Nat. Commun.: A promising perovskite detonator

• Primers are chemicals ideal for ignition in military and commercial applications. Over the past 150 years, almost all detonators that have been developed have problems such as troublesome synthesis, high toxicity, poor stability or/and weak ignition performance.

  
  

  Feng Yong'an of North China University , Jean'ne M. Shreeve of the University of Idaho, and Zhang Jiaheng of Harbin Institute of Technology reported an interesting example of a detonator with a double perovskite skeleton, {(C6H14N2)2[Na(NH4 )(IO4)6]}n (DPPE-1), which is an aqueous solution at room temperature synthesized using a simple green one-pot method. DPPE-1 does not contain heavy metals, toxic organic components, or any explosive precursors.

  
  

  It exhibits good stability to air, moisture, sunlight and heat and has acceptable mechanical sensitivity. Its ignition performance is comparable to the most powerful detonators reported to date. DPPE-1 is expected to solve the challenges faced by current detonators, and this work may lead to wider applications of perovskites.

  
  

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• Feng, Y., Zhang, J., Cao, W.  et al.  A promising perovskite primary explosive.  Nat Commun 14 , 7765 (2023). 

  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43320-0

  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43320-0