Polytypism in superhard transition-metal triborides

First-principles study of multifunctional Mn2B3 materials with high hardness and ferromagnetism

Transition metal boride TM2B3 is widely studied in the field of physics and materials science. However, Mn2B3 has not been found in Mn-B systems so far. Mn2B3 undergoes phase transitions from Cmcm (0-28 GPa) to C2/m (28-80 GPa) and finally to C2/c (80-200 GPa) under pressure. Among these stable phases, Cmcm- and C2/m-Mn2B3s comprise six-membered boron rings and C2/c-Mn2B3 has wavy boron chains. They all have good mechanical properties and can become potential multifunctional materials. The strong B-B covalent bonding is mainly responsible for the structural stability and hardness. Comparison of the hardness of the five TM2B3s with different bonding strengths of TM-B and B-B bonds reveals a nonlinear change in the hardness. According to the Stoner model, these structures possess ferromagnetism, and the corresponding magnetic moments are almost the same as those of GGA and GGA + U (U = 3.9 eV, J = 1 eV).

Structural, mechanical and electronic properties of Nb2C: first-principles calculations

By crystal structure search for Nb–C system, aP–xphase diagram was calculated and a new stable Nb₂C was predicted. The new phase is considered as a potential ultra-stiff and hard material.

Discovery of elusive structures of multifunctional transition-metal borides

A definitive determination of crystal structures is an important prerequisite for designing and exploiting new functional materials. Even though tungsten and molybdenum borides (TMBx) are the prototype for transition-metal light-element compounds with multiple functionalities, their elusive crystal structures have puzzled scientists for decades. Here, we discover that the long-assumed TMB2 phases with the simple hP3 structure (hP3-TMB2) are in fact a family of complex TMB3 polytypes with a nanoscale ordering along the axial direction. Compared with the energetically unfavorable and dynamically unstable hP3-TMB2 phase, the energetically more favorable and dynamically stable TMB3 polytypes explain the experimental structural parameters, mechanical properties, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns better. We demonstrate that such a structural and compositional modification from the hP3-TMB2 phases to the TMB3 polytypes originates from the relief of the strong antibonding interaction between d electrons by removing one third of metal atoms systematically. These results resolve the longstanding structural mystery of this class of metal borides and uncover a hidden family of polytypic structures. Moreover, these polytypic structures provide an additional hardening mechanism by forming nanoscale interlocks that may strongly hinder the interlayer sliding movements, which promises to open a new avenue towards designing novel superhard nanocomposite materials by exploiting the coexistence of various polytypes.

Structure of superhard tungsten tetraboride: a missing link between MB2 and MB12 higher borides

Superhard metals are of interest as possible replacements with enhanced properties over the metal carbides commonly used in cutting, drilling, and wear-resistant tooling. Of the superhard metals, the highest boride of tungsten--often referred to as WB4 and sometimes as W(1-x)B3--is one of the most promising candidates. The structure of this boride, however, has never been fully resolved, despite the fact that it was discovered in 1961--a fact that severely limits our understanding of its structure-property relationships and has generated increasing controversy in the literature. Here, we present a new crystallographic model of this compound based on refinement against time-of-flight neutron diffraction data. Contrary to previous X-ray-only structural refinements, there is strong evidence for the presence of interstitial arrangements of boron atoms and polyhedral bonding. The formation of these polyhedral--slightly distorted boron cuboctahedra--appears to be dependent upon the defective nature of the tungsten-deficient metal sublattice. This previously unidentified structure type has an intermediary relationship between MB2 and MB12 type boride polymorphs. Manipulation of the fractionally occupied metal and boron sites may provide insight for the rational design of new superhard metals.

Phonon-assisted crossover from a nonmagnetic Peierls insulator to a magnetic Stoner metal

We report a unique temperature-induced insulator-metal transition in MnB4 that is accompanied by a simultaneous magnetostructural change from a nonmagnetic monoclinic mP20 phase to a magnetic orthorhombic oP10 phase. Such a concurring magnetostructural and insulator-metal transformation is a manifestation of a strong competition between Peierls and Stoner mechanisms that governs a crossover from an electron-pairing to an electron-localization scenario in this system. Therefore, the phase stability of MnB4 is controlled by a subtle interplay among the Peierls mechanism, Stoner mechanism, and phonon free energy. Our findings not only resolve the longstanding magnetostructural puzzle of MnB4 but also provide a realistic system for the Peierls-Hubbard model.