Shock-Induced Chemical Reactions in Inorganic Powder Mixtures

Abstract

The field of shock compression chemistry in material synthesis was described in 1985 as being in an early stage of development and an exercise in old-fashioned chemistry with a poorly characterized process [1]. The field was said to hold promise for future technological developments, but there are too many unsolved problems, including those that are not yet well posed. Even today, this assessment of the field is probably still accurate in spite of progress that has been made over the last decade. Since most shock chemistry studies involving nonenergetic materials have been carried out using recovery experiments with powder mixtures, the analysis and interpretation of observed chemical reactions have not always been unambiguous because of one or more of the following: inherent heterogeneity in composition, phase, morphology, material deformation, and chemical reactions, etc. As a result the delineation of basic mechanisms and process parameters has not been easy, nor always possible. However, the advantage of inorganic powders over energetic materials is that much of products can be recovered intact for post-shock characterization.