Provided herein are VIS-IR powders comprising tin which show significantly higher visual intensity, reduced reaction temperature and particle temperature during and after oxidation reaction in air, and improved resistance to clumping when compared to comparable powders without tin. Methods of preparation of said VIS-IR powders are also disclosed.

A method of characterizing the structure of a void sensitized liquid energetic material, which method comprises defining the material in terms distribution function, the distribution function representing the fraction of liquid energetic material that occurs at a given point within the void sensitized liquid energetic material.

A method of characterizing the structure of a void sensitized liquid energetic material, which method comprises defining the material in terms distribution function, the distribution function representing the fraction of liquid energetic material that occurs at a given point within the void sensitized liquid energetic material.

A reactive composite foil, including metallic fuel particles, oxidizer particles, and a diluent, which, when ignited, produces a self-propagating thermite reaction to produce a molten metal.

A reactive composite foil, including metallic fuel particles, oxidizer particles, and a diluent, which, when ignited, produces a self-propagating thermite reaction to produce a molten metal.

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.

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.

Ammunition for a toy blaster may be infused with or otherwise contain a bittering agent, such as denatonium benzoate. Addition of denatonium benzoate to ammunition formulations may reduce the likelihood that the ammunition may be ingested by children. Ammunition may be formed of a superabsorbent polymer or hydrogel. By introducing a non-toxic bittering agent into the superabsorbent polymer or hydrogel that may form the ammunition, it may be more likely that children may spit out the ammunition instead of swallowing the ammunition. Denatonium benzoate may comprise approximately 50 parts per billion of the superabsorbent polymer or hydrogel, but may comprise approximately 1 to 100 ppb. When used in these low concentrations, the ammunition may be safe for a child to put in his/her mouth, but given the taste of denatonium benzoate, its inclusion as part of the ammunition formulation may act as an aversive agent.

Ammunition for a toy blaster may be infused with or otherwise contain a bittering agent, such as denatonium benzoate. Addition of denatonium benzoate to ammunition formulations may reduce the likelihood that the ammunition may be ingested by children. Ammunition may be formed of a superabsorbent polymer or hydrogel. By introducing a non-toxic bittering agent into the superabsorbent polymer or hydrogel that may form the ammunition, it may be more likely that children may spit out the ammunition instead of swallowing the ammunition. Denatonium benzoate may comprise approximately 50 parts per billion of the superabsorbent polymer or hydrogel, but may comprise approximately 1 to 100 ppb. When used in these low concentrations, the ammunition may be safe for a child to put in his/her mouth, but given the taste of denatonium benzoate, its inclusion as part of the ammunition formulation may act as an aversive agent.

An explosive composition comprising a liquid energetic material and sensitizing voids, wherein the sensitizing voids are present in the liquid energetic material with a non-random distribution, wherein the liquid energetic material comprises (a) regions in which the sensitizing voids are sufficiently concentrated to render those regions detonable and (b) regions in which the sensitizing voids are not so concentrated and wherein the explosive composition does not contain ammonium nitrate prill.