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• Synthetic sodium azotetrazolate was eco-friendly, hydrogen-free, thermal stable. • NaNO 3 /STZ pyrotechnics could generate 321.04 L/kg vapor-free gaseous product. • The reaction process was: i) decomposed into NaCN; generating ii) N 2 ; iii) CO 2. • NaNO 3 /STZ showed a stable combustion, better ignition delay and burning rate. • The maximum pressure of NaNO 3 /STZ produced was 1.7 times of that of NaN 3 /Fe 2 O 3. Gas-generating pyrotechnics are widely used in airbag inflator, pre-tensioner seat belt, deep-water salvage, fire extinguishing bomb, etc. However, for maintaining prolonged high-pressure, specific gas-generating pyrotechnics are required that are capable of producing water-vapor-free gaseous products to avoid the decrease of pressure caused by the condensation of water vapor. Currently, only sodium azide (NaN 3)-based gas-generating pyrotechnics can meet the demand, but its application is limited due to its toxic effects. In this work, a sodium-azotetrazolate-based (STZ-based) eco-friendly and hydrogen-free gas-generating pyrotechnics was presented. A typical STZ-based gas-generating pyrotechnics was NaNO 3 /STZ gas-generating pyrotechnics, which could generate 321.04 L/kg clean and non-toxic gas composed of N 2 and CO 2 without any water vapor. The burning characteristics, including the ignition delay, maximum pressure and burning time of NaNO 3 /STZ gas-generating pyrotechnics was determined by conducting a closed vessel test. NaNO 3 /STZ gas-generating pyrotechnics showed a stable combustion process, lower ignition delay, higher burning rate, and the maximum pressure produced is 1.7 times of that of NaN 3 /Fe 2 O 3. Thus, STZ exhibited great potential as gas-generating pyrotechnics, which could be applied, especially where a stable pressure is required for a long time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]