Synthesis of ultra-incompressible superhard rhenium diboride at ambient pressure.
The quest to create superhard materials rarely strays from the use of high-pressure synthetic methods, which typically require gigapascals of applied pressure. We report that rhenium diboride (ReB2), synthesized in bulk quantities via arc-melting under ambient pressure, rivals materials produced with high-pressure methods. Microindentation measurements on ReB2 indicated an average hardness of 48 gigapascals under an applied load of 0.49 newton, and scratch marks left on a diamond surface confirmed its superhard nature. Its incompressibility along the c axis was equal in magnitude to the linear incompressibility of diamond. In situ high-pressure x-ray diffraction measurements yielded a bulk modulus of 360 gigapascals, and radial diffraction indicated that ReB2 is able to support a remarkably high differential stress. This combination of properties suggests that this material may find applications in cutting when the formation of carbides prevents the use of traditional materials such as diamond.
Chung
Hsiu-Ying
HY
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569, USA.
Weinberger
Michelle B
MB
Levine
Jonathan B
JB
Cumberland
Robert W
RW
Kavner
Abby
A
Yang
Jenn-Ming
JM
Tolbert
Sarah H
SH
Kaner
Richard B
RB
D016880:Anisotropy; D001896:Boron Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D019245:Compressive Strength; D006244:Hardness; D011312:Pressure; D012211:Rhenium / Q000737:chemistry*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D001896:Boron Compounds; C519315:rhenium diboride; D012211:Rhenium