Researchers from the ZIOC have developed a series of new high-energy ensembles of polyfunctionalized cage structures
High-energy materials are widely used in various sectors of industry and economy. Very important areas of their application are aeronautics and rocketry. Thus, to solve actual tasks of the modern space program, it is necessary to search for new high-energy components of rocket propellants. One of the fruitful approach to the synthesis of new energetic substances is the combination of energetic units using various structural bridges, due to which it is possible to adjust the characteristics of the resulting compounds. A promising structural unit for obtaining of molecular ensembles is 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20), one of the most powerful highly energetic materials.
Researchers of the Laboratory of Organic Synthesis of the ZIOC have developed an effective approach to the synthesis of high-energy polynitrohexaazaisowurtzitane cages linked by an N,N'-methylene bridge, and methods for their targeted functionalization with explosophoric groups. Implementation of the proposed strategy made it possible to obtain a family of high-energy bis-cage analogues of CL-20 containing various terminal functional groups. The studies performed have shown that materials of the new series exhibited high density and heat resistance. These compounds have a very high specific enthalpy of formation, which is significantly higher than that of CL-20. Moreover, their friction sensitivity is noticeably lower than that of widely used explosives HMX and RDX. Remarkable comprehensive characteristics make these materials promising for use in energetic compositions. The target compounds of the research have detonation characteristics at the level of the most powerful standard explosives and are highly effective energetic components for metal-free rocket propellants, providing, at moderate contents, significantly higher specific impulse values than similar formulations based on CL-20.
Source:
Vladimir V. Parakhin, Galina V. Pokhvisneva, Tatyana V. Ternikova, Nina I. Shlykova, Aida I. Samigullina, Sergei V. Nikitin, Pavel B. Gordeev, Gennady A. Smirnov, Tatyana S. Kon’kova, David B. Lempert, Alla N. Pivkina Linking polynitro hexaazaisowurtzitane cages via an N,N'-methylene bridge: a promising strategy for designing energetic ensembles of CL-20 derivatives and adjusting their properties // New J. Chem., 2023, accepted manuscript. DOI: 10.1039/D2NJ05332B