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Effect of metal ion impurities on the crystallization and thermal properties of HMX

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Abstract

Metal ions, as common impurities in the crystallization process of explosives, have a significant influence on the crystal quality and performance. The effects of Fe3+, Zn2+, Ca2+ and Na+ ions on the crystallization and thermal properties of octogen (HMX) were studied. And the defect distribution as well as formation process of the explosive crystals doped with the metal ions were analysed. ICP, XPS and an etching method were utilized to characterize the contents and distributions of residual metal ions in the HMX crystals. The effects of the metal ions on the thermal decomposition and phase transition of HMX were obtained based on DSC-TG and in situ XRD. The mechanism of the influence of the metal ions on the crystallization of HMX was also explored. The results showed that the metal ions would change the nucleation growth mode of HMX to form dispersed crystalline HMX. The residual metal ions were mainly adsorbed on the crystal surface and included in the crystal. The metal ions had a significant influence on the thermal properties of HMX, with Ca2+ and Fe3+ inhibiting the thermally induced phase transition of HMX, Na+ promoting the phase transition of HMX, and the effect of Zn2+ on the phase transition of HMX depending on its concentration. The growth mechanism of doped HMX was lamellar stacking, and the metal ions changed the quality of the crystal by hindering the growth step of the HMX crystal. Since the crystal quality is highly related to the thermal performance, the safety of the explosive is affected.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21805259 and 21975234).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, People’s Republic of China

    Jinjiang Xu, Kemei Cheng, Haobin Zhang, Xiaofei Hao, Xiaoming Xu, Jie Sun & Yong Tian

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  1. Jinjiang Xu
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  2. Kemei Cheng
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  5. Xiaoming Xu
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Correspondence to Xiaoming Xu or Jie Sun.

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Xu, J., Cheng, K., Zhang, H. et al. Effect of metal ion impurities on the crystallization and thermal properties of HMX. J Therm Anal Calorim 147, 6109–6118 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-021-10850-y

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