Energetic polymers azides

Azide polymers contain -N3 bonds within their molecular structures and burn by themselves to produce heat and nitrogen gas. Energetic azide polymers burn very rapidly without any oxidation reaction by oxygen atoms. GAP, BAMO, and AM-MOare typical energetic azide polymers. The appropriate monomers are cross-Hnked and co-polymerized with other polymeric materials in order to obtain optimized properties, such as viscosity, mechanical strength and elongation, and temperature sensitivities. The physicochemical properties GAP and GAP copolymers are described in Section 4.2.4. 

Labrecque, B., and Roy, A. (1990) Pilot plant study of an energetic azide polymer synthesis. TTCP, W-4, 15th Meeting on Propulsion Technology, DREV, Valcartier, Canada. 

Azide polymers such as GAP and BAMO are also used to formulate AP composite propellants in order to give improved specific impulses compared with those of the above-mentioned AP-HTPB propellants. Since azide polymers are energetic materials that burn by themselves, the use of azide polymers as binders of AP particles, with or without aluminum particles, increases the specific impulse compared to those of AP-HTPB propellants. As shown in Fig. 4.15, the maximum of 260 s is obtained at (AP) = 0.80 and is approximately 12 % higher than that of an AP-HTPB propellant because the maximum loading density of AP particles is obtained at about (AP) = 0.86 in the formulation of AP composite propellants. Since the molecular mass of the combustion products. Mg, remains relatively unchanged in the region above (AP) = 0.8, decreases rapidly as (AP) increases. 

The combustion performance of a rocket motor is dependent on various physicochemical processes that occur during propellant burning. Since the free volume of a rocket motor is limited for practical reasons, the residence time of the reactive materials that produce the high temperature and high pressure for propulsion is too short to allow completion of the reaction within the limited volume of the motor as a reactor. Though rocket motor performance is increased by the addition of energetic materials such as nitramine particles or azide polymers, sufficient reaction time for the main oxidizer and fuel components is required. 

Frankel, M.B., and Flanagan, J.E. (1981) Energetic hydroxy terminated azide polymer. US Patent 4,268,450. 

As a binder system polymers are utilized. If the binders contain energy or gas-producing molecular groups (-N02, -N3), one classifies the binders as -< Energetic Binders (e.g. polynitropolyphenylene, glycidyl azide polymer, polyvinyl nitrate and nitrocellulose). If these substances are not present, then the binders are classified as inert binders. 

As an energetic polymer, poly(glycidyl azide) (PGA) mance solid propellant binder [63,64]. For this purpose,... 

It is pertinent from these structiues that nitro arrd azide groups make plasticizers to have energetic properties. In addition to these plasticizers, also neutral plasticizers such as DOP and other plasticizers are used in these applications. The plasticizers or their combinations are selected to achieve the reqirired effect. Inert plasticizers usrrally lower the energy content of polymers used in explosives (e.g., nitrocellulose). 

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