journal article·2026-07Open access

Isosteric Substitution Enables Rational Design of Two‐Dimensional Energetic Crystals

Linyuan Wen, Wentong Tu, Tao Yu, Chao Chen, Zhixiang Zhang, Zhixiang Xie, Yingzhe Liu

Advanced Science· Volume 13· Issue 39

Abstract

ABSTRACT Two‐dimensional (2D) energetic crystals dissipate mechanical insult via interlayer slip, yet their molecular design space remains narrow. We introduce a functional group isosterism substitution strategy that expands the prevailing “NH 2– C–C–NO 2 ” motif to the aminofurazan unit, thereby enlarging accessible chemistries for 2D architectures. From an initial pool of 2832 candidates generated by database mining and high‐throughput enumeration, a tiered screening process incorporating virtual assessment and cross‐scale stability evaluation was employed. This process narrowed the focus to two high‐priority targets ( 3 and 12 ), which were subsequently synthesized and structurally confirmed to exhibit the desired layer crystal packing. Both synthesized materials demonstrate a highly desirable combination of high thermal stability, low mechanical sensitivity, and robust detonation performance. Most significantly, 12 achieves a superior balance by exceeding TATB in detonation velocity, detonation temperature, and heat of detonation while retaining comparable insensitivity, highlighting the strategy's capacity to balance energy and safety. The results close the computation‐experiment loop for 2D energetic crystals discovery and establish aminofurazan as a versatile energetic building block. More broadly, the strategy is generalizable to additional isosteres, such as aminotriazole derivatives, providing a principled blueprint for co‐optimizing energy and safety in next‐generation low‐sensitivity energetic materials.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Energetic Materials and Combustion · Boron and Carbon Nanomaterials Research · High-pressure geophysics and materials

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Xi'an Modern Chemistry Research Institute Xi'an P.R. China

State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lanzhou University Lanzhou P.R. China

National Key Laboratory of Energetic Materials Xi'an P.R. China

State Key Laboratory of Fluorine & Nitrogen Chemicals Xi'an P.R. China

Xi'an Key Laboratory of Liquid Crystal and Organic Photovoltaic Materials Xi'an P. R. China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province

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