UV-Curable Energetic Polymers for Vat Polymerization of Gun Propellants

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) propose to develop and demonstrate vat polymerization capabilities with an ultra-violet (UV) curable energetic polymer binder that will be used to produce gun propellant grains. Vat polymerization will present the opportunity for performance gains through highly engineered complex structures. Formulation trade studies demonstrate that PSI’s innovative energetic, printable binder can replace inert binders to improve thermodynamic energy in gun propellants. Phase I efforts will result in a propellant that is amenable to vat polymerization and has higher impetus and ballistic energy than currently fielded propellants. In Phase II, the down-selected energetic formulation will be further scaled-up to at least 500 mL to support vat polymerization for further performance evaluation.