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Potential Biocides: Iodine‐Producing Pyrotechnics
Author(s) -
Oxley Jimmie C.,
Smith James L.,
Porter Matthew M.,
Yekel Maxwell J.,
Canaria Jeffrey A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.56
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1521-4087
pISSN - 0721-3115
DOI - 10.1002/prep.201700037
Subject(s) - pyrotechnics , iodine , detonation , combustion , iodate , chemistry , thermal stability , waste management , materials science , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , explosive material , engineering
Currently there is a need for specialized pyrotechnic materials to combat the threat of biological weapons. Materials have been characterized based on their potential to produce heat and molecular iodine gas (I 2 ) to kill spore‐forming bacteria (e. g. anthrax). One formulation, already proven to kill anthrax simulants, is diiodine pentoxide with aluminum; however, it suffers from poor stability and storage problems. The heat and iodine gas output from this mixture and candidate replacement mixtures were measured with bomb calorimetry and extraction and analysis of I 2 by UV‐Vis. Of the mixtures analyzed, calcium iodate and aluminum was found to be the highest producer of I 2 . The heat output of this mixture and others can be tuned by adding more fuel, with the cost of some iodine. Products of combustion were analyzed by thermal analysis (SDT), XPS, XRD, and LC/MS. Evidence for various metal iodides and metal oxides was collected with these methods.