Combustion Effects of Nitrofulleropyrrolidine on RDX‐CMDB Propellants

Abstract The effect of N ‐methyl‐2‐(3‐nitrophenyl)pyrrolidino[3′,4′:1,2]fullerene (mNPF) on the decomposition characteristics of hexogen (RDX) was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results show that mNPF can accelerate the decomposition of RDX, the peak temperature ( T p ) of the exothermal decomposition is reduced by 6.4 K, and the corresponding apparent activation energy ( E a ) is decreased by 8.7 kJ mol −1 . N ‐methyl‐2‐(3‐nitrophenyl)pyrrolidino[3′,4′:1,2]fullerene (mNPF), carbon black (CB), and C 60 were used as combustion catalysts to improve the combustion performance of a composite modified double‐base propellant containing RDX (RDX‐CMDB). The burning rate experimental results show that mNPF has a stronger catalytic effect than C 60 and CB. The magnitude of the effect of the three carbon substances on the enhancement of the burning rate is as follows: mNPF>C 60 >CB. The catalytic effects of different contents of mNPF on the burning rates of RDX‐CMDB propellants were also studied, and the results show that the burning rates of RDX‐CMDB propellants are improved with increasing mNPF content. The plateau burning rate of a RDX‐CMDB propellant can be increased to 19.6 mm s −1 when 1.0 % mNPF is added, and the corresponding plateau combustion region occurs at 8–22 MPa.