HE Single Crystal Growth and Characterization

Although common explosives like TNT and HMX have been around for years, scientists still know very little about their properties. There are two principal reasons for this lack of knowledge: (1) it is very difficult to grow high-explosive crystals large enough to conduct certain measurements and (2) the materials themselves are quite complex.

To address these two problems, Los Alamos established a high-explosives crystal laboratory, which is funded by the Office of Naval Research, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Energy/Department of Defense Joint Munitions Program. The principal objective of this project is to grow single crystals of explosives of interest and characterize their basic properties. By better understanding how explosives work, we will be able to (1) better predict how explosives perform, (2) determine how they can be treated so that they do not react, and (3) establish baseline properties critical for applications, such as sensing (e.g., counterterrorism).

Laboratory collaborators (past and present) include the University of Illinois; Washington State University; University of Nebraska; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Sandia National Laboratories; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Naval Surface Warfare Center, China Lake; and the Naval Research Laboratory.