Improved stability of picric acid: 1-aminopyrene’ charge-transfer complex: Synthesis, characterization, energetic performance and molecular docking study with B-DNA

Abstract

Green energy materials are being developed with an eye on environmental friendliness, safety, and performance enhancement. Therefore, designing and synthesizing innovative, energetic salts for a new generation of ecologically conscious products is vital. In the present study, a charge-transfer complex (PIC:1APYRN) was synthesized via solvent evaporation by combining picric acid (PIC) with 1-aminopyrene (1APYRN). The structural characterization of the target compound was performed through single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and its impact sensitivity was determined using the BAM method. Accordingly, the X-ray diffraction technique was applied to examine the solid-state structural characteristics of the novel energetic salt, and it was found that the π-stacking and hydrogen-bonding interactions, which promote tighter packing, might increase explosive impact sensitivity. The obtained PIC:1APYRN energetic salt displayed a moderate value of heat of formation (-71.035 kJ.mol−1), high decomposition temperature (Td: 319.3 °C), moderate detonation performance (Dv= 4.85 km.s−1, P = 9.66 GPa), and excellent sensitivity towards outer stimuli. Furthermore, the structure-property relationship was also revealed from the experimental results and supported by the subsequently performed quantum chemical calculations. Experimental and density functional theory (DFT) studies reveal that the newly formulated energetic salt provides a viable balance between strong detonation quality, insensitivity, and appropriate thermal stability. Furthermore, the interaction of pristine molecules and PIC:1APYRN with B-DNA was investigated using a rigid docking technique via HEX software to foresee its potential detectability through nanobioprobes.