<br/><br/>In the realm of propellants, many developments have focused on explosives, but little progress has been made for other components, such as binders. The objective of this project is to progress from the standard binder, hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) with a new class of binder prepolymers that are intrinsically energetic, hydroxy-terminated polycyclobutane (HTPC). Previous research has predominantly attempted this through the inclusion of explosophores into polymers. Explosophore integrated polymers, while higher in energy density, lack favorable thermal and rheological properties necessary for binders, nor do they meet the stability requirements to be included in propellants. As a structural isomer of HTPB, HTPC would ideally retain the positive physical attributes of HTPB while increasing its<br/>energetic properties. The key energetic development in HTPC is the backbone constructed of strained four-membered rings. We analyzed the new binder properties in comparison to the performance of the traditionally employed binder hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB). We tested energetics through bomb calorimetry, thermal, and rheological properties through thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and rheological properties in cures. Finally, we formed copolymer cures of differing weight percent HTPC in HTPB to observe the rheological and energetic effects.

Evaluating polycyclobutanes as energetic binders for propellent applications

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