4,4′,5,5′-Tetraamino-3,3′-azo-bis-1,2,4-triazole and the electrosynthesis of high-performing insensitive energetic materials

Herein, we have demonstrated that electrochemical synthesis of high-performing, insensitive energetic materials in an environmentally friendly manner is possible in a single step from readily available precursors using a synthetic transformation not possible by traditional chemical methods. The electrochemical oxidation of 3,4,5-triamino-1,2,4-triazole in aqueous solution yielded a remarkably stable, high performing new energetic material that was further used to produce various energetic salts. This electrochemically synthesized product and its energetic salts exhibit high thermal stability, low sensitivity towards impact and friction, good calculated detonation performances, and a low-cost synthesis with low toxicity waste streams and amenability to scale up. This works demonstrates electrochemistry's utility towards production of novel modern energetic materials that would otherwise be unobtainable through traditional synthetic pathways.