Microstructure of energetic thermoplastic elastomers investigated by means of x-ray diffraction

Energetic thermoplastic elastomers (ETPE) are modern binders for propellant/explosive formulations. The partial crystalline materials were synthesized at the Fraunhofer ICT and investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The investigations revealed characteristic diffraction patterns and quantified microstructure parameters, such as the degree of crystallinity and the size of crystalline hard blocks. Further the results monitor the influence of ingredients on the microstructure parameter, e.g. of various polyols, chain extenders and isocyanates.