Monitoring Formation of Detonation Nanodiamond and Other Novel Carbon Nanostructures Using Advanced X-ray Scattering and Spectroscopy Techniques

Nanodiamond and other carbon allotropes are pervasive throughout the solid residue produced by the detonation of many common high explosive materials, with the specific composition depending on many factors including the initial chemistry and detonation environment. Detonation models predict which allotropes may form through computation of Chapman-Jouguet point and subsequent evolution through the size-calibrated carbon phase diagrams; however, formation mechanisms and kinetics are still in need of experimental validation. In this presentation, we will present the work to date attempting to directly measure the evolution of the diamond phase during high-explosive detonation via time-resolved x-ray diffraction, in comparison to particle size and morphology evolution dynamically measured with small-angle scattering. We will also present developments in the use of core-level x-ray Raman Spectroscopy and its potential for dynamically measuring detonation chemistry.