Oxidant Filled Nanoporous Carbon as Lead-free Primary Explosive

Abstract. Primary explosives stand at the very beginning of a pyrotechnic train. Such compounds possess the ability to transform an external stimuli such as impact or spark into a shock wave, capable to detonate a secondary explosive. This particular property comes with a major drawback; an exacerbated sensibility to the smallest stimuli making these compounds highly hazardous. Furthermore, such species are rare and most of the commonly used ones are heavy-metal salts such as lead azide or styphnate. Here, we report a heavy-metal free flame-sensitive primary explosive based on nanoporous carbon filled with an oxidant and displaying the sensitivity to mechanical stimuli of a secondary explosive. Due to the nanoporous structure of the carbon material, filling these pores with oxidant allows an intimate mix at the nanometric scale between fuel and oxidant while preserving a macroscopic structure; therefore avoiding the toxicity and handling issues related to nanomaterials. The ability of this composite material to detonate secondary explosives has been demonstrated and a prototypical detonator has been designed and successfully tested. This new formulation has also been qualified in accordance with NATO standards. It is believed that the simplicity of manufacturing these materials, the robust supply chain of their precursors, and their low overall cost make them a realistic alternative to lead-based primary explosives.