Thinking big (and small) about energetic materials

A significant recent development in the field of energetic materials has been the introduction of nanotechnology. Nanoparticle based materials have the potential of releasing more than twice as much energy as the best molecular explosives. The possibility of developing nanoenergetic materials that are optimised for specific applications by controlling the spatial organisation on length scales ranging from nanometres to metres is discussed. To do so a fundamental understanding of the relationships between structure and performance that does not yet exist is required. Experimental measurements using molecular spectroscopy with high time and space resolution are presented that help clarify the fundamental mechanisms of reaction between fuel nanoparticles and surrounding oxidisers, and the relationships between nanoenergetic structure and performance properties such as the energy release rate and the reaction propagation rate.