Size effect of energetic crystals in high explosives and solid propellants

Energetic materials, such as solid propellants and high explosives, can be considered as composite materials with energetic particles embedded in polymeric binder matrix. These energetic materials display strong particle size effects. For example, large particles debond earlier than small ones in high explosives. A mix of large and small particles gives much higher explosiveness than small particles only, at a fixed volume fraction of energetic particles.