Novel Insensitive Energetic Nitrogen-rich Polymers Based on Tetrazoles

Nitrogen-rich polymers were synthesized by radical polymerization using the reaction of 5-aminotetrazole with methacryloyl chloride and acryloyl chloride, respectively. The nitrogen content of poly(methacrylamidotetrazole) and poly(acrylamidotetrazole), as well as the energetic character of these compounds was increased by nitration of the amido moiety. The products remained however insensitive and had a very good thermal stability. All substances were characterized by using vibrational spectroscopy (IR), mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, as well as multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. Additionally, the impact and friction sensitivities were determined by BAM standards, and also the sensitivity against electrostatic discharge was studied. The energetic properties were investigated by bomb-calorimetric measurements and calculations with the Explo5 software, and the thermal stability was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. All compounds are thermally highly stable materials. The high stability of the polymers towards impact and friction and the good energetic character makes these polymers promising candidates for applications as environmentally friendly nitrogen-rich polymers.