Study on the Construction of TATB @ ES /Al Composites via Interface Regulation and Their Hydrophobic Properties

ABSTRACT

TATB features a surface architecture rich in intermolecular hydrogen bonds, which inherently leads to poor interfacial compatibility with nano‐Al and pronounced hydrophilicity, severely limiting its application. Herein, a mild solvent‐evaporation strategy was employed to fabricate TATB@ES and TATB@ES/Al energetic composites using thermoplastic polyurethane Estane (ES) as an interfacial mediator. At only 1 wt% loading, ES formed a conformal hydrophobic interlayer that preserved the pristine crystal structure of TATB while promoting uniform nano‐Al adhesion across the crystal surface. The resulting TATB@ES/Al composites exhibited substantially enhanced surface hydrophobicity (water contact angle ≥ 131.3°) and improved oleophilicity toward fluoropolymer and HTPB binders. Thermal analysis indicated that the ES coating modulated the thermal decomposition behavior, reducing the apparent activation energy by approximately 30.86 kJ/mol and lowering the thermal decomposition peak temperature by ~7°C. The composites maintained the inherent low sensitivity of pristine TATB, with no detonation observed under maximum impact and friction test conditions. This interfacial engineering approach effectively addresses the incompatibility between TATB and nano‐Al while simultaneously improving moisture resistance, providing a feasible path for the development of next‐generation insensitive high‐energy formulations.