Ammonium nitrate with nanoporous structure: production methods, phase composition and morphological features of the surface

Abstract

The article describes a new technology for the formation of nanoporous layers on the ammonium nitrate granule as a component of an industrial explosive. The main methods of porous ammonium nitrate (PAN) production are defined. The authors substantiate the effective implementation of the combined method of humidification and heat treatment. It is proposed to use a new granulator (vortex granulator) for the PAN obtaining method using humidification followed by heat treatment. The necessity to form a developed network of nanopores on the PAN granule surface is proved. A theoretical model describing the kinetics of humidifier’s film applying to the granule surface for subsequent drying and the nanoporous coating formation is presented. The phase composition of various samples of ammonium nitrate is studied. It is shown that all PAN samples do not undergo chemical transformations. The morphology of the PAN granule surface is studied to determine the porous structure nature. The studying results of the effect made by the type of humidifier, the heat treatment time and the number of heat treatment cycles on the PAN quality are demonstrated.