Abstract:

Solvent molecules can significantly reduce the heat of detonation and stability of energetic metal-organic framework (EMOF) materials, and the development of solvent-free EMOFs has become an effective strategy to prepare high-energy density materials. In this study, a solvent-free EMOF, [Ag₂(DTPZ)]_n (1) (N% = 32.58%), was synthesized by reacting a high-energy ligand, 2, 3-di(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)pyrazine (H₂DTPZ), with silver ions under hydrothermal conditions, and it was structurally characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermal analysis. In 1, the DTPZ²⁻ ligands that adopted a highly torsional configuration bridged the Ag⁺ ions in an octadentate coordination mode to form a three-dimensional framework (ρ = 2.812 g∙cm⁻³). The large steric effect and strong coordination ability of DTPZ²⁻ effectively prevented the solvent molecules from binding with the metal centers or occupying the voids of 1. Moreover, the strong π-π stacking interactions [centroid-centroid distance = 0.34461(1) nm] between the tetrazole rings in different DTPZ²⁻ ligands provided a high thermal stability to the framework (T_e = 619.1 K, T_p = 658.7 K). Thermal analysis showed that a one-step rapid weight loss with intense heat release primarily occurred during the decomposition of 1, suggesting potential energetic characteristics. Non-isothermal thermokinetic analyses (based on the Kissinger and Ozawa-Doyle methods) were performed using differential scanning calorimetry to obtain the thermoanalysis kinetic parameters of the thermodecomposition of 1 (E_a = 272.1 kJ·mol⁻¹, E_o = 268.9 kJ·mol⁻¹; lgA =19.67 s⁻¹). The related thermodynamic parameters [enthalpy of activation (ΔH^≠ = 266.9 kJ·mol⁻¹), entropy of activation (ΔS^≠ = 125.4 J·mol⁻¹·K⁻¹), free energy of activation (ΔG^≠ = 188.3 kJ·mol⁻¹)], critical temperature of thermal explosion (T_b = 607.1 K), and self-accelerating decomposition temperature (T_SADT = 595.8 K) of the decomposition reaction were also calculated based on the decomposition peak temperature and extrapolated onset temperature when the heating rate approached zero. The results revealed that 1 featured good thermal safety, and its decomposition was a non-spontaneous entropy-driven process. The standard molar enthalpy for the formation of 1 was calculated to be (2165.99 ± 0.81) kJ·mol⁻¹ based on its constant volume combustion energy determined using a precise rotating oxygen bomb calorimeter. Detonation and safety performance tests revealed that 1 was insensitive to impact and friction, and its heat of detonation (10.15 kJ·g⁻¹) was higher than that of common ammonium nitrate explosives, such as octogen (HMX), hexogene (RDX), and 2, 4, 6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), indicating that 1 is a promising high-energy and insensitive material.

Key words: Energetic metal-organic framework, Thermal decomposition kinetics, Thermal stability, Detonation performance, Sensitivity