Electrospray fabrication and performance tailoring of CBNT/CL-20/EC composite energetic microspheres

Micro-nano composite energetic materials offer advantages such as high specific surface area, enhanced reactivity, and elevated surface energy. Through multiscale structural design and component coordination, their energy release efficiency can be improved, combustion stability enhanced, and mechanical sensitivity effectively reduced, making them a key focus in modern energetic materials research. In this work, CBNT/CL-20/EC composite energetic microspheres were prepared for the first time using electrospray technology. The influence of CL-20 content on microsphere properties was systematically investigated. Results indicate that microsphere particle size increases with decreasing CL-20 content. Among the tested formulations, the sample with the mass ratio of CBNT to CL-20 of 3:7 exhibits better flowability and safety performance. Moreover, higher CL-20 content improves the hydrophobicity of the microspheres. The main gaseous products of thermal decomposition include H 2 O, N 2 , NO, and CO 2 , along with minor amounts of NH 3 and HCN. Compared with nano-CBNT and nano-CL-20, the activation energy of the CBNT/CL-20/EC composite microspheres increased across all formulations, with the highest activation energy and optimal stability observed at the mass ratio of CBNT to CL-20 of 7:3.