Fabrication of Nano- and Micron- Sized Spheres of CL-20 by Electrospray

The application of hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) in energetic materials will be expanded by its use as superfine particles. A method of fabricating nano- and micron-sized spheres of CL-20 by using electrospray is discussed. The effects of the precursor solution and the experimental conditions on the morphology and the crystal phase of the CL-20 particles are introduced. A variety of solvents was used to dissolve raw CL-20 for the preparation of the precursor solution with different CL-20 contents. The conductivity and viscosity of the precursor solutions were tested before the electrospray process. The electrostatic parameters were adjusted by changing the voltage and the distance between the nozzle and the plate. The morphology, crystal phase, mechanical sensitivity, density, and thermal stability of the raw CL-20 and the as-sprayed CL-20 samples were determined using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, the density and the mechanical sensitivity were tested for the raw and the as-sprayed CL-20. DSC tests were conducted to compare the thermal stability and reactivity of the samples.