Strategy for constructing low-sensitivity high-energy molecules by combining N-oxidation and NO2/NH2 substitution on azole rings

Low-sensitivity high-energy molecules (LSHEMs) are one of the focuses of energetics. Still, designing LSHEMs remains challenging due to the intrinsic energy-safety contradiction at the molecular level. In this work, the feasibility of combining N-oxidation and NO 2 /NH 2 substitution on azole rings to LSHEMs were comprehensively studied. The results show that planar molecular structures are maintained after the N→O introduction, and a common thermal stability enhanced structural moiety thereby. Further, four groups of azole ring derivatives each with the moiety -HN-N=NO- are constructed by introducing NO 2 and NH 2 , and potential LSHEMs are screened out based on the criteria of thermal decomposition energy barrier and detonation parameter. The comparative analysis shows that with the increase of substituents, the detonation performance of the azoles is enhanced but the stability is gradually weakened. Still, there are also some singular points; for example, when NH 2 and NO 2 appear alternately on the ring, and NO 2 is located on the adjacent C of N→O, the molecular detonation performance is enhanced while a certain thermal stability is maintained. This work shows that it is feasible to introduce both N→O and NO 2 /NH 2 into the azole ring to obtain LSHEMs, as a strategy for constructing them.