Polyvinyl nitrate (abbreviated: PVN) is a high-energy polymer with the idealized formula of [CH2CH(ONO2)].
PVN is a white, fibrous solid, and is soluble in polar organic solvents such as acetone.
PVN can be prepared by nitrating polyvinyl alcohol with an excess of nitric acid.
This meant that a lot of sulfuric acid was needed relative to PVA and did not produce a high nitrogen PVN, which is desirable for its energetic properties.
In this new method, either the PVA nitration is done in an inert gas (carbon dioxide or nitrogen) or the PVA powder is clumped into larger particles and submerged underneath the nitric acid to limit the amount of air exposure.
[3] Because acetic anhydride was used as the solvent instead of sulfuric acid, the PVA will not combust when exposed to air.
PVN is a polymer that has an atactic configuration, meaning the nitrate groups are randomly distributed along the main chain.
This creates a viscous slurry and loses its fibrous and porous nature; however, it retains most of its energetic properties.
The complete combustion reaction of PVN assuming full nitration is: When burned, PVN samples with less nitrogen had a significantly higher heat of combustion because there were more hydrogen molecules and more heat was generated when oxygen was present.
This leads to a more complete combustion and more heat generated when burned in inert or low oxygen environments.
Moreover, the binder needs a plasticizer such as dioctyl adipate (DOP) or 2-nitrodiphenylamine (2-NDPA) to make the explosive more flexible.
[5] Polyvinyl nitrate combines the traits of both a binder and a plasticizer, as this polymer binds the explosive ingredients together and is flexible at is softening point (40-50°C).
Moreover, PVN adds to the explosive's overall energetic potential due to its nitrate groups.