TY - JOUR A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Morrison, C. T1 - From lattice vibrations to molecular dissociation JF - Theoretical and Computational Chemistry N2 - The ease with which an energetic material can be initiated by mechanical impact is a critical parameter directing material safety and application. While impact sensitivity metrics are traditionally derived experimentally, recent developments have highlighted that the phenomenon is amenable to first principles simulation. In this chapter, we will outline a fully ab initio approach to predict the relative impact sensitivities of energetic materials based on the mechanochemical principles that link the impact event to vibrational energy transfer. This mechanism is key to rationalizing how a mechanical impact—which deposits energy into the low-frequency lattice vibrations—results in a molecular response. By simulating the vibrational energy levels (the so-called phonon density of states, PDOS) using first-principles computational methods (typically dispersion-corrected plane-wave density functional theory, PW-DFT) we can calculate the relative rate of energy propagation from the delocalized low-energy lattice vibrations through to the localized molecular modes. The latter traps the energy, which eventually results in bond rupture through heightened vibrational excitation. This method, based on vibrational up-pumping, offers a route toward predicting the impact sensitivities of a broad range of energetic materials, provided the crystal structure of the compound (or salt or co-crystal) is known. While it does not offer insight into the sensitizing roles undoubtedly played by crystal defects or grain boundaries, it does provide a level of understanding at the molecular and crystal packing levels. Correspondingly, this approach offers a feedback mechanism to chemists and materials scientists to guide the design of new materials with desired impact sensitivity behavior. KW - Energetic materials KW - Density functional theory KW - Material design PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822971-2.00010-3 VL - 22 SP - 215 EP - 232 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-54717 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kosareva, E. A1 - Gainutdinov, R. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Ananyev, I. A1 - Muravyev, N. T1 - Mechanical Stimulation of Energetic Materials at the Nanoscale JF - Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics N2 - The initiation of energetic materials by mechanical stimuli is a critical stage of their functioning, but remains poorly understood. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM) we explore the microscopic initiation behavior of four prototypical energetic materials: 3,4-dinitropyrazole, 𝜖-CL-20, 𝛼-PETN and picric acid. Along with the various chemical structures, these energetic compounds cover a range of application types: a promising melt-cast explosive, the most powerful energetic compound in use, a widespread primary explosive, and a well-established nitroaromatic explosive from the early development of energetics. For the softest materials (picric acid and 3,4-dinitropyrazole), the surfaces were found to behave dynamically, quickly rearranging in response to mechanical deformation. The pit created by nanoscale friction stimulation on the surface of 3,4-dinitropyrazole doubled in volume upon aging for half an hour. Over the same time frame, a similar pit on picric acid surface increased in volume by more than seven-fold. Remarkably, increased humidity was found to reduce the rate of surface rearrangement, potentially offering an origin for the desensitization of energetic materials when wetted. Finally, we identify an inverse correlation between the surface dynamics and mechanical sensitivity of our test energetic compounds. This strongly suggests that surface dynamics influence a material’s ability to dissipate excess energy, acting as a buffer towards mechanical initiation. KW - Energetic materials KW - Mechanical Properties KW - Mechanical Sensitivity PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CP00832G VL - 24 IS - 15 SP - 8890 EP - 8900 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-54562 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - McMonagle, C. J. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Chernyshov, D. T1 - FOX-7 high-energy-density material: Thermal expansion and phase transitions revisited JF - Acta crystallographica B N2 - Variable-temperature single-crystal diffraction experiments treated with the Gandolfi method reveal the detailed temperature evolution of the unit-cell dimensions, structural transformations and the phase co-existence of the energetic material FOX-7. Two first-order phase transitions are observed accompanied by abrupt changes in volume and unit-cell dimensions. The thermal expansion is found to be linear for all three phases, albeit highly anisotropic. Moreover, the experimental thermal expansion coefficients differ from those predicted from literature atomistic simulations. KW - Energetic materials KW - Thermal expansion KW - Gandolfi method KW - Phase transition KW - Variable temperature PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052520621013299 SN - 2052-5206 VL - 78 IS - 1 SP - 91 EP - 95 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Oxford AN - OPUS4-54286 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Michalchuk, Adam T1 - The Mechanochemical Excitation of Crystalline LiN3 JF - Faraday Discussions N2 - Mechanochemical reactions are driven by the direct absorption of mechanical energy by a solid (often crystalline) material. Understanding how this energy is absorbed and ultimately causes a chemical transformation is essential for understanding the elementary stages of mechanochemical transformations. Using as a model system the energetic material LiN3 we here consider how vibrational energy flows through the crystal structure. By considering the compression response of the crystalline material we identify the partitioning of energy into an initial vibrational excitation. Subsequent energy flow is based on concepts of phonon–phonon scattering, which we calculate within a quasi-equilibrium model facilitated by phonon scattering data obtained from Density Functional Theory (DFT). Using this model we demonstrate how the moments (picoseconds) immediately following mechanical impact lead to significant thermal excitation of crystalline LiN3, sufficient to drive marked changes in its electronic structure and hence chemical reactivity. This work paves the way towards an ab initio approach to studying elementary processes in mechanochemical reactions involving crystalline solids. KW - Energetic materials KW - Ab initio simulation KW - DFT KW - Mechanochemistry PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-559310 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d2fd00112h SP - 1 EP - 20 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-55931 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -