Achieving Balanced Energetics through Cocrystallization

Achieving energetic materials with a balanced ratio of oxidant to fuel is a challenge that has been difficult to meet through molecular synthesis. The alternative approach, composite formulation, fails to achieve intimate association of the components to the detriment of performance. Herein, the energetic oxidizer ammonium dinitramide (ADN) is combined with fuel-rich pyrazine-1,4-dioxide via cocrystallization. The result is a material with a balanced oxidant/fuel ratio in which the components maintain intimate association. The material exhibits desirable physical and energetic properties which are much improved over ADN and comparable to contemporary energetics.