Preparation of CL-20 Explosive Nanoparticles and Their Thermal Decomposition Property

Herein, we develop a novel method for preparing nanohexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (nano-CL-20) via ultrasonic spray-assisted electrostatic adsorption (USEA) technology. Various experimental conditions which influence safety factors and the crystallization process were studied. Meanwhile, the prepared nano-CL-20 particles were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The results show that the obtained nano-CL-20 showed a wide size distribution in the range from 150 to 600 nm with an average of 270 nm. Moreover, their thermal properties were also investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG). For nano-CL-20, the exothermal peak is 232.9°C increased by 12°C compared with conventionally manufactured (CM) CL-20, and they exhibit fast energy release efficiency as well as more energy release. The simple and continuous approach presented here is expected to be an attractive potential for fabricating other organic nanoparticles.