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.