Tailoring surface defects to enhance PBX surface adhesion through autologous surface molecular reconfiguration

Abstract

Surface modification of explosive crystals is crucial for enhancing the performance of explosives, particularly polymer-bonded explosives (PBXs). Traditional methods to boost mechanical properties in PBXs, such as surface coating, often encounter issues like complex operations, inadequate adhesion, and impurity introduction. In this paper, direct surface modification via the assembly-disassembly of NH…O hydrogen bond synthon was presented for enhancing interfacial adhesion. Using the autologous surface molecular reconfiguration resulting from hydrogen bond synthon, diverse surface defects were introduced on crystals. The notable surface alterations are influenced by concentration and suspension time. The crystal surface with irregular surface morphology adheres more strongly to the binders and its PBXs were increased the elastic recovery by 28.9 % compared to the raw material. Furthermore, this technique of altering crystal surface properties by introducing surface defects not only maintains the purity of the particles but simplifies the preparation process, making it efficient and environmentally friendly.