High energy explosive with low sensitivity: a new energetic cocrystal based on CL-20 and BMDNP

Abstract

A novel 1 : 1 cocrystal explosive was prepared from 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane with 4-bromo-3,5-dinitro-1-methylpyrazole (BMDNP) by a slow solvent evaporation method. This cocrystal, which belongs to the monoclinic crystal system of the P2₁ space group, has a crystal density of 2.081 g cm⁻³ at 298 K. The thermal properties, impact susceptibility and detonation properties of the cocrystal were investigated, and DSC test results revealed that the cocrystal's melting point is 160 °C, and the decomposition temperature is 234 °C, indicating good stability. In addition, the impact susceptibility of the cocrystal (11 J) was significantly reduced compared with that of pure CL-20 (2.5 J). Meanwhile, the detonation performance of this cocrystal (D = 8848 m s⁻¹, P = 38.97 GPa) is slightly higher than that of RDX (D = 8712 m s⁻¹, P = 33.8 GPa), indicating that the CL-20/BMDNP cocrystal has excellent detonation performance. Therefore, the CL-20/BMDNP cocrystal may be a new type of explosive with good comprehensive performance, and may be a candidate for replacing RDX in the future.