Designing Explosive Poly(Ionic Liquid)s as Novel Energetic Polymers

Graphical Going off with a bang ! A series of novel explosive poly(ionic liquid)s (E-PILs) are designed and prepared by introducing an energetic nitrato group and nitro-rich anions into polymeric chains. All E-PILs show higher detonation performances than state-of-the-art energetic polymers. The E-PILs are promising candidates for applications as binders and/or plasticizers for explosive formulations. The development of ionic-liquid-derived functional materials would be vital for stimulation of the interdisciplinary research in the fields of ionic liquid chemistry and material science. Here, a series of novel poly(ionic liquid)s with explosive capability were designed and prepared by introducing the energetic nitrato group and nitro-rich anions, such as nitrate, dinitramide, and nitroform into the polymeric chains. The as-synthesized explosive poly(ionic liquid)s (E-PILs) were fully characterized, and their physicochemical and detonation properties were investigated. All E-PILs show higher detonation performances than state-of-the-art energetic polymers including glycidyl azide polymer (GAP) and poly(glycidyl nitrate) [poly(GLYN)]. Some E-PILs exhibit higher calculated detonation velocities and pressures than 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). These E-PILs are promising candidates for applications as new high-performance energetic polymers.