Three-dimensional network structure nitramine gun propellant with nitrated bacterial cellulose

Summary The properties of gun propellants are important for the stability of weapon systems and have been extensively studied in the field of weapon research. In this work, an applied semi-solvent method was used to prepare a triple base gun propellant with nitrated bacterial cellulose (NBC)/nitrocellulose (NC) as the binder system. For the first time, the study found that the addition of NBC in the propellant system resulted in an distinct spatial 3D network structure. The morphology, composition, mechanical properties, energy, thermal behaviour, and combustion performance of the network structure were characterised. The formation mechanism of the spatial network structure and effect of the NBC addition on the propellant performance were discussed. This work verified the application of NBC in different plasticisers and indicated the effective improvement of the impact resistance and burning rate by the spatial network structure propellant with NBC, while retaining other properties.