The Influence of Solvent Selection on Nitrocellulose-based Pyrotechnic Flare Compositions

Author: Lance Kotter, Department of Materials Engineering and Science

Mentor: Dr. Lori Groven, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Nitrocellulose has been widely used in gun propellants but its use as a pyrotechnic fuel in flare compositions has not been studied. Standard flare compositions are most commonly processed by using a small amount of binder/solvent and consequently pressing the flare composition into the desired configuration. Although current formulations are providing the desired output in terms of burn rate and spectral purity (for flare and/or smoke compositions), these formulations contain toxic perchlorate oxidizers harmful to the environment. In replacing these perchlorates with less toxic oxidizers, it is possible to meet and/or exceed current flare compositions while creating NC-based pyrotechnics. It is hypothesized that the influence of solvent selection will play a large role in the development of these systems. In this work, the influence of solvent selection will be assessed for NC-based flare systems in terms of processability, burning rate, and spectral purity.