Cathodoluminescence analysis of nonmetallic inclusions of nitrides in steel

Identification of nitride inclusions such as boron nitride (BN) and aluminum nitride (AlN) is important in the steelmaking industry because BN inclusions deteriorate the creep strength of ferritic heat-resistant steel, and AlN inclusions cause transverse cracking in twin-induced-plasticity steel. The conventional method employed for the analysis of such inclusions in steel comprises both optical microscopy and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), which is the time-consuming. The aim of this study is to investigate the application of cathodoluminescence (CL) analysis (both images and spectra) to the rapid identification of BN and AlN inclusions. Measurement samples were prepared by heating mixtures of 99 mass% Fe and 1 mass% B or Al powders at 1550°C in a nitrogen atmosphere. BN inclusions larger than 5 μm and AlN inclusions 20 μm in size were identified within 1 second on the basis of their luminescence color (blue-violet for BN and blue for AlN) in the CL images. We demonstrated that BN, AlN, and alumina inclusions could be identified from their CL spectra without the conventional method of EPMA. Capturing a CL image can provide a means of rapidly identifying BN and AlN inclusions in steel. We also carried out CL analysis on a sample containing TiN inclusions which can trigger cleavage fracture in low-carbon steels. No luminescence was detected in the CL image, and there were no CL spectral peaks, indicating that it is difficult to apply CL analysis to the identification of TiN inclusions.     

Effect of 2-D BN on enhanced corona-resistant characteristic of PI/AlN+BN composite investigated by quasi-in-situ technology

Incorporating two-dimensional (2-D) boron nitride (BN) into polyimide/aluminum nitride (PI/AlN) renders a simple strategy in producing new ternary composite films with longer corona aging life and higher breakdown strength compared with PI/AlN. During corona aging process, the effects of 2-D BN on adjusting the microstructure evolution of ternary composites were investigated using quasi-in-situ technology systematically as follow: (SEM), (AFM), (FTIR), (XRD) and (SAXS) at different corona time. Quasi-in-situ characterization results show that the corona aging modes of the two composite films are quite different, the introduction of BN nanosheets could protect the C–N–C and C–O–C bonds from breaking as well as accelerate the fillers expose via autoxidation reaction. In addition, BN nanosheets could induce the distance between PI molecular chains to shorten during the corona process, resulting in more dense structures coordinating with AlN and PI. Different corona aging mechanism compared with that of the PI/AlN composite films was proposed. This work demonstrated the effect of 2-D BN nanosheets in the PI/AlN+BN ternary composites, which can be used to expand their application in insulating polymer based composites.     

氮化硼负载的高分散Au-CuOx纳米颗粒用于低温CO氧化

负载型金催化剂显示出高的低温CO氧化活性,其催化性能与载体的性质密切相关.近年来,六方氮化硼作为一种新型催化材料引起了极大关注.已有研究表明,二维结构的氮化硼纳米片有利于传质扩散,并且暴露出大量的表面和边缘,作为新型非金属催化剂在烷烃氧化脱氢中表现出优异的活性.同时,CO氧化反应是强放热过程,氮化硼具有优良的导热性能,...     

镁热还原法制备圆片状氮化硼多晶微粉

采用三氧化二硼(B₂O₃)、氯化铵(NH₄Cl)和镁粉为反应物, 以三氧化二铁(Fe₂O₃)为催化剂, 利用镁热还原法在700～850 ℃下反应, 制备了氮化硼多晶微粉. X射线衍射(XRD)分析表明, 产物为六方相, 晶格常数a=0.2499 nm, c=0.6682 nm. 产物的红外光谱中在790和1380 cm^-1处出现了六方氮化硼的特征吸收峰. 利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察到产物为圆片状颗粒, 平均直径约为0.9 μm, 平均厚度约为100 nm. 讨论了Fe2O3的存在对产物形成的影响.     

Effects of boron nitride nanopowder on thermal,chemical and gas barrier properties of starch

Starch/boron nitride （starch/BN） bionanocomposites were prepared with the reinforcement of boron nitride nano powder by solution technique. The dispersion of BN in the starch was achieved by a continuous sonication process. The interaction between starch and boron nitride nanopowder was investigated by Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectroscopy. The structural properties of starch/BN bionanocomposites was studied by X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM） was used for the study of dispersion of boron nitride in starch matrix and diffraction patterns were studied by selected area electron diffraction （SAED）. Thermal stability of the starch was increased with rising concentrations of boron nitride due to incorporation of rigid nano BN with starch matrix. The substantial reduction in oxygen permeability was obtained by increasing the concentration of BN. The biodegradability of synthesized bionanocomposites was measured by using activated sludge water. Further, it was noticed that, starch/BN bionanocomposites are resistant towards inorganic acids and bases. The tensile strength of starch/BN bionanocomposites was increased whereas; the water resistance property of the materials was decreased with increasing BN loading.     

