Fabrication and Characterization of CL‐20@Sodium Alginate Core‐Shell Composites With Enhanced Safety

ABSTRACT To address the high mechanical sensitivity limitation of CL‐20, a core–shell‐structured CL‐20@sodium alginate composite was fabricated using a facile solution dispersion and filtration method. Comprehensive characterization confirmed that sodium alginate was successfully coated onto the surface of ε ‐CL‐20 crystals through hydrogen‐bonding interactions without altering the crystal structure of CL‐20. Thermal analysis revealed that the sodium alginate coating modulates the decomposition behavior, resulting in a more gradual energy release process. Impact sensitivity testing demonstrated that the limiting impact energy significantly increased from 2.0 J for pristine CL‐20 to 22.5 J for the composite, corresponding to an 11‐fold reduction in impact sensitivity. This study demonstrates that low‐cost sodium alginate serves as an effective desensitizing shell material, offering a promising strategy for developing high‐energy insensitive energetic composites with enhanced safety characteristics.