Rapid preparation of size-tunable nano-TATB by microfluidics

Abstract

Nano-TATB was developed in microchannels by physical method and chemical method, respectively. The effects of total flow rate, number of microreactor plates, solvent/non-solvent ratio and temperature on the particle size of TATB in the physical method were studied. Prepared TATB were characterized by Nano Sizer, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Specific surface aperture analyzer, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry. The results show that the TATB obtained by physical method and chemical method are spherical, with average particle size of 130.66 nm and 108.51 nm, respectively. Specific surface areas of TATB obtained by physical and chemical methods are 21.37 m2/g and 21.91 m2/g, respectively. Compared with the specific surface area of micro-TATB (0.0808 m2/g), the specific surface area of nano-TATB is significantly increased. DSC test results show that the smaller the particle size of TATB, the lower the thermal decomposition temperature. In addition, by simulating the mixing state of fluid in microchannels and combining with the classical nucleation theory, the mechanism of preparing nano-TATB by microchannels was proposed.

Keywords

• Nano-TATB
• Microfluidics
• Energetic materials
• Solvent/non-solvent method
• Amination
• Simulation