3D-printed explosive can't detonate unless filled with fluid

A Swiss cheese-like structure made from an explosive material offers a promising way to safely store and transport explosives. The 3D-printed design detonates only when the holes in it are filled with a liquid.

Explosives are useful in industries like mining, but they are also hazardous because there is always a risk of accidental detonation, like when they are exposed to heat or shaken up in transport. Alexander Mueller at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and his colleagues created an explosive that cannot …