High-pressure studies of ammonium perchlorate

This study will explore the effects of pressure on the structure of ammonium perchlorate, an oxidiser that is widely used in solid rocket propellants. Neutron diffraction will allow us to study the behaviour of the ammoniun ions and how they interact with perchlorate ions in the crystal lattice. The experiments will also shed light on the phase transitions near 4 GPa, 7 GPa, and 10 GPa. The experimental results will be compared with the results of computational studies and an ongoing, complementary single crystal X-ray diffraction study. The experiment will provide excellent training in high-pressure neutron diffraction for a PhD student recently appointed as an ISIS Facility Development Studentship. The results of this study will be of substantial interest to those modelling the behaviour and performance of this material, especially under shock and pre-detonation conditions.