DEVELOPMENT OF ENERGETIC ADDITIVES FOR PROPELLANTS IN CHINA

The development of energetic azide binders and plasticizers for solid propellants in China is described in this article. Fourteen representa tives of azides synthesized mainly by the authors on a small laborator y scale are involved. The reaction routes and conditions for preparing these azides are summerized; performance of the azides, including den sity, melting point, enthalpy of formation, thermal decomposition temp erature determined by differential scanning calorimetry or differentia l thermal analysis, impact sensitivity, etc, were tested and are prese nted. The application of these azides to solid propellants or plastic- bonded explosives is still comparatively new in this country, with ver y little information available at the present time. A few results are briefly mentioned in this article. We arrange the stated azides under the following six categories: 1) azide polyether: glycidyl azide polym er ([C3H5N3O])(n), the homopolymer of 3,3-bis(azidomethyl) oxetane (C5 H8N6O) (BAMO), and the copolymer of BAMO/tetrahydrofuran (C4H8O); 2) A zidonitramine: 1,5-diazido-3-nitrazapentane, N-nitro-N-azidomethylgemd initroethyl methylamine, and isfazidomethylgemdinitroethyl)ethylenedin itramine; 3) Azidonitro compounds:2nitro-2-methyl-1,3-diazidopropane, 2-nitro-2-azidomethyl-1,3-diazidopropane and 1-azido-2-(2,4,6-trinitro phenyl) ethane; 4) aliphatic azide: 1,2,4,triazidobutane and tetraazid omethylemethane; 5) Azidonitrate: pentaerythritol diazido dinitrate; a nd 6) oxygen heterocyclic azide: 3-azidomethyl-3-ethyloxetane, and 2,2 -dimethyl-5-azidomethyl-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane.