Detonation Synthesis of Boron Nitride via 1, 3, 5-trimethylborazine Precursor*

Detonation synthesis of boron nitride was studied through detonation of an RDX based explosive composition. Boron nitride has found use in a wide variety of applications, from high temperature lubricants to automotive oxygen sensors. While previous research into detonation synthesis utilized the excess carbon in explosives with a negative oxygen balance, the addition of precursor materials into the explosive charge prior to detonation allows a wider variety of non-carbon-based molecules to be formed, and a more neutral oxygen balance to be used. In this study, liquid 1,3,5 Trimethylborazine was introduced as an aromatic boron nitride precursor at the center of an RDX based explosive charge with multi point initiation. This configuration produced converging shock conditions from the detonation on the liquid precursor inclusion to pressures and temperatures in excess of 20 Gigapascals and 2000 Kelvin, respectively, reaching the wurtzite region of the boron nitride phase diagram. Isolation of the boron nitride from the detonation products was conducted using nitric and sulfuric acid purification. X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to examine the soots for the presence of boron nitride.