Developments and challenges in the manufacturing, characterization and scale-up of energetic nanomaterials – A review

In the domain of energetic nanomaterials, more specifically nano-sized explosives and oxidizers, many small scale production methods have been explored up to now. So far only limited attempts have been made to scale up the production to tens or maximally a few hunderds of grams. This paper provides a review of these small scale production methods as well as characterization techniques for nanometric explosives and oxidizers. As a result of the limited scale-up, the application of energetic nanomaterials in typical propellant and explosive formulations is currently very limited. This might be caused by the fact that a clear and commonly shared view on which energetic nanomaterials and production processes it would be economically beneficial and feasible to invest in is lacking at the moment. Furthermore, a considerable number of technical challenges can be expected regarding the processing of energetic nanomaterials on a composition level. To manage these challenges, this review proposes several technical solutions which may contribute to a better understanding of the benefits, risks and costs involved in the use and scale-up of energetic nanomaterials and, if considered economically feasible, a more widespread application of these nanomaterials in the defense and space domains.