High-energy density materials represent a significant class of advanced materials and have been the focus of energetic materials community. The main challenge in this field is to design and synthesize energetic compounds with a highest possible density and a maximum possible chemical stability. Here we show an energetic compound, [2,2′-bi(1,3,4-oxadiazole)]-5,5′-dinitramide, is synthesized through a two-step reaction from commercially available reagents. It exhibits a surprisingly high density (1.99 g cm−3 at 298 K), poor solubility in water and most organic solvents, decent thermal stability, a positive heat of formation and excellent detonation properties. The solid-state structural features of the synthesized compound are also investigated via X-ray diffraction and several theoretical techniques. The energetic and sensitivity properties of the explosive compound are similar to those of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12-(hexanitrohexaaza)cyclododecane (CL-20), and the developed compound shows a great promise for potential applications as a high-energy density material.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-00286-0