Preparation and Characterization of HMX/Estane Nanocomposites

A new insensitive explosive based on octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) was prepared by spray drying using Estane 5703 as a binder. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the morphology and particle size of the HMX/Estane 5703 nanocomposites. The composites were analyzed by X-ray diffractometry and differential scanning calorimetry and their impact sensitivity was determined. For comparison, raw HMX was also tested using these three methods. The nanocomposite morphology was found to be microspherical (1 to 8 μm diameter) and composed of many tiny particles, 30 to 150 nm in size. The crystal type of the HMX/Estane 5703 nanocomposites was unchanged. The activation energy, self-ignition temperature and average drop height of the raw HMX were 515.66 kJ·mol-1, 278.63 °C and 18.4 cm, respectively. In comparison, the corresponding values for the HMX/Estane 5703 nanocomposites were 488.92 kJ·mol-1, 279.3 °C and 75.4 cm, respectively.