Crystal Engineering for Creating Low Sensitivity and Highly Energetic Materials

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.8b00929
• Publication Date: 2018-09-06T17:08:25Z
• Authors: Chaoyang Zhang; Fangbao Jiao; Hongzhen Li
• Keywords: Crystal Engineering; Crystal (programming language)

Energy and safety are the two most important concerns of energetic materials (EMs), while they usually contradict each other: high energy typically goes together with low safety. Low sensitivity highly (LSHEMs) balance well thus desired for extensive applications. Nevertheless, on whole, energy–safety contradiction, component limits, insufficient knowledge about relationships among components, structures, properties performances EMs have made development LSHEMs, or even entire group EMs, evolve slowly. This Perspective focuses upon current progress in clarifications contradiction crystal packing–impact relationship EMs. Also, we propose strategies creating new LSHEMs desensitized through engineering, covering traditional composed neutral single-component molecules, cocrystals, ionic salts. Two levels intrinsic molecule crystal, accounted constructing LSHEMs: at molecular level, it is proposed to store much chemical bonds avoiding any bond formation an that too weak intrinsically safety; level suggested intermolecular interactions be enhanced increase packing compactness density strengthen anisotropy facilitate ready shear slide mechanical sensitivity; overall, a big π-bonded oxygen close zero hydrogen bond-aided face-to-face π–π stacking preferred as LSHEM. Hopefully, this will set root establishing systematic theory LSHEMs.