A method for the degassing of hypergolic propellants includes introducing hypergolic propellant into a vacuum-tight vessel, cooling the vacuum-tight vessel containing the hypergolic propellant, and applying a pressure that is reduced as compared to the atmospheric pressure to the hypergolic propellant.

An example method of preparing spherical composite powders is provided. The method includes introducing one or more starting material powders into an agitation mill. The method includes introducing a process control agent into the agitation mill, the process control agent including at least two immiscible liquids. The method includes agitating and milling the one or more starting material powders and the process control agent with the agitation mill to produce substantially spherical composite powders.

The invention relates to a method for producing a cocrystal of at least two compounds by means of instantaneous evaporation or flash evaporation, for example for the production of cocrystals in the fields of energetic materials, pharmaceutical compounds, phytopharmaceutical compounds, ferroelectric materials, non-linear response materials or bioelectronic materials.

A combustible solid propellant composition is disclosed that includes an oxidizer of the reaction product under vacuum of potassium periodate and isocyanate, a polymer binder, a plasticizer, and a fuel.

Methods for disposing of munition components may include separating propellants from heavy metal penetrators and disposing of those separated components into different types of geological formations. The initially solid form propellants may be converted into a stable liquified propellant form, by a particular disclosed process, that may be injected within salt water (injection) disposal wells, where distal portions of such salt water disposal wells may be located in a geological formation of substantially at least one salt. The separated heavy metal penetrators (with or without their associated projectile jackets) may be disposed of within human-made caverns, where such human-made caverns may be located within a deep geological formation that is often 2,000 feet or more below the Earth's surface. The heavy metal penetrators may include uranium (depleted uranium). Portions of a given munition, to be disposed of, may be radioactive.

A method of preparing gunpowder includes selecting a known combination of chemicals used in making gunpowder; mixing the known combination of chemicals and a measurement of liquid ammonia at a predetermined temperature; stirring the chemicals and liquid ammonia with a laboratory mechanical stirrer, causing the chemicals to blend at a molecular level; raising the temperature of the mixture, causing the liquid ammonia to evaporate from the mixture, while keeping the mixture significantly below ignition temperature; allowing the remaining mixture to warm, thereby reducing the risk of ignition; and resulting in a fine gunpowder mixture, with no water content and limited recrystallization of the chemicals.

The conformable pyrolant includes a fluorocarbon liquid, a fluorocarbon powder, and a micron size powdered aluminum bound together with a binder system that includes polyisobutylene and colloidal silicon dioxide. The conformable pyrolant is capable of achieving temperatures on the order 10,000 F., which will breach an ordnance item and thermally decompose an insensitive explosive fill. The conformable pyrolant also includes tungsten, wherein tungsten and silicon dioxide oxidize into fluorinated compounds, therein extending the burn and gasifying, therein enhancing ebullition and volume in general. The versatile conformable format is capable of being shaped into geometries for inclusion in ordnance items or molded into configurations for disposal of insensitive munitions.

An igniter composition has (i) a source of copper selected from basic copper nitrate, copper oxide, copper hydroxide, and/or copper complex of guanylurea nitrate, (ii) one or more oxidizers, (iii) a binder selected from guanidine nitrate and/or guanylurea nitrate, and (iv) an inorganic fuel comprising an elemental metal or metal hydride selected from the group consisting of: titanium, silicon, aluminum, magnesium, iron, and combinations thereof. The igniter composition may be substantially free of boron or contain minimal amounts of boron. A minimum flame temperature at combustion (T.sub.c) of about 2300K (2,027 C.). Such a mixture may be spray dried to form a powder that is compacted to form a solid igniter composition, such as a pellet or grain. The mixture that is spray dried may have a heat of explosion (HEX) of about 1,000 calories per gram (cal/g). Inorganic fuel can then be added to the spray-dried powder.

A method of manufacturing and optimizing energetic propellant grains includes generating an optimal surface area to mass fraction burned ratio profile for a predetermined solid structure including propellant grains; using the profile as a target function of a topological optimization process to generate a 3D form of a propellant grain; developing a negative of the 3D form of the propellant grain; mixing and densifying the negative with an energetic material in an uncured form in a mixer to create a structure including the energetic material and embedded negative; and solvating the negative from the structure, wherein the negative comprises a 3D propellant grain. The developing of the negative of the 3D form of the propellant grain may occur using a predetermined material in an additive manufacturing process. The negative may be soluble in the predetermined material, and the energetic material may be insoluble in the predetermined material.

The present invention relates to a manufactured graphene/metal or metalloid core-shell composite and manufacturing method thereof. The method comprising: using a modified graphene oxide as a base, then performing concentration and steam drying followed by organic solvent replacement to obtain a modified graphene oxide organic solvent; using a liquid-phase self-assembly method to coat the modified graphene oxide onto a surface of the metal or metalloid to form a graphene/metal or metalloid coated particle solution, then filtering and drying to obtain the graphene metal/metalloid core-shell composite. The method improves upon a conventional organic and inorganic material coating technique, and reduces an impact of a water-based solvent and high temperature on a highly reactive metal and metalloid, thereby expanding the feasibility of the coating technique and addressing a barrier of applicability of graphene and reactive metal or metalloid in the field of energetic materials.