and technology
  • heat release capacity
  • ignition and combustion behavior

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4248 KiB  
Article
Combustion Performance and Deposit Characteristics of Boron–Aluminum Composite Fuel in a Powder-Fueled Ramjet: A Ground Test Study
by Zuodong Liang, Ming Jiang, Ronggang Wei, Hongyan Li, Shaoqing Hu, Kai Ma, Guiyang Xu, Wenjie Wang and Yanjing Yang
Molecules 2025, 30(7), 1503; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30071503 - 28 Mar 2025
Viewed by 349
Abstract
Powder-fueled ramjets show great potential due to their unique advantages. How to further improve ramjet performance through methods such as fuel improvement is also an important focus. In this paper, a 14 km, Ma 3.0, ground test of a powder-fueled ramjet using boron–aluminum [...] Read more.
Powder-fueled ramjets show great potential due to their unique advantages. How to further improve ramjet performance through methods such as fuel improvement is also an important focus. In this paper, a 14 km, Ma 3.0, ground test of a powder-fueled ramjet using boron–aluminum composite powder fuel (B–Al composite powder fuel) was conducted. The feasibility and combustion performance of B–Al composite powder fuel were verified. Under the condition of an air–fuel ratio of 19.39, the ramjet achieved independent self-sustaining combustion for 10 s, and the characteristic exhaust velocity efficiency (ηc*) reached 81.84%. Through SEM-EDS, XRD, and XPS, this study systematically analyzed the surface morphology, composition, and chemical state of the wall deposits in the combustion chamber after the test. The combustion behavior of the B–Al composite powder fuel in the ramjet was clarified. The composite powder fuel could be converted into smaller and more combustion-favorable reaction basic units during the combustion process. However, the imbalance and unevenness of Al and B in the combustion reaction and the non-reaction or reaction termination of B particles remain significant issues. This study shows that B–Al composite powder fuel has a good application basis and potential, and provides experimental data support for the subsequent improvement and optimization of the B–Al composite powder fuel system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Highly Energetic Materials)
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18 pages, 4025 KiB  
Article
Construction and Performance Characterization of Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine/Poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene)–Poly(styrenesulfonate) Energetic Composites
by Zhiwei He, Gongzhen Zhang, Chuanhao Xu, Wenyu Zhu, Jiawei Yue, Shengtao Zhou and Zhenyi Huang
Molecules 2025, 30(5), 1000; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30051000 - 21 Feb 2025
Viewed by 400
Abstract
Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), a typical representative of energetic materials, is widely applied in military and industrial fields with its high energy density and excellent detonation performances. However, when used as a raw material for propellants and rocket propellants, RDX poses certain safety concerns due [...] Read more.
Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), a typical representative of energetic materials, is widely applied in military and industrial fields with its high energy density and excellent detonation performances. However, when used as a raw material for propellants and rocket propellants, RDX poses certain safety concerns due to its high sensitivity to external stimuli such as electrostatic discharge, impact, and friction, which limits its further application. Herein, to reduce the RDX electrostatic spark and mechanical sensitivities and improve safety performances, a conductive polymer of poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene)–poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was introduced into the energetic material system based on a simple suction filtration method. RDX-based energetic composites with varying PEDOT:PSS mass fractions were prepared by both micron-sized RDX and nanosized RDX. The RDX-based energetic composites were characterized, and their response characteristics and performances were tested and compared. The results demonstrated that the conductive interfaces constructed by PEDOT:PSS on the RDX surface significantly reduced the electrostatic spark and mechanical sensitivity. The electrostatic spark sensitivity of μ-RDX-based energetic composites decreased by 40%, while the impact sensitivity and friction sensitivity decreased by 76.47% and 50%, respectively. Compared to micron-sized RDX-based energetic composites, the nano-sized RDX-based energetic composites desensitization effect on electrostatic spark sensitivity was more pronounced. For n-RDX-based energetic composites, the electrostatic spark sensitivity decreased by 66.4%. Furthermore, the assembly and desensitization mechanism of the RDX-based energetic composites were thoroughly investigated. This study not only provides a simple and reliable assembly method for the safe application of RDX but also offers corresponding data and experimental support for future research, which is of significant importance for the application of energetic materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Highly Energetic Materials)
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18 pages, 10115 KiB  
Article
Decomposition Reaction Mechanism of Ammonium Perchlorate on N-Doped Graphene Surfaces: A Density Functional Theory Study
by Zihang Zhao, Chi Zhang, Xiaogang Mu, Meng Li, Yinghui Ren, Jiachen Li, Fengqi Zhao and Haixia Ma
Molecules 2025, 30(4), 837; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30040837 - 11 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 628
Abstract
The detailed decomposition pathway of ammonium perchlorate (AP) is important for the design of solid propellants containing AP. In this paper, the possible decomposition reactions of AP upon nitrogen-doped graphene (N-Gr) as a catalyst are investigated via density functional theory. The reaction pathways [...] Read more.
