Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Energetic norbornenes are promising candidates toward the development of new energetic polymers due to the synthetic versatility of norbornene ring-opening metathesis polymerizations used in commercial applications. We report the synthesis of two energetic norbornene materials that can be made in two steps with modest yields, containing either trinitroethanol or fluorodinitroethanol substituents. The norbornene monomers were then polymerized, and the polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), contact angle measurements, and proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies (1H and 13C{1H} NMR). Additionally, small-scale safety data consisting of electrostatic discharge (ESD), friction (FS), and impact (IS) sensitivities were measured for the norbornene monomers and their resulting polymers. These analyses revealed that energetic norbornene materials are relatively insensitive and have densities comparable to that of TNT (1.47–1.81 g·cm–3).
Source: ACS Polymers Au
Authors: Valerie A. Sterling, Jack V. Davis, Jeremy T. Tisdale, David E. Chavez
Institution: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanics of Materials
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,500
OpenAlex ID: W7160641829