Super-hard (Hv = 40 GPa) materials have a wide range of applications -- from abrasives and cutting tools to scratch resistant coatings.  Furthermore, machining methods known as �hard-turning� or �dry-cutting� have been shown to significantly decrease the waste and environmental impact of metal-working, but require an inexpensive source of extremely hard tooling. Most superhard materials, however, are synthesized under extreme pressures (= 5 GPa) and temperatures (= 1500 �C); an expensive and energy-intensive process. We have been actively engaged in exploring the nascent field of refractory metal borides since our initial work on OsB2 and ReB2. These compounds may be synthesized without high pressures or long reaction times and yet have been found to range from very hard to super-hard. Recently, we have found that the properties of metal borides may be further improved by the formation of solid solutions, often forming a continuous series with their parent compounds.

Solid solutions of super-hard metal borides

243rd National Meeting (2012)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.