A Multidisciplinary Research Center of Excellence - EXEED
Abstract
EXtreme EnErgy Density (EXEED) is a proposed Army HBCU/MI Research Center of Excellence at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) dedicated to the study of next-generation energetic materials to meet future U.S. Army needs. The goals of this multidisciplinary Center are (1) to create next-generation energetic materials, with a focus on new high energy density materials (HEDMs), (2) to advance our understanding energetic materials in general Ð both using new extreme conditions techniques, and (3) to train the next generation scientists and engineers for the Army and DoD in the field of energetic materials. New extreme conditions techniques will be used to synthesize and explore the behavior of energetic materials, particularly HEDMs, with a suite of new spectroscopic and diffraction techniques, synthetic methods, and theory and simulation. Experimental methods include time-resolved laser, synchrotron x-ray, and synchrotron infrared/terahertz (IR/THz) techniques combined with static, quasi-static and dynamic compression. The Center will seek to determine the reaction pathways both to enhance performance and recovery under ambient conditions. New HEDMs will be synthesized from simple to complex molecules, with a focus on high-nitrogen precursors, using static and dynamic high pressure and temperature, as well as laser and x-ray irradiation, to maximize energy density and release, and ultimately insensitivity and potential for scale up for production. The Center will bring together a unique combination of expertise and resources that includes university-based high-pressure and fast spectroscopy laboratories, synthesis facilities, and computational platforms, together with synchrotron beamlines for time-resolved compression experiments. The research plan for EXEED will consist of Discovery, Synthesis, and Recovery of New HEDMs formed from simple molecular materials, their alloys, and organic precursor molecules, and Energetics and Reaction Dynamics of the materials discovered utilizing time-resolved experimental techniques to study the reaction kinetics, intermediate products, and energy release. Both components will take advantage of new synchrotron radiation and ultrafast laser spectroscopy techniques now available to probe chemical reactions under static and dynamic high pressure-temperature conditions. Over the proposed five-years of this project, EXEED will synthesize model systems, develop better theory, and design new time-resolved experiments to understand high-nitrogen HEDMs (years 1-2); explore more complex compositions and phases based on emerging understanding, use theory to predict stabilities of promising phases, and increase focus on recovery (years 2-3); and will emphasize scale-up of materials, quantification of performance, explore shock initiation, and expand collaborations (years 3-5). EXEED will place a high priority on its education and outreach efforts. There will be a major focus on STEM education and research training for underrepresented groups at UIC, which is a Minority Serving Institution. The Center will support ARO programs through student visits to Army Research Laboratory facilities. The Center will also engage in outreach to other ARO-funded partners, centers, and research efforts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 25, 2021
- Source ID
- W911NF2110275
Entities
People
- Russell J. Hemley
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of Illinois at Chicago