Preparation of microstructure controlled spherical co-aggregated composite energetic materials: Synergistic enhancement of safety and thermal stability of CL-20

Abstract

Regulating the structure of energetic materials to enhance safety performance has become a hot topic for researchers in recent years. This study prepared spherical co-aggregated CL-20/HMX with controllable microstructure using a combination of microfluidic and self-assembly strategies within a modular micro-reaction system. The morphology and agglomeration structures of CL-20/HMX particles were investigated with different mixing plates, solvent/nonsolvent flow rate ratio, and solvent content. Spherical co-aggregated CL-20/HMX co-crystals were prepared under optimized conditions, and the formation mechanism was analyzed. The impact of the spherical aggregation structure on the thermal properties and mechanical sensitivity was thoroughly studied. The results indicate that the spherical co-aggregated CL-20/HMX was assembled from lamellar nanoparticles, controlling CL-20 crystal morphology at the molecular level. CL-20/HMX co-aggregated microspheres exhibit higher mechanical safety and thermal stability than conventional reaction samples and physical mixing samples. Combining spherical aggregation structures and a microfluidic approach enhances thermal decomposition stability and improves safety. This research offers a novel strategy for developing and fabricating other energetic materials.