The Thermal Properties of Nitrocellulose: From Thermal Decomposition to Thermal Explosion

Nitrocellulose is an extremely dangerous explosive substance, which will decompose at a relatively low temperature. This article studied the thermal properties transformed from thermal decomposition to thermal explosion for a less violent nitrocellulose sample (nitrogen content: 10.92%). Four experiments were implemented: XPS analysis and SEM analysis, DSC-TG analysis, and small-scale thermal explosion experiment. From XPS analysis and SEM analysis, high temperatures led to the decrease of N1s and O1s (O-NO2 bond) and the break or even "melt" of the nitrocellulose fibers. The results demonstrated that nitrocellulose would become more unstable if it was exposed to high temperature. From the DSC-TG analysis and small-scale thermal explosion experiment, the upper critical ambient temperatures (UCATs) of the nitrocellulose were calculated. The UCATs of the nitrocellulose sample would decrease from 132.5ºC to 96.4ºC with the dimensions increased from 0.1 m to 1.6 m. The results demonstrated that the risk of spontaneous combustion and thermal explosion increased significantly with the increase of the volume of nitrocellulose.