Enhancement of laser ignitibility of insensitive energetic materials (FOX-7)

Experimental investigation into the feasibility of optically sensitising an insensitive explosive, FOX-7 (1,1-Diamino-2,2-dinitroethene) by the doping of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) has been conducted. The commercially available GNPs were specifically designed in their particle shape and size to strongly absorb at the wavelength of the igniting laser (808 nm). The laser ignitibility of FOX-7 was significantly increased as the GNPs efficiently converted the absorbed energy into the heat. The laser ignitibility of such optically sensitised FOX-7 and the detonation capability of the laser initiator devices designed for the study were evaluated. Based on the evaluation of the initiator’s output in term of impact pressure, it was shown that an GNPs doped FOX-7 based laser slapper initiator was able to detonate a secondary explosive.