Current research programs are aiming to develop ionic liquids (ILs) as energetic materials for various applications. Such applications for ILs include both propulsion and explosives. Within the propulsion arena, a focus is to replace hydrazine (a highly toxic compound) as a fuel.  The approach to replacing hydrazine is the synthesis and development of ILs with substantially less vapor toxicity and superior energy density. Hypergolic bipropellants are defined as fuel and oxidizer combinations that, upon contact, chemically react and release enough heat to spontaneously ignite, eliminating the need for an additional ignition source. The feasibility that an IL can undergo hypergolic ignition with a common oxidizer like nitric acid was demonstrated for the first time in our laboratory a few years ago.1,2 Hazardous characteristics, undesirable physical and chemical properties of such ILs must be identified before further development by a potential user. IL-based fuels and their properties will be discussed (including limited safety and sensitivity, and thermophysical properties).   T. Hawkins, S. Schneider, G. Drake, G.L. Vaghjiani and S. Chambreau, U.S. Patent Application 11/973, 978, �Hypergolic Fuels�, 2007.S. Schneider, T. Hawkins, M. Rosander, G. Vaghjiani, S. Chambreau and G.  Drake, Energy & Fuels, 2008, 22 , 2871-2872.

Research and development of energetic ionic liquids

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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