Regulation of external electric field on the high-energy polynitrogen compound 1,5-diaminotetrazole-4 N-oxide

Background The external electric field (EEF) tends to have a significant impact on chemicals, especially energetic materials. Methods Molecular structure, electrostatic potential (ESP), electron density difference, density of states (DOS), and frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) of 1,5-diaminotetrazole-4N-oxide (SYX-9) are calculated by density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP/6-311G+(d, p) and M062X/def2-TZVP under external electric field. Results Calculated results reveal that EEF has definite influence on the trigger bond of SYX-9, especially in positive direction, and the shortening of the trigger bond caused by it can effectively reduce the sensitive of SYX-9. In addition, EEF has an effect on the electron density of SYX-9. The positive EEF can reduce the HOMO-LUMO gap. From the perspective of components of energy variation and the force on atoms, the factors of structural deformation are specifically investigated. The aromaticity of SYX-9 makes its structure stable under the influence of EEF, which is verified by the method of the iso-chemical shielding surface (ICSS).