Characterization on surface and interfacial properties of nitramine crystal fillers and polymeric bonding agents

The surface and interfacial properties of polymeric bonding agents and nitramine crystal fillers were studied. The surface free energy and adhesion work of polymeric bonding agents and nitramine fillers were calculated by using Kaeble's equations. It was observed that the hydroxyl values of neutral polymeric bonding agents (NPBA) correlate well with the polar components of surface free energies. On the basis of the measurements of swelling ratio and initial modulus, the interfacial bonding through highly crosslinked polymeric shell formation around the nitramine particles and generating interfacial reinforcement were rationalized. The application of Tapping Mode AFM (atomic force micro scope) to observing the surface morphology of NPBA reveals that methyl acrylate monomer appears to play a role for aiding the formation of network-like structure when nanometer scale images of NPBA are created.