Controllable tuning of energetic crystals by bioinspired polydopamine

Abstract Insensitive high explosive 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB) and TATB-based formulations are widely used in civil and defense applications. However, it undergoes high deformation on exposure to heat and large external force, which leads to fatal defects, limiting its application in modern weapons. Inspired by mussels, polydopamine (PDA) was selected for coating TATB through a one-step in-situ polymerization process. The kinetics of the PDA film coating onto TATB particles depended on the experimental parameters. The increase in the initial concentration of dopamine solution and reaction temperature facilitated PDA polymerization and deposition. The accelerated deposition kinetics could be observed by altering the reaction air atmosphere to an oxygen atmosphere. Therefore, the content of the PDA shell could be controlled by adjusting the reaction conditions. Structural characterizations confirmed the formation of core-shell composites with a uniform and compact shell layer. Study of the kinetics of dopamine deposition on explosive surfaces provides a potential method of controllable surface modification of energetic materials with functional group layers.