We try to make explosives with stability, performance and other specific characteristics, but really all we do is make what Mother Nature allows us to make. One discovery soon could dazzle millions of tourists. Hiskey and his colleagues have created low-smoke pyrotechnics fireworks with deep, bright colors that generate virtually none of the smoke or ash of traditional black powder fireworks. Disney Corp. recently licensed the invention, which holds the potential for an entirely new class of spectacular fireworks that are safe and effective for theatre, films, concerts, political rallies, sporting events, and even table-top educational demonstrations. The lack of smoke means fireworks that need only a fraction of the metallic salts that color traditional fireworks.
Byproducts are harmless nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water.
Hiskey s pyrotechnics produce more intense colors in a wider variety of hues and are lighter, safer to handle and leave much less toxic residue in soil and water. Los Alamos low-smoke pyrotechnics are the first major advance in the field in over 100 years. Funding for his work came from DOE Defense Programs and from the Department of Defense . Hiskey earned his Ph. D. in explosives chemistry from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology at Socorro, a small school recognized world-wide for its research and development in explosives. He has worked at Los Alamos for nearly nine years.