Performance-Enhancing Materials for Future Generation Explosives and Propellants

During this grant, SRI has made progress in areas of interest to Navy work thrusts, specifically ammonium perchlorate oxidizer replacement and candidates for insensitive munitions. N-oxidation of nitro-heterocycles can boost oxygen content and increase density of the parent material. Through this work, synthesis methodology for more difficult ring N-oxidation of a variety of nitroheterocycles has been expanded. SRI has explored the limits of N-oxidation using hypofluorous acid HOF and persulfate OXONE of a variety of nitro substituted 1,2,4-triazoles, 1,2,3-traizoles and imidazoles. SRI also explored the synthesis of a variety of 565 and 55 fused heterocycle ring systems. SRI also explored the synthesis and properties of over-oxidized trinitromethyl Cring-CNO23 substituted heterocycles. Several examples of 1,2,4-triazole and bi-1,2,4-triazoles with trinitromethyl substitution were synthesized and characterized. This grant has generated several compounds that hold promise as candidates for replacement of ammonium propellant formulations, andor insensitive munitions and require further investigation.