The application of porous organic cage as highly efficient desensitizer of RDX

The desensitization of nitramine explosives while maintaining energetic performance is challenging. A highly efficient desensitizer is the key to solving the antinomy. This study focuses on using porous organic cages (POCs), specifically CC3 and RCC3, to desensitize RDX. By coating 0.1 wt%–5 wt% of POCs on RDX particles, a series of composite energetic materials were prepared. Characterization results show that POCs change the surface morphology of RDX, and there are interfacial interactions between them. The RDX@POCs composites exhibit enhanced stabilities in terms of heat, impact, friction, and electrostatic spark. For the RDX@RCC3-5% composite, the impact sensitivity (E_IS), friction sensitivity (E_FS), and electrostatic sensitivity (E_ES) were significantly reduced by 66.7%, 68.8%, and 56.5%, respectively, while the detonation velocity decreased by merely 3.1%. These findings indicate that POCs, especially RCC3, are promising desensitizers for nitramine explosives, and their desensitization mechanisms likely involve barrier and buffering effects. The distinct desensitization behavior of RDX@RCC3 highlights the effectiveness of POCs in reducing the sensitivity of RDX without significantly compromising its energetic properties.