Acceleration of decomposition of CL-20 explosive under nanoconfinement

The thermal properties of CL-20 explosive in the bulk and confined in controlled pore glass matrices to nanoscale dimensions were studied using dynamic differential scanning calorimetry. The decomposition reaction of the CL-20 was found to be accelerated in 12-nm-diameter pores compared to the bulk CL-20 with the onset of the decomposition occurring 16–24 °C lower and a fourfold to sevenfold larger reaction rate constant. The total heat of decomposition was found to be independent of pore size and heating rate, and the average activation energy for all samples was found to be 160 ± 7 kJ mol−1.