Higher Performance and Safer Handling: Formulation Based on 2,2,2-Trinitroethyl Formate and Nitrocellulose

A new, green propellant formulation based on the high-energy dense oxidizer (HEDO) 2,2,2-trinitroethyl formate (TNEF) and nitrocellulose (NC) was prepared and thermally investigated using non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to check the crystals of the oxidizer and the homogeneity of the new propellant formulation (NC-TNEF). The burning behavior of NC-TNEF was recorded by high-speed camera to observe the smoke produced. A high specific impulse (I_s =257.4 s) was obtained from the characteristics calculation of the new propellant formulation by using EXPLO5_V6.03 software. The NC-TNEF mixture did not show any endothermic peak and its exothermic peak was at 204.6 °C, which means that a composite might be formed. The activation energy of the NC-TNEF was in the range of 184-190 kJ mol^-1 . NC-TNEF has a higher performance and a lower hazard compared with the double-base propellant.