Coordination Energetic Materials—Scientific Curiosity or Future of Energetic Material Applications?

Abstract

Significant incentives for developing and introducing new energetic materials to the industrial-scale production and application of new energetic materials have stimulated extensive research on the subject. Despite numerous studies, which have reported a broad array of results, progress in this field remains limited as the research results do not translate into commensurate practical applications. Coordination energetic materials are one of the promising classes of such materials. Despite more than two decades of research efforts dedicated to these substances and their advantages over classical energetic materials, in terms of performance parameters and safety parameters, these materials have not found any broader practical application. In this work, selected representative literature reports dedicated to these materials have been analysed in order to present the possible reasons for this state. Some suggestions about the future direction of research and development efforts dedicated to coordination energetic materials have also been formulated. The publication is one voice in the discussion on new challenges related to the search for new lead-free explosives.