Time for pairing: cocrystals as advanced energetic materials

Energetic materials that can store and rapidly release large amounts of chemical energy on demand play a vital role in both military and civilian fields. Modern energetic materials should have high density, high heat of formation and possess molecular stability that allow them to be manufactured, stored and handled safely. Recently, cocrystallization technology offers a promising platform for energetic materials to achieve a desired balance between high detonation performance and low sensitivity. This paper highlights recent developments of energetic cocrystals and details intermolecular interactions, physical parameters and detonation properties. The major part of the discussion relates to the different types of energetic cocrystals including cocrystals composed of energetic molecules and solvents, 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20)-based cocrystals and azole-based cocrystals, et al. In addition, resonant acoustic mixing (RAM) technique, bead milling and spray flash evaporation technique are also introduced as means for large-scale production of nanosized energetic cocrystals.