ABSTRACT We report on the synthesis and characterization of 3‐(2‐(2‐azidoethoxy)ethoxy)‐4‐nitro‐1,2,5‐oxadiazole (NFPEG2N3), which is a liquid nitrofurazanyl ether that was designed to be an energy‐rich plasticizer for glycidyl azide polymer (GAP)‐ and nitrocellulose (NC)‐based formulations. NFPEG2N3 was obtained from 3,4‐dinitrofurazan (DNF) via nucleophilic substitution with lithium 2‐(2‐azidoethoxy)ethanolate. It was then characterized using 1 H and 13 C NMR, Infrared (IR), Raman, elemental analysis (EA), and density measurement ( ρ = 1.375 g/cm 3 ). The experimental IR bands were assigned with the help of DFT (B3LYP/6‐31G*) calculations. Composite methods (CBS‐QB3, G4MP2, and G4) were used to determine the enthalpy of formation. NFPEG2N3 exhibits a glass transition temperature ( T g ) of −74.9°C, a thermogravimetric analysis mass‐loss midpoint of 156°C, and a closed‐crucible differential scanning calorimetry exotherm onset at 186°C. Among the comparators Bu‐NENA and BDNPA/F, it shows the highest enthalpy of formation (164 kJ mol −1 ) and heat of explosion (4024 J g −1 ). Blending with GAP diol significantly improves processability. Viscosity at 20°C decreases from 4560 mPa·s (pure GAP) to 1369 mPa·s at a 20 wt.% NFPEG2N3 content. Meanwhile, the mixture's T g decreases from −49.4 to −53.5°C at a 10 wt.% NFPEG2N3 content. Thermodynamic analyses indicate that NFPEG2N3 in NC systems raises the specific energy while keeping the temperature of explosion moderate, with an optimum near 20 wt.% plasticizer content. In GAP/AP/HMX composite propellants, NFPEG2N3 increases the volume‐specific impulse and delivers the highest mass‐specific impulse at 5–10 wt.% compared to Bu‐NENA and BDNPA/F. These results identify NFPEG2N3 as a promising energetic plasticizer that combines effective rheological modification with enhanced energetic performance.
Lieber et al. (Tue,) studied this question.