Reaction between azide molecule with hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene

In previous work the compatibility between azide molecules and HTPB was discussed in terms of Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) and continuously recording Vacuum Stability Test (VST) results. Thus, the aim of this work is to evaluate the reaction between hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) and the energetic plasticizer ethylene glycol bis-(azidoacetate) (EGBAA). The mixture of HTPB with EGBAA was monitored by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and the final product characterized by Attenuated total reflected Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (ATR/FT-IR). Strong increase in relative molar mass and the decreasing concentration of EGBAA in the eluted volume of the mixture showed that HTPB and EGBAA reacted to form branches in HTPB backbone. ATR/FT-IR spectrum indicates the formation of new Carbon-Nitrogen bonds assuming from the reaction between azide groups and double bonds of the HTPB.