Acoustic-assisted microreactor for high-efficient synthesis of energetic materials

The technical trend of advanced miniaturized weapon systems have an urgent demand for the preparation of high-quality energetic materials in small quantities. Traditional microreactors face challenges such as limited mass transfer efficiency and clogging, particularly in low-flow-rate scenarios. This study presents an acoustic-assisted high-efficiency microreactor (AHM) for synthesizing energetic materials, specifically hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20). AHM integrates low-frequency sharp-edge acoustic streaming (∼ 1 kHz) into a microfluidic platform, leveraging streaming vortices to enhance mixing and mitigate particle deposition. In results, this kind of active acoustic intervention reduced the micromixing time from 0.45 s to 6 ms and maintained stable performance across a wide flow rate range (10 μL/min–5 mL/min). Meanwhile, anti-clogging effect with acoustic assistance was validated through real-time pressure monitoring. Finally, the CL-20 particles synthesized via the AHM demonstrated superior properties, as evidenced by comprehensive characterization: narrow size distribution, spherical morphology, high crystallinity, enhanced thermal stability and increased energy release efficiency compared to traditional synthesis. These results highlight the AHM's capability to achieve ultrafast mixing, anti-clogging performance and superior product quality, in addition to intrinsic safety by microfluidic platform, offering a reliable solution for high-performance energetic material synthesis.