Current state of the art solid propellant binders are comprised of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) that are cross-linked by diisocyanates. However, isocyanates are known to cause respiratory irritation, occupational asthma and some evidence of carcinogenic effects in animals. Furthermore, the decreasing permissible exposure limits currently being considered by OSHA highlight the need for new propellant binder systems in the future that do not rely on isocyanate cure chemistry. Ideally, these new propellant binders will use cross-linking mechanisms already found in nature that are unlikely to introduce new environmental or safety concerns. One such system is nucleobase binding that holds together DNA strands in plant and animal cells. The synthesis and characterization of polybutadiene containing nucleobase pairs capable of cross-linking by complementary base binding will be presented .

Nucleotide cross-linked polybutadiene for replacement of isocyanate-cured hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) systems

248th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.