Microscopic and Spectroscopic Analysis of Recovered Detonation Soots

Synchrotron-based, ultrafast measurements provide insight into early events in carbon condensation from detonating high explosives. However, data interpretation is often difficult absent additional information about the nature of the nanoscopic constituents of the produced soot. Detonating similar explosive charges and capturing the early particulates in ice allows for clean (minimal environmental carbon) recovery and mitigates potential changes induced by prolonged particulate burn in atmosphere. Comparisons of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data collected from recovered soots to time-resolved SAXS collected during the first few microseconds of nanoparticle formation suggest that the products recovered from ice are similar to those formed during experiments at the synchrotron. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray spectroscopies yield insight into the morphology, phase, and chemistry of the recovered carbonaceous soots. We present and compare these data for a range of high explosive materials and explore the differences in the carbon phase and morphology in relation to the initial chemistry and calculated C-J point and subsequent evolution through the carbon phase diagram.