<p>  </p> <p>This document is the culmination of four years of research facilitated through the graduate program in the School of Materials Engineering as part of the Purdue Energetics Research center. It includes four manuscripts and one review that were peer-reviewed and published in the journals: <em>Chemistry Open</em>, <em>Organic Letters</em>,<em> RSC Advances</em>, <em>Journal of Inorganic and General Chemistry</em> and <em>Engineering.</em> It also includes work with annulated systems and a new oxidizer for propellants, that will be submitted for publication to peer-reviewed journals in the near future. </p> <p>Discussed here is a brief history of energetic materials as a field, main requirements of energetic materials based on their specific applications, methods of obtaining those requirements, and characterization of energetic materials. Specific topics include: 1,2,3-triazoles as energetic materials, zwitterionic energetic materials, improved synthesis of an energetic material, energetic salts of a fused-ring system, a new oxidizer for propellants, pentazoles, and the future of high-nitrogen energetic materials. </p>