Molding preparation and research on performance of low-electrostatic-sensitivity, high-output carbon-based copper azide based on metal–organic framework/graphene oxide

As the most promising primary explosive in micro-initiator, copper azide is eye-catching due to its outstanding detonation power, but it is limited due to its high electrostatic sensitivity and difficulty in terms of molding. In this work, we have developed a novel, green and simple strategy, based on graphene oxide modified copper-containing metal–organic framework materials, using water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol as binder to synthesize spherical copper azide/Carbon/reduced graphene oxide (CA/C/rGO) composite, in which CA nanoparticles are uniformly distributed on the porous carbon framework. Detailed characterization shows that the coordination effect of carbon framework material and graphene makes the obtained spherical CA/C/rGO have remarkable electrostatic stability and ignition ability. The obtained CA/C/rGO material has an electrostatic sensitivity of 2.0 mJ and a flame sensitivity of 45 cm, which greatly enhances its electrostatic safety and maintains good ignition performance. The CA/C/rGO is further assembled in a micro-initiator, which successfully detonates the secondary explosive hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20). The manufacturing process of CA/C/rGO materials is environmentally friendly, easy to volume-produce, and can be well matched with the charging method of the micro-initiator system.