The detailed decomposition pathway of ammonium perchlorate (AP) is important for the design of solid propellants containing AP. In this paper, the possible decomposition reactions of AP upon nitrogen-doped graphene (N-Gr) as a catalyst are investigated via density functional theory. The reaction pathways of HClO4 and NH3 on the N-Gr surface are explored. The decomposition reaction path of the HClO4 molecule on the N-Gr is HClO4 → ClO3− → ClO2− → ClO− → Cl−. The rate-determining step of the process is the Cl-O bond-breaking reaction of ClO2− anions, and the activation energy of the reaction is 0.849 eV. The oxidation of the N-Gr surface promotes the decomposition of both HClO4 and NH3. The OH groups produced during the decomposition process can promote the adsorption and decomposition of NH3. This work provides new insights into the decomposition of AP on N-Gr at the molecular level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Highly Energetic Materials)
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11 pages, 52746 KiB  
Article
Study of the Thermal Decomposition Process of Explosive Mixtures Based on Hydrogen Peroxide
by Roman Zakusylo, Oksana Pavlenko, Tomasz Jarosz, Andrzej Maranda, Daryna Zakusylo and Agnieszka Stolarczyk
Molecules 2024, 29(23), 5616; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29235616 - 27 Nov 2024
Viewed by 850
Abstract
In this work, we have investigated the thermal features of hydrogen peroxide-based energetic materials formulations. Initial research has shown that both the auxiliary oxidiser (sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate or calcium nitrate) and sensitising agent (glass microspheres) have significant influence on the rate of [...] Read more.
In this work, we have investigated the thermal features of hydrogen peroxide-based energetic materials formulations. Initial research has shown that both the auxiliary oxidiser (sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate or calcium nitrate) and sensitising agent (glass microspheres) have significant influence on the rate of hydrogen peroxide decay in such formulations. In terms of the thermal features of the tested energetic materials, a similar and significant influence of the auxiliary oxidising agent and sensitising agent choice was observed. We have established that the use of calcium nitrate as an auxiliary oxidising agent (at ambient temperature of approx 20 °C), which allows the formulations to maintain capacity to undergo detonation for longer under storage conditions, negatively impacts the qualitative characteristics of the mixture as an energetic material. The thermal effects accompanying chemical interaction are much smaller than mixtures containing potassium and sodium nitrates as additional oxidising agents. Another important conclusion is that glass microspheres as sensitising agents significantly impact the thermal decomposition processes of the investigated on-site mixed (OSM) energetic material (EM) samples, except for the mixture using calcium nitrate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Highly Energetic Materials)
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26 pages, 94851 KiB  
Article
Ti/CuO Nanothermite Doped with Secondary Energetic Materials: A Study of Combustion Parameters
by Mateusz Polis, Agnieszka Stolarczyk, Konrad Szydło, Barbara Lisiecka, Marcin Procek, Sebastian Sławski, Wojciech Domagała, Jakub Iksal and Tomasz Jarosz
Molecules 2024, 29(15), 3664; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29153664 - 2 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1450
Abstract
Nanothermites have found broad applications; however, due to being systems largely reacting in condensed phases, their performance is somewhat limited by heat and mass transfer. In order to alleviate this issue, nanothermites doped with gas-generating energetic materials have been developed. In this work, [...] Read more.
Nanothermites have found broad applications; however, due to being systems largely reacting in condensed phases, their performance is somewhat limited by heat and mass transfer. In order to alleviate this issue, nanothermites doped with gas-generating energetic materials have been developed. In this work, we present an investigation of a model Ti/CuO nanothermite doped by four classical energetic materials and investigate their properties and combustion performance. Mechanical and laser irradiation sensitivity, as well as ignition/explosion temperatures have been determined for the studied systems to establish their safety features. In terms of combustion performance, thrust force parameters and linear combustion velocity have been determined and the structure of the evolving flame front was recorded during open-air combustion experiments. The obtained results indicate that the developed doped nanothermite formulations are extremely promising materials for future applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Highly Energetic Materials)
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