title: Safer Pyrotechnic Obscurants Based on Phosphorus(V) Nitride.
abstract: The potential of phosphorus(V) nitride, P3N5, as a replacement for red phosphorus, PR, in pyrotechnic obscurants has been theoretically and experimentally investigated. P3N5can be safely mixed with KNO3and even KClO3and KClO4. The corresponding formulations are surprisingly insensitive to friction and only mildly impact-sensitive. P3N5/KNO3pyrolants with ξ=20-80 wt % P3N5burn 200 times faster than the corresponding mixtures based on PRand generate a dense smoke. Hence obscurants based on P3N5/KNO3have a figure of merit that by far exceeds that of current state-of-the-art PR-based obscurants. Furthermore, unlike PR, which slowly degrades in moist air to phosphoric acids and phosphine (PH3), P3N5is stable under these conditions and does not produce any acids or PH3. P3N5is hence a safe, stable, and powerful replacement for PRfor use in insensitive munitions.
authors.affiliation: Lutradyn-Energetic Materials Science & Technology, Burgherrenstrasse 132, 67661, Kaiserslautern, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Ernst-Christian
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2931-4188
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Advanced Technologies and Chemistry, Military University of Technology, Sylwestra Kaliskiego 2, 00-908, Warszawa, Polska.
authors.forename: Stanisław
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cudziło
keywords: obscurants; phosphorus(V) nitride; pyrotechnics; red phosphorus; safety