Some Novel High Energy Materials for Improved Performance**.

High Energy Materials (HEMs) is a generic/umbrella term which is used for explosives, propellants & pyrotechnics and form an integral part of almost all weapon systems. A large number of HEMs have been reported in the literature in last few decades. This review paper discusses these HEMs in the light of a new classification of explosives proposed by Agrawal: Thermally stable or Heat‐resistant explosives, High performance (high density & high velocity of detonation) explosives, Melt‐Castable explosives, Insensitive high explosives (IHEs), Energetic binders & plasticizers and Novel energetic materials synthesized with the use of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) technology. This review also critically examines these HEMs from the angles of scalability, processability, safety, reliability and performance in order to ascertain their potential for applications. In the end, problems associated with the use of currently available energetic materials & their likely solutions and areas for further research are also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]