Thermal behavior and decomposition kinetics of nitroguanidine: insights and future perspectives

Abstract Nitroguanidine (NQ) is a vital energetic material with broad applications in both defense and civilian sectors. A thorough understanding of its thermal behavior, coupled with the development of robust kinetics to predict its decomposition, is essential for ensuring safety at every stage—from production to storage and use—while also preserving its performance integrity. These insights are equally critical for the design and optimization of formulations containing NQ. This manuscript presents a comprehensive review of the thermal decomposition behavior of NQ and its associated kinetics, synthesizing findings across a wide range of experimental conditions, measurement techniques, and calculation methods reported in the literature. It surveys key studies published since 1953—covering a period of over 70 years—tracing the evolution of research in this domain, identifying areas of consensus—particularly in the phenomenology of decomposition—and highlighting discrepancies, especially in kinetic parameters, models, and predictions. The manuscript concludes by outlining future research priorities, with a focus on persistent knowledge gaps and unmet needs. Chief among these is the need for rigorous validation of kinetics, which will require extensive, high-quality experimental data obtained through diverse and complementary characterization techniques.