The effect of organic stabilizers on the thermal stability and kinetics of innovative energetic cellulose carbamate nitrate/diethylene glycol dinitrate

This study investigates the stability and thermo-kinetic behavior of a novel energetic composite (EC) composed of nitrated cellulose carbamate (NCC) and diethylene glycol dinitrate (DEGDN), with the incorporation of organic stabilizers. Although conventional stabilizers are effective in enhancing stability, they often pose serious environmental and toxicological concerns due to their chemical persistence and potential hazards. In this context, the current work evaluates the performance of kraft lignin, a biodegradable and low-toxicity biopolymer, in comparison with traditional stabilizers. The molecular structure and thermo-kinetic behavior of EC were systematically evaluated, where EC 1 represents the NCC/DEGDN baseline, while EC 2, EC 3, and EC 4 correspond to formulations stabilized with 1,3-dimethyl-1,3-diphenylurea (C2), 2-nitrodiphenylamine (2-NDPA), and kraft lignin, respectively. Experimental results demonstrated that kraft lignin exhibits stabilizing efficiency comparable to that of conventional stabilizers. Thermal analysis revealed that the incorporation of 2-NDPA, C2, and lignin significantly increased the thermal decomposition temperature of the NCC/DEGDN composite. Furthermore, kinetic studies of the thermolysis of stabilized composites with C2,2-NDPA, and lignin indicated an improvement in the Arrhenius parameters compared to the baseline NCC/DEGDN. These findings highlight the potential of kraft lignin as an effective and environmentally sustainable stabilizer for nitrate ester-based energetic materials.