This exciting new book details all aspects of a major class of pyrolants and elucidates the progress that has been made in the field, covering both the chemistry and applications of these compounds.

Written by a pre-eminent authority on the subject from the NATO Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center (MSIAC), it begins with a historical overview of the development of these materials, followed by a thorough discussion of their ignition, combustion and radiative properties. The next section explores the multiple facets of their military and civilian applications, as well as industrial synthetic techniques. The critical importance of the associated hazards, namely sensitivity, stability and aging, are discussed in detail, and the book is rounded off by an examination of the future of this vital and expanding field.

The result is a complete guide to the chemistry, manufacture, applications and required safety precautions of pyrolants for both the military and chemical industries.

From the preface:
'... This book fills a void in the collection of pyrotechnic literature...
it will make an excellent reference book that all researchers of pyrolants and energetics must have...'
Dr. Bernard E. Douda, Dr. Sara Pliskin, NAVSEA Crane, IN, USA

Dr. Ernst-Christian Koch is Technical Specialist Officer at the NATO Munitions Safety Information Center (MSIAC), Brussels, Belgium. He studied chemistry at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, Germany and was awarded his doctoral degree by the same university in 1995. Before joining NATO in 2008, Dr. Koch spent 12 years working as a scientist for the German defense industry, developing energetic mate-rials and countermeasures. He is author of more than 20 peer reviewed papers and two book chapters. He holds more than 100 patents on energetic materials and countermeasures. Dr. Koch is a Lecturer on Energetic Materials at Technical University of Kaiserslautern/Germany and Pardubice Univer-sity/Czech Republic and he currently serves as Vice President of the International Pyrotechnics Society and as an Editorial Board Member of Propellants Explosives Pyrotechnics.