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Min N, Wang D, Liu Z, Song X, Meng X, Li Q. Theoretical Design of Strengthened Nanotwinned γ*-Boron. J Phys Chem Lett 2024:2904-2910. [PMID: 38449075 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
The distinctive electron deficiency and unusual multicenter bonding situations of boron give rise to fascinating chemical complexity and imaginative structural polymorphism. Herein, we employ an independently developed method to construct the new twinned γ*-boron based on the well-known hardest elemental boron, γ-B28. Notably, the newly propounded γ*-boron phases exhibit considerably close energy levels with γ-B28 under ambient conditions. The simulated X-ray diffraction patterns of stable twinned structure present excellent agreement with experimental data. First-principles calculations reveal a 7.5% increase in the ideal Vickers shear strength of γ*-boron compared to γ-B28, attributed to diverse bond responses within the twinned slabs. The evaluated hardness of nanotwinned γ*-B reaches 59 GPa in consideration of the size hardening effect. Our research presents an efficient strategy for constructing new polymorphs of boron with improved mechanical properties and expands the knowledge about twinning structures of boron.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Min
- State Key Lab of Superhard Materials and Key Laboratory of Material Simulation Methods & Software of Ministry of Education, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
- International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Di Wang
- State Key Lab of Superhard Materials and Key Laboratory of Material Simulation Methods & Software of Ministry of Education, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
- International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Zikai Liu
- State Key Lab of Superhard Materials and Key Laboratory of Material Simulation Methods & Software of Ministry of Education, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
- International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Xianqi Song
- State Key Lab of Superhard Materials and Key Laboratory of Material Simulation Methods & Software of Ministry of Education, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Xing Meng
- Key Laboratory of Physics and Technology for Advanced Batteries (Ministry of Education), College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Quan Li
- State Key Lab of Superhard Materials and Key Laboratory of Material Simulation Methods & Software of Ministry of Education, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
- International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
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Wang Q, Li H, Wei J, Zhong T, Zhu L, Zhang X, Liu H, Zhang S. Hardness and superconductivity in tetragonal LiB4 and NaB4. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:234707. [PMID: 38126624 DOI: 10.1063/5.0180248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Boron-based compounds have triggered substantial attention due to their multifunctional properties, incorporating excellent hardness and superconductivity. While tetragonal metal borides LiB4 and NaB4 with BaAl4-type structure and striking clathrate boron motif have been induced under compression, there is still a lack of deep understanding of their potential properties at ambient pressure. We herein conduct a comprehensive study on I4/mmm-structured LiB4 and NaB4 under ambient pressure via first-principles calculations. Remarkably, both LiB4 and NaB4 are found to possess high Vickers hardness of 39 GPa, which is ascribed to the robust boron framework with strong covalency. Furthermore, their high hardness values together with distinguished stability make them highly potential superhard materials. Meanwhile, electron-phonon coupling analysis reveals that both LiB4 and NaB4 are conventional phonon-mediated superconductors, with critical temperatures of 6 and 8 K at 1 atmosphere pressure (atm), respectively, mainly arising from the coupling of B 2p electronic states and the low-frequency phonon modes associated with Li-, Na-, and B-derived vibrations. This work provides valuable insights into the mechanical and superconducting behaviors of metal borides and will boost further studies of emergent borides with multiple functionalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyi Wang
- Key Laboratory of UV-Emitting Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Honggang Li
- Key Laboratory of UV-Emitting Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Jiahui Wei
- Key Laboratory of UV-Emitting Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Ting Zhong
- Key Laboratory of UV-Emitting Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Li Zhu
- Department of Physics, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA
| | - Xinxin Zhang
- College of Science, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, China
| | - Hanyu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Material Simulation Methods and Software of Ministry of Education and State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Shoutao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of UV-Emitting Materials and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
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Liang H, Wang D, Song X, Guo Q, Li Q. Structural and Stress Response of Nanotwinned B 13CN under Large Strains. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:10475-10481. [PMID: 37967198 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Boron-rich carbides with icosahedral cages as pivotal structural units, which exhibit high hardness and low density, have promising industrial applications. However, the insufficient fracture toughness of these materials hinders their engineering applications. A recent first-principles study revealed that single-crystal B13CN (sc-B13CN) exhibits interesting structural deformation modes and superior mechanical properties to boron-rich carbides, prompting us to further explore this intriguing material. Herein, we adopted sc-B13CN as an archetypal system owing to its excellent structural and mechanical properties to construct nanotwinned B13CN (nt-B13CN) and explore its mechanical properties and structural deformation modes under large strains. We unraveled the specific stress-strain relationship of nt-B13CN and the considerable effect of twinning on its structural deformation modes under diverse loading conditions. Our results indicate that twinning leads to interesting structural deformation patterns and is extremely beneficial to improving the structural stability and mechanical properties of boron-rich materials. The current results provide an improved understanding of the theoretical design for various nanotwinned boron-rich materials with intricate bonding configurations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Liang
- State Key Lab of Superhard Materials and Key Laboratory of Material Simulation Methods & Software of Ministry of Education, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Di Wang
- State Key Lab of Superhard Materials and Key Laboratory of Material Simulation Methods & Software of Ministry of Education, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
- International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Xianqi Song
- State Key Lab of Superhard Materials and Key Laboratory of Material Simulation Methods & Software of Ministry of Education, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
- International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Qing Guo
- State Key Lab of Superhard Materials and Key Laboratory of Material Simulation Methods & Software of Ministry of Education, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Quan Li
- State Key Lab of Superhard Materials and Key Laboratory of Material Simulation Methods & Software of Ministry of Education, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
- International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
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