Enhanced Decomposition of Ammonium Perchlorate-Ethyl Cellulose-Molybdenum Disulfide Nanocomposites.

Ammonium perchlorate (AP) is commonly used in propulsion technology. Recent studies have demonstrated that two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials such as graphene (Gr) and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) dispersed with nitrocellulose (NC) can conformally coat the surface of AP particles and enhance the reactivity of AP. In this work, the effectiveness of ethyl cellulose (EC) as an alternative to NC was studied.

High-density biosynthetic fuels: the intersection of heterogeneous catalysis and metabolic engineering.

Biosynthetic valencene, premnaspirodiene, and natural caryophyllene were hydrogenated and evaluated as high performance fuels. The parent sesquiterpenes were then isomerized to complex mixtures of hydrocarbons with the heterogeneous acid catalyst Nafion SAC-13. High density fuels with net heats of combustion ranging from 133-141 000 Btu gal(-1), or up to 13% higher than commercial jet fuel could be generated by this approach.

Synthesis, characterization, and cure chemistry of renewable bis(cyanate) esters derived from 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol.

A series of renewable bis(cyanate) esters have been prepared from bisphenols synthesized by condensation of 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol (creosol) with formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and propionaldehyde. The cyanate esters have been fully characterized by infrared spectroscopy, (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. These compounds melt from 88 to 143 °C, while cured resins have glass transition temperatures from 219 to 248 °C, water uptake (96 h, 85 °C immersion) in the range of 2.