Non-toxic percussion primers and methods of preparing the same

1. A method of making a percussion primer, the method comprising:

a) providing at least one water wet explosive;

b) adding a dual buffer system to said at least one water wet explosive;

c) combining at least one nano-size non-coated fuel particle having natural surface oxides thereon with said at least one water wet explosive and said dual buffer system to form a first mixture; and

d) combining at least one oxidizer with said at least one water wet explosive or with said first mixture.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising combining at least one binder with said at least one oxidizer to form a second mixture and combining said second mixture with said first mixture.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising combining at least one sensitizer with said at least one water wet explosive.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising combining at least one sensitizer with said at least one first mixture.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said sensitizer is tetracene.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising combining at least one friction generator with said at least one water wet explosive.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said at least one friction generator is glass powder.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the buffers is a phosphate.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the dual buffer system is added to said at least one water wet explosive before c).

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said dual buffer system comprises at least one salt of citric acid and at least one salt of phosphoric acid.

11. The method of claim 3 further comprising combining at least one buffer with said at least one sensitizer and at least one water wet explosive before c).

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one nano-size non-coated fuel particle is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, silicon, titanium, zirconium, molybdenum, tungsten, melamine, magnesium, and mixtures thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said nano-size fuel particle is aluminum.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said nano-size fuel particle has an average particle size from about 80 nanometers to about 120 nanometers.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said nano-size fuel particle has an average particle size of about 100 nanometers.

16. The percussion primer of claim 1 wherein said nano-size non-coated fuel particle has about 10% to about 20% by weight natural surface oxides thereon.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one explosive is selected from the group consisting of nitramines, nitroaromatics, nitrate esters and mixtures thereof.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said nitrate ester is nitrocellulose.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one oxidizer is non-hygroscopic.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one oxidizer is a metal oxide.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said at least one oxidizer is selected from the group consisting of bismuth oxide, bismuth trioxide, bismuth tetroxide, bismuth subnitrate, bismuth sulfide, zinc peroxide, tin oxide, manganese dioxide, potassium nitrate, molybdenum trioxide, strontium nitrate, strontium peroxide, iron oxide and combinations thereof.

22. The method of claim 1 comprising about 10 wt % to about 40 wt % of said at least one explosive.

23. The method of claim 1 comprising about 5 wt % to about 20 wt % of said at least one nano-size non-coated fuel particle having natural surface oxides thereon.

24. The method of claim 3 comprising about 5 wt % to about 15 wt % of said at least one sensitizer.

25. The method of claim 1 comprising about 20 wt % to about 70 wt % of said at least one oxidizer.

26. A method for preparing a percussion primer, the method comprising:

a) providing at least one water wet explosive;

b) combining at least one sensitizer with said at least one water wet explosive;

c) combining at least one dual buffer to said at least one water wet explosive;

d) combining at least one nano-size non-coated fuel particle having natural surface oxides thereon with said at least one water wet explosive to form a wet mixture;

e) dry blending at least one oxidizer and at least one binder to form a dry blend; and

f) adding said dry blend to said water wet mixture and mixing until homogeneous to form a final mixture.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said at last one buffer is combined to said at least one water wet explosive before d).

28. A percussion primer composition, the composition comprising:

a) at least one water-wet explosive;

b) a dual buffer system;

c) at least one nano-size non-coated fuel particle having natural surface oxides thereon; and

d) at least one oxidizer.

29. The percussion primer composition of claim 28 further comprising at least one sensitizer.

30. The percussion primer composition of claim 29 wherein said at least one sensitizer is tetracene.

31. The percussion primer composition of claim 29 further comprising at least one friction generator.

32. The percussion primer composition of claim 31 wherein said at least one friction generator is glass powder.

33. The percussion primer composition of claim 28 wherein said dual buffer system comprises at least one salt of citric acid and a least one salt of phosphoric acid.

34. The percussion primer of claim 28 wherein said at least one explosive is nitrocellulose.

35. The percussion primer of claim 34 wherein said nitrocellulose comprises about 10 wt-% to about 15 wt-% nitrogen.

36. The percussion primer composition of claim 34 wherein said nitrocellulose primary energetic comprises about 12 wt-% to about 14 wt-% nitrogen.

