MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/.China has successfully detonated a hydrogen-based explosive device in a controlled field test, triggering devastating chemical chain reactions without using any nuclear materials, according to a study published last month, the South China Morning Post reported.
The 2kg (4.4lbs) bomb generated a fireball exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit) for more than two seconds - 15 times longer than equivalent TNT blasts - without using any nuclear materials, it said.
Developed by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s (CSSC) 705 Research Institute, a key player in underwater weapon systems, the device uses a magnesium-based solid-state hydrogen storage material.
This material - a silvery powder known as magnesium hydride - stores considerably more hydrogen than a pressurized tank. It was originally developed to bring the gas to off-grid areas, where it could power fuel cells for clean electricity and heat.
When activated by conventional explosives, the magnesium hydride underwent rapid thermal decomposition, releasing hydrogen gas that ignited into a sustained inferno, the researchers said in a peer-reviewed paper published in the Chinese-language Journal of Projectiles, Rockets, Missiles and Guidance.
"Hydrogen gas explosions ignite with minimal ignition energy, have a broad explosion range, and unleash flames that race outward rapidly while spreading widely," said the team, led by CSSC research scientist Wang Xuefeng.
"This combination allows precise control over blast intensity, easily achieving uniform destruction of targets across vast areas," he added.
If fully developed and deployed, it would also introduce a new class of thermal weapons that can fry electronics, melt armor, or torch an area for denial purposes.
Producing magnesium hydride was once a challenging and hazardous process, typically conducted in small laboratory batches. However, China has recently built a factory capable of producing 150 tons per year, utilizing a safer and cheaper method.