Preparation of low-sensitivity explosive composite spheres via oil-in-oil emulsion

In order to reduce mechanical sensitivity and improve process performance of TKX-50, spherical TKX-50/TATB composite was prepared via the oil-in-oil emulsion method with TKX-50 (Dihydroxylammonium 5,5′-bistetrazole-1,1′-diolate) and TATB (1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene) as raw materials. Based on the experimental results, the ideal circumstances for the emulsion to stabilize were obtained. The SEM results of spherical TKX-50/TATB composite exhibited an excellent spherical structure and size distribution. Furthermore, the SEM, XRD, and FT-IR results of spherical TKX-50/TATB composite demonstrated composite effect of the two basic materials was good. Compared to raw TKX-50 and TATB, the activation energies of spherical TKX-50/TATB composite decreased by 32.75 kJ mol⁻¹ and 33.61 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. The TKX-50/TATB physical mixture was compared with spherical TKX-50/TATB composite, which had a higher bulk density and flowability. The impact sensitivity H₅₀ of spherical TKX-50/TATB composite was 66.1 cm, which was 50.6 cm higher than that of raw TKX-50, and its friction sensitivity was reduced from 32 % to 24 % compared with that of raw TKX-50.