Novel Flame Inhibiting Materials to Increase Red Phosphorus Obscurant Safety

The proposed effort is based on the exploitation of several concepts studied and evaluated under Phase I contract for improving the use of Red Phosphorus (RP) by retarding flame size and temperature as well as reducing incendiary properties of RP pots/devices and phosphine generation in storage without reducing obscuration efficiency. The proposed concepts have included burning RP under fuel rich conditions which will include a) high ratios of RP/oxidizer, b) coating RP particles with candidates of polymeric materials which upon ablation generate CO and CO2 species as well as other flame arresting materials, and c) exclude oxidizer from the solid state mixture and substitute with a highly exothermic mix which will cause RP vaporization mainly as P4 to be converted into oxides and hydrated aerosols at lower temperatures upon mixing with air under fuel (rich conditions). In the Phase II program, General Sciences, Inc. proposes to further evaluate the merits of the previously down selected concepts in terms of effectiveness based in flame size and temperature reduction as well as the elimination of conditions which can lead in toxic phosphine (PH3) formation while the material is in storage.