Superhard material comparable in hardness to diamond
- 19 December 1988
- journal article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 53 (25) , 2495-2497
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.100528
Abstract
Superhard boron suboxides, with hardness close to that of diamond, were synthesized from boron/boron oxide mixtures. Such hardness is expected when a material’s molar volume approaches the value characteristic for diamond. These materials consist of boron‐rich phases belonging to the boron‐oxygen system. The phase which contains 4 at. % oxygen and a crystal structure related to β‐rhombohedral boron can scratch diamond faces. During scratching of diamond the suboxide is worn also, and the wear debris is amorphized. Wear on the {100} diamond faces results from a cleavage mechanism which leaves a rough surface covered with cleaved {111} microfaces. The {100} faces are more easily abraded than the {111} diamond faces. Wear on {111} faces consumes much more energy and leaves grooves of plastically deformed diamond.Keywords
This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- Hot pressing of boron suboxide B12O2Journal of the Less Common Metals, 1986
- Vapor phase crystallization of B-Si-C phaseJournal of Crystal Growth, 1969
- Group IV Analogs and High Pressure, High Temperature Synthesis of B2OInorganic Chemistry, 1965
- The Existence and Formation of the Solid B[sub 6]OJournal of the Electrochemical Society, 1962