Electronic structure of the energetic material 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene

Synchrotron radiation is used to study the electronic structure of the energetic material 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB). Element and site-specific density of unoccupied electronic states in TATB is probed by x-ray-absorption spectroscopy at the C, N, and O K edges. In addition to illuminating the electronic structure of TATB, the absorption data enable the understanding of microscopic changes occurring in such compounds due to various damage mechanisms. The absorption data are further supplemented by data from the core-level and valence-band photoelectron spectroscopy of thin films of TATB.