Chemistry Under Shock Conditions

Abstract

Shock loading takes materials from ambient conditions to extreme conditions of temperature and nonhydrostatic stress on picosecond timescales. In molecular materials the fast loading results in temporary nonequilibrium conditions with overheated low-frequency modes and relatively cold, high-frequency, intramolecular modes; coupling the shock front with the material's microstructure and defects results in energy localization in hot spots. These processes can conspire to lead to a material response not observed under quasi-static loads. This review focuses on chemical reactions induced by dynamical loading, the understanding of which requires bringing together materials science, shock physics, and condensed matter chemistry. Recent progress in experiments and simulations holds the key to the answer of long-standing grand challenges with implications for the initiation of detonation and life on Earth.