Crystal growth of energetic materials during high acceleration using an ultracentrifuge

Studies of the growth of crystals of energetic materials under conditions of high acceleration are reported. This new way of growing crystals of energetic materials by using a concentration gradient is different than the usual procedure of crystal growth by solvent evaporation at constant temperature or by temperature variation with slow cooling. When a solution is accelerated in an ultracentrifuge, the solute molecules concentrate at the outer edge of the tube if the solute is more dense than the solvent. If the solution is initially saturated, then the solution at the outer edge of the tube becomes supersaturated and crystal growth can occur. Results are presented for growth of TNT and RDX crystals at high g in an ultracentrifuge using no seed crystals for most of the samples.