HP-HT Stability of Amorphous Nitramine Energetic Composite

Amorphous energetics open up an attractive opportunity, as they offer a number of promising features in comparison to conventional crystalline formulations, including potentially reduced shock sensitivity and shaping through glass-casting. To enable these features requires better understanding of amorphous state stability at conditions relevant for material applications. In this work, an amorphous nitramine composed of CL-20, HMX, and polymer, developed at CCDC-AC¹ was subjected to isothermal compression and isobaric heating in a diamond anvil cell device. The pressure and temperature boundaries of amorphous state stability were examined using Raman spectroscopy. By monitoring changes in Boson peak shape and selected peaks’ frequencies, we revealed the presence of amorphous state to at least 5 GPa and considerable inhibition of transition temperature to crystalline form with pressure. Analyses of Raman modes shifts provided insight into changes in intermolecular interactions in amorphous and crystal surroundings.¹V. Stepanov et al. Propellants Explos Pyrotech. 41, 142, 2016.