Process and performance of DAAF microspheres prepared by continuous integration from synthesis to spherical coating based on microfluidic system

In order to improve the energy output consistency of 3, 3’-diamino-4, 4’-azoxyfurazan(DAAF) in the new insensitive booster and the safety and efficiency in the preparation process, a continuous preparation system of DAAF from synthesis to spherical coating was designed and established in this paper, which combined ultrasonic micromixing reaction with microdroplet globular template. In the rapid micromixing stage, the microfluidic mixing technology with ultrasonic was used to synergistically strengthen the uniform and rapid mass transfer mixing reaction between raw materials to ensure the uniformity of DAAF particle nucleation-growth, and to prepare high-quality DAAF crystals with uniform structure and morphology and concentrated particle size distribution. In the microdroplet globular template stage, the microfluidic droplet technology was used to form a droplet globular template with uniform size under the shear action of the continuous phase of the dispersed phase solution containing DAAF particles and binder. The size of the droplet template was controlled by adjusting the flow rate ratio between the continuous phase and the dispersed phase. In the droplet globular template, with the diffusion of the solvent in the dispersed phase droplets, the binder precipitates to coat the DAAF into a ball, forming a DAAF microsphere with high sphericity, narrow particle size distribution and good monodispersity. The problem of discontinuity and DAAF particle suspension in the process was solved, and the coating theory under this process was studied. DAAF was coated with different binder formulations of fluororubber(F2604), nitrocellulose(NC) and NC/glycidyl azide polymer(GAP), and the process verification and evaluation of the system were carried out. The balling effects of large, medium and small droplet templates under different binder formulations were studied. The scanning electron microscope(SEM) results show that the three droplet templates under the three binder formulations exhibit good balling effect and narrow particle size distribution. The DAAF microspheres were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction(XRD), differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), thermo-gravimetric(TG) and sensitivity analyzer. The results showed that the crystal structure of DAAF did not change during the process, and the prepared DAAF microspheres had lower decomposition temperature and lower mechanical sensitivity than raw DAAF. The results of detonation parameters show that the coating of DAAF by using the above three binder formulations will not greatly reduce the energy output of DAAF, and has comparable detonation performance to raw DAAF. This study proves an efficient and safe continuous system from synthesis to spherical coating modification of explosives, which provides a new way for the continuous, safe and efficient preparation of spherical explosives.

Preparation of HMX/TATB spherical composite explosive by droplet microfluidic technology

Polymer bonded explosives(PBXs)have high energy density,excellent mechanical properties and better thermal stability.In this study,droplet microfluidic technology was used to successfully prepare HMX/TATB microspheres.The effects of different binder types and binder concentrations on the morphology of the microspheres were studied,and results proved that NC/GAP(1:4)provides particles a regular spherical morphology and good dispersion.Subsequently,the influence of the concentration of the dispersed phase and the flow rate of the continuous phase on the particle size distribution of the microspheres was fully studied.The microspheres had narrow particle size distribution and high spherical shape.Under optimized process conditions,HMX/TATB microspheres were prepared and compared with the physical mixtures.The X-ray diffraction,differential scanning calorimetry,flow properties,bulk density,and mechanical sensitivity of the samples were also studied.Results showed that the crystal form of the microspheres remains unchanged,and the binder maintains good compatibility with explosives.In addition,the fluidity,bulk density,real density and safety performance of the microspheres are remarkably better than the physical mixture.This study provides a new method for preparing PBX with narrow particle size distribution,high spherical shape,excellent dispersion and high bulk density.

One-step rapid preparation of CL-20/TNT co-crystal assembly and spheroidized coating based on droplet microfluidic technology

Energetic materials pose challenges in preparation and handling due to their contradictory properties of high-energy and low-sensitivity.The emergence of co-crystal explosives is a new opportunity to change this situation.If the co-crystal explosive is coated into spherical particles with uniform particle size distribution,this contradiction can be further reduced.Therefore,binder-coated hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane/2,4,6-trinitrotoluene(CL-20/TNT)co-crystal microspheres were prepared by droplet microfluidic technology in this work.The coating effects of different binder formulations of nitrocellulose(NC)and NC/fluorine rubber(F2604)on the co-crystal spheres were studied.The scanning electron microscopy(SEM)results showed that the use of droplet microfluidic technology with the above binders can provide co-crystal microspheres with regular spherical morphology,uniform particle size distribution and good dispersion.X-ray diffraction(XRD),fourier-transform infrared(FT-IR),differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)and thermo-gravimetric(TG)methods were employed to compare the properties of the co-crystal microspheres,raw material and pure co-crystal.The formation of CL-20/TNT co-crystal in the microspheres was confirmed,and the co-crystal microspheres exhibited better thermal stability than the raw material and pure co-crystal.In addition,the mechanical sensitivity and combustion performance of the co-crystal microspheres were further studied.The results showed that the co-crystal microspheres were more insensitive than CL-20 and pure co-crystal,and displayed excellent self-sustained combustion performance and theoretical detonation performance.This study provides a new method for the fast,simple and one-step preparation of CL-20/TNT co-crystal microspheres,with binder coating,uniform particle size distribution,and excellent performance level.

Crystal phase control and ignition properties of HNS/CL-20 composite microspheres prepared by microfluidics combined with emulsification techniques

Improved controllability and energy density of ignition agents are of great significance for the devel-opment of energetic composite materials.In this study,droplet microfluidics and emulsification tech-niques were combined to prepare HNS/CL-20 composite microspheres with polyglycidyl azide polymer(GAP)as the binder.The influence of binder content on the morphology of microspheres was investi-gated,and the microspheres were characterized and tested for particle size,crystal structure,thermal decomposition,dispersibility,mechanical sensitivity,combustion behavior and detonation performance.The results showed that microspheres prepared with a binder content of 3%had higher sphericity and particle size uniformity.The microspheres retained the crystal structure of both HNS and CL-20(ε-type).Compared with raw HNS,the microspheres had higher apparent activation energy,better safety per-formance,and good dispersibility.The ignition experiments and detonation performance tests show that HNS/CL-20 composite microspheres have excellent ignition performance,obvious combustion flame,and significant energy release effects,which are expected to achieve high energy and high-speed response of the igniter,thus improving the ignition reliability in special environments or systems.

Role of binders in reactive composites: A case study with spherical B/Pb_(3)O_(4) particles

The strategic selection of appropriate preparation methods and binder strategies is crucial for enhancing the particle and combustion performance of pyrotechnic delay compositions(PDCs).This study,utilizing droplet microfluidics technology(DMT)and micron-scale raw materials,prepared spherical B/Pb_(3)O_(4) composite particles with varying concentrations of fluorine rubber(F_(2604)).The morphology,specific surface area,bulk density,flowability,friction sensitivity,thermal decomposition,and combustion performance of these microspheres were characterized.The results indicate that as the binder content increases,the particle size of the microspheres first decreases and then increases,the specific surface area decreases,and the bulk density increases,correlating with tighter binding of the reactant powders by the binder.Furthermore,tighter powder-to-powder binding results in a progressive decrease in the thermal decomposition peak temperature of the samples(from 404.2℃ to 346.4℃).Additionally,increased binder content reduces the friction sensitivity and combustion rate of the samples,which is attributed to the energy absorption properties of the binder.Compared to the control group,the microsphere samples exhibit significantly enhanced bulk density,flowability,friction safety,and combustion delay precision,potentially improving the reliability of PDCs in ignition sequences.