Fused borophenes: A new family of superhard light-weight materials

Santanu Saha, Wolfgang Von Der Linden, Lilia Boeri

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The search of new superhard materials has received a strong impulse by industrial demands for low-cost alternatives to diamond and c-BN, such as metal borides. In this Letter we introduce a new family of superhard materials, "fused borophenes"(FBs), containing 2D boron layers that are interlinked to form a 3D network. These materials, identified through a high-throughput scan of BxC1-x structures, exhibit Vicker's hardness comparable to those of the best commercial metal borides. Due to their low formation enthalpies, FBs could be synthesized by high-temperature methods, starting from appropriate precursors, or through quenching of high-pressure phases.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberL080601
JournalPhysical Review Materials
Volume5
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2021

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Materials Science(all)
  • Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)

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