37. The percussion primer composition of claim 35 wherein said nitrocellulose has a particle size of about 80 mesh to about 120 mesh.

38. A primer composition comprising:

at least one explosive;

at least one non-coated nano-size fuel particle having natural surface oxides thereon;

a buffer system comprising at least one salt of citric acid and at least one salt of phosphoric acid; and

at least one oxidizer.

39. The primer composition of claim 38 wherein said primer composition is dry.

40. The primer composition of claim 38 wherein said explosive is nitrocellulose.

41. The primer composition of claim 38 wherein said nano-size fuel particle is aluminum.

42. The primer composition of claim 41 wherein said nano-size fuel particle has an average particle size of 100 nm.

43. The primer composition of claim 38 further comprising at least one sensitizer.

44. The primer composition of claim 43 wherein said sensitizer is tetracene.

45. The primer composition of claim 38 further comprising at least one binder.

46. A primer composition comprising:

an explosive consisting essentially of a nitrate ester chosen from pentaerythritoltetranitrate, nitrocellulose, and mixtures thereof and optionally a sensitizer;

a plurality of nano-size non-coated fuel particles having an average particle size of about 50 nm to about 120 nm; and

an oxidizer;

wherein the primer composition is essentially devoid of other explosives except for the optional sensitizer.

47. The primer composition of claim 46 wherein said nitrate ester is nitrocellulose.

48. The primer composition of claim 47 wherein said nitrocellulose in an amount of 20 wt-% or less of the primer composition.

49. The primer composition of claim 46 further comprising a sensitizer, the sensitizer comprising tetracene in an amount of greater than 0 wt-% to about 10 wt-% of the primer composition.

50. The primer composition of claim 46 wherein said oxidizer is chosen from bismuth trioxide, bismuth subnitrate, bismuth tetroxide, bismuth sulfide, zinc peroxide, tin oxide, manganese dioxide, molybdenum trioxide, potassium nitrate, and combinations thereof.

51. The primer composition of claim 46 wherein said oxidizer is bismuth trioxide.

52. The primer composition of claim 46 further comprising a buffer system comprising at least one salt of citric acid and at least one salt of phosphoric acid.

53. The primer composition of claim 46 wherein said plurality of nano-size non-coated fuel particles have an average particle size of about 80 nm to about 120 nm.

54. The primer composition of claim 46 wherein said nano-size non-coated fuel particles are chosen from aluminum, boron, molybdenum, silicon, titanium, tungsten, magnesium, melamine, zirconium, calcium silicide, and mixtures thereof.

55. The primer composition of claim 54 wherein said nano-size non-coated fuel particles are aluminum.

56. The primer composition of claim 55 wherein said plurality of nano-size non-coated aluminum fuel particles have an average particle size of about 80 nm to about 120 nm.

57. The primer composition of claim 46 further comprising a friction generator comprising glass powder.

58. A primer composition comprising:

an explosive consisting essentially of nitrocellulose in an amount of 20 wt-% or less of the primer composition and optionally a sensitizer;

a plurality of nano-size non-coated fuel particles having an average particle size of about 50 nm to about 120 nm, said plurality of nano-size non-coated fuel particles comprising aluminum; and

an oxidizer, said oxidizer comprising bismuth trioxide;

wherein the primer composition is essentially devoid of other explosives except for the optional sensitizer.

59. A primer composition comprising:

an explosive consisting essentially of nitrocellulose in an amount of 20 wt-% or less of the primer composition and optionally a sensitizer;

a plurality of nano-size non-coated aluminum particles having an average particle size of about 50 nm to about 120 nm in an amount of about 5 wt-% to about 20 wt-% of the primer composition; and

an oxidizer in an amount of about 30 wt-% to about 70 wt-% of the primer composition;

wherein the primer composition is essentially devoid of other explosives except for the optional sensitizer.

60. The primer composition of claim 59 , wherein said oxidizer is chosen from bismuth trioxide, bismuth subnitrate, bismuth tetroxide, bismuth sulfide, zinc peroxide, tin oxide, manganese dioxide, molybdenum trioxide, potassium nitrate, and combinations thereof.

61. The primer composition of claim 59 further comprising a dual buffer system.

62. The primer composition of claim 46 further comprising a single-base ground propellant.