Recent advances in the synthesis and properties of energetic plasticizers

As an important ingredient of composite explosives and solid propellants, plasticizers are usually liquid organic compounds that are added to propellants to improve their mechanical properties. In modern solid propellant formulations, conventional plasticizers are being gradually replaced by energetic plasticizers (EPs), which usually have various energetic groups (such as nitro, nitroamino, azido, etc.) in the molecules to enhance the energy performance. Thus, extensive efforts have been devoted to the design and synthesis of new EPs. This review summarizes the recent advances in the design, synthesis, and properties of new EPs with different substituent groups and molecular frameworks. This work not only presents the latest advances in new EPs, but also provides guidelines for future development in this field.