In this study, carbon mesospheres (CMS) and iron oxide nanoparticles decorated on carbon mesospheres (Fe₂O₃-CMS) were effectively synthesized by a direct and simple hydrothermal approach. α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles have been successfully dispersed in situ on a CMS surface. The nanoparticles obtained have been characterized by employing different analytical techniques encompassing Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The produced carbon mesospheres, mostly spherical in shape, exhibited an average size of 334.5 nm, whereas that of Fe₂O₃ supported on CMS is at around 80 nm. The catalytic effect of the nanocatalyst on the thermal behavior of cellulose nitrate (NC) was investigated by utilizing differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The determination of kinetic parameters has been carried out using four isoconversional kinetic methods based on DSC data obtained at various heating rates. It is demonstrated that Fe₂O₃-CMS have a minor influence on the decomposition temperature of NC, while a noticeable diminution of the activation energy is acquired. In contrast, pure CMS have a slight stabilizing effect with an increase of apparent activation energy. Furthermore, the decomposition reaction mechanism of NC is affected by the introduction of the nano-catalyst. Lastly, we can infer that Fe₂O₃-CMS may be securely employed as an effective catalyst for the thermal decomposition of NC.

Recently, the eutectic composition of organic binary mixtures MENA+DPA has been found to be an efficient stabilizer of nitrocellulose. However, the behavior of such new stabilizer must be further investigated, especially after a long period of storage of the energetic composition. In this study, the stabilizing effect of the eutectic MENA+DPA on NC stability during artificial aging (at 338.65 K for 120 days), compared to its pure components, has been investigated by conventional stability tests and kinetic modeling. According to Bergmann & Junk (T = 405.15 K) results and over the entire period of aging, the eutectic MENA+DPA exhibits the best stabilizing effect on NC. The vacuum stability test (T = 353.15, 363.15, 373.15, and 383.15 K) results revealed that the amount of the evolved gas of NC containing this eutectic composition is very close to that of DPA, known as the conventional stabilizer. Furthermore, the kinetic modeling on VST data, obtained at four isothermal temperatures, was performed by two different methodologies, viz, fitting and free models to determine the kinetic triplets, which have been subsequently used to predict the storage lifetime for the studied systems. It was found that the NC stabilized by the eutectic MENA+DPA presents the highest value of the activation energy and has the longest storage lifetime during the entire heating period corroborating the stability tests results and affirming the excellent stabilizing effect of this mixture with respect to its pure component even if a long storage period is expected.

Organic eutectics, as well as aniline-based compounds, were recently found to be efficient stabilizers for solid propellants. In the current work, compatibility of nitrocellulose (NC) with the conventional stabilizer (Diphenylamine (DPA)), one aniline-based compound (N-(2-ethanol)-p-nitroaniline (ENA)), and their eutectic composition (Diphenylamine + N-(2-ethanol)-p-nitroaniline) have been investigated by thermal techniques according to well-known standards. The compatibility and thermal stability of NC mixtures were further explored using stability tests, kinetic modeling via different isoconversional methods, and the determination of the isokinetic temperature. DPA was found to be highly compatible with NC, whereas compatibility issues appeared once ENA, as well as the eutectic (DPA+ENA), are present in the NC mixture. Moreover, the obtained results suggest an incompatibility between the stabilizers (ENA and DPA) in the eutectic mixture. Finally, it was found that the thermal stability of the NC-based energetic materials was adversely affected if a compatibility problem is observed between the stabilizers and nitrocellulose.