High-nitrogen-based pyrotechnics: development of perchlorate-free green-light illuminants for military and civilian applications.

The development of perchlorate-free hand-held signal illuminants for the US Army's M195 green star parachute is described. Compared with the perchlorate-containing control, the optimized perchlorate-free illuminants were less sensitive toward various ignition stimuli while offering comparable burn times and visible-light outputs. The results were also important from the perspective of civilian fireworks because the development of perchlorate-free illuminants remains an important objective of the commercial fireworks industry.