Abstract
Batches of up to 46g of the insensitive explosive 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB) have been recrystallized from DMSO in an effort to prepare larger particle-size material for recycling previously-used TATB and also for use in special formulations. The first part of the study investigated the conditions required to shift the particle-size distribution maximum from ∼50–70 μm to several hundred micrometres in diameter. Distributions peaking at ∼200–246 μm were successfully produced by varying the cooldown rate and degree of agitation during cooling. The second part of the study emphasized regeneration of the standard ∼50–70 μm distribution from submicron size (“ultrafine” TATB) particles. The distributions peaking at ∼76–88 μm, ∼27–31 μm, and ∼15–17 μm, successfully bracketed the target particle sizes, were grown by changing the degree of solution saturation. The choice of saturation temperature for the TATB/DMSO solution was based on earlier small-scale recrystallization and solubility work.
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Foltz, M.F., Maienschein, J.L. & Green, L.G. Particle size control of 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene by recrystallization from DMSO. Journal of Materials Science 31, 1741–1750 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00372187
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00372187