Synthesis, crystal structure, and properties of stoichiometric hard tungsten tetraboride, WB4Show others and affiliations
2022 (English)In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A, ISSN 2050-7488, E-ISSN 2050-7496, Vol. 10, no 37, p. 20111-20120Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Tungsten tetraboride has been known so far as a non-stoichiometric compound with a variable composition (e.g. WB4-x, WB4+x). Its mechanical properties could exceed those of hard tungsten carbide, which is widely used nowadays in science and technology. The existence of stoichiometric WB4 has not been proven yet, and its structure and crystal chemistry remain debatable to date. Here we report the synthesis of single crystals of the stoichiometric WB4 phase under high-pressure high-temperature conditions. The crystal structure of WB4 was determined using synchrotron single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In situ high-pressure compressibility measurements show that the bulk modulus of WB4 is 238.6(2) GPa for B = 5.6(0). Measurements of mechanical properties of bulk polycrystalline sub-millimeter size samples under ambient conditions reveal a hardness of similar to 36 GPa, confirming that the material falls in the category of superhard materials.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY , 2022. Vol. 10, no 37, p. 20111-20120
National Category
Materials Chemistry
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-188432DOI: 10.1039/d2ta02268kISI: 000847512400001OAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-188432DiVA, id: diva2:1695610
Note
Funding Agencies|Carnegie Institution of Washington; program Promotion of Equal Opportunities for Women in Research and Teaching - Free State of Bavaria; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) [BY112/2-1]; National Science Foundation - Earth Sciences [EAR - 1634415]; DOE Office of Science [DE-AC02-06CH11357]
2022-09-142022-09-142023-05-24Bibliographically approved