DFT investigation of green stabilizer reactions: curcumin in nitrocellulose-based propellants.

Context: Nitrocellulose, widely used in energetic materials, is prone to thermal and chemical degradation, compromising safety and performance. Stabilizers are molecules used in the composition of nitrocellulose-based propellants to inhibit the autocatalytic degradation process that produces nitrous gases and free nitric acids. Curcumin, (1E,6E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione, known for its antioxidant properties and a potential green stabilizer, was investigated using Density Functional Theory (DFT) focusing on its interaction with nitrogen dioxide.

Characterization of industrial TNT in ammunition shells: An in-depth study of artificial aging effects using Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

In this study, we comprehensively investigated the degradation of industrial trinitrotoluene (TNT), focusing on the effects of aging and direct contact with steel surfaces, mirroring real-world usage conditions. While practical knowledge exists regarding this degradation, the existing literature lacks in-depth insights into the underlying processes. To address this gap, we conducted experiments using small steel samples, representative of military ammunition casings, which were coated with TNT and subjected to 30 days of heating at 75 °C under vacuum conditions.