β-hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane Particles Prepared by Spray Drying and its Characterization

Abstract

In this paper, the ultrafine β-hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (β – CL – 20) particles were prepared by spray drying method. The CL – 20 samples were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), particle size analyzer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC). Furthermore, the safety properties of samples under impact and thermal stimulus were tested and analyzed. The results of SEM showed that the average particle size of ultrafine CL – 20 particles with a narrow particle size distribution, were about 320 nm, and the shape was elliptical. The XRD patterns indicated that the polymorphic phase of ultrafine particles was mainly β-type. Compared with that of raw CL – 20, the impact sensitivity of the ultrafine CL – 20 had been decreased significantly, for the drop height (H50) was increased from 13.0 to 33.5 cm. The critical explosion temperature of the ultrafine CL – 20 decreased from 232.16 ℃ to 227.93 ℃, indicating that the thermal stability of the ultrafine CL – 20 is lower than that of raw CL – 20.