Effects of Temperature Raising Speed on the Growth of BN Crystals in Hydrothermal Solutions

Cubic boron nitride (cBN) and orthorhombic boron nitride (oBN) crystals have been prepared in hydrothermal solutions by reacting H3BO3 NaN3 P and H3BO3 NaN3 N2H4 respectively. The experimental results indicated that, if the temperature was increased rapidly, both the yield and perfectness of BN crystals became poor. On the contrast, the yield and perfectness of BN crystals can be improved very much by slowly increasing the temperature of the reaction mixture. The results of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) proved that the samples were composed of oBN and cBN.     

Synthesis of BN coatings on carbon fiber by dip coating

BN coatings were deposited on carbon fibers by dip coating method. The deposited coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier‐transformed infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction. The influence of temperature on composition and structure of the coatings was investigated. Composition and structure examinations revealed that the crystallinity of the coatings increased with the increasing temperature, and the coating is a mixture of little oxides, turbostratic boron nitride and hexagonal boron nitride. Furthermore, experiments were also conducted in order to describe the growth mechanism, thus forming the basis of future growth of BN coating on fibers by dip coating. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

利用水热合成方法制备正交氮化硼微晶

利用水热方法制备了正交氮化硼微晶, 于400 ℃时制备的氮化硼结晶质量较高, 主要物相为正交氮化硼(oBN). 在反应原料中加入水合肼和氯化铵都有利于样品结晶质量的改善和产率的提高. 在合成氮化硼反应过程中, 适当减慢反应体系的升温速率有利于提高oBN的结晶质量和产率, 但是当升温速率过慢时, oBN的稳定性有所降低, 立方氮化硼(cBN)的稳定性则在一定程度上得到提高. 此外, 反应过程中的原料配比对样品的物相及其结晶质量也有很大影响.     

Nanocrystalline‐Graphene‐Tailored Hexagonal Boron Nitride Thin Films

Unintentionally formed nanocrystalline graphene (nc‐G) can act as a useful seed for the large‐area synthesis of a hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) thin film with an atomically flat surface that is comparable to that of exfoliated single‐crystal h‐BN. A wafer‐scale dielectric h‐BN thin film was successfully synthesized on a bare sapphire substrate by assistance of nc‐G, which prevented structural deformations in a chemical vapor deposition process. The growth mechanism of this nc‐G‐tailored h‐BN thin film was systematically analyzed. This approach provides a novel method for preparing high‐quality two‐dimensional materials on a large surface.     

Micrometric BN powders used as catalyst support: influence of the precursor on the properties of the BN ceramic

Thin powders and foams of boron nitride have been prepared from molecular precursors for use as noble metal supports in the catalytic conversion of methane. Different precursors originating from borazines have been tested. The best results were obtained using a precursor derived from trichloroborazine (TCB) which, after reacting with ammonia at room temperature and then thermolyzing up to 1800°C, led to BN powders with a specific area of more than 300 m² g⁻¹ and a micrometric spherical texture. Comparable results were obtained using polyborazylene under similar conditions. Aminoborazine-derived precursors did not yield such high specific area ceramics but the BN microstructure resembled a foam with a crystallized skin and amorphous internal part. These differences were related to the chemical mechanism of the conversion of the precursor into BN. Polyhaloborazines and polyborazines yielded BN through gas-solid reactions whereas aminoborazine polymers could be kept waxy up to high temperatures, which favored the glassy foam. Catalysts composed of BN support and platinum have been prepared using two routes: from a mixture of precursor or by impregnation of a BN powder leading to very different catalysts.     

Study on insulating thermal conductive BN/HDPE composites

Thermal conductivity of boron nitride (BN) reinforced high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites was investigated under a special dispersion state of BN particles in HDPE, i.e., BN particles surrounding HDPE matrix particles. The results indicated that the special dispersion of BN in matrix gives the composites high thermal conductivity at low filler content; moreover, the smaller BN particles can more easily form conductive chains of filler compared to the larger filler particles. Examining the dependence of electrical insulation and mechanical properties of the composites on BN content demonstrated that the reinforced composites containing 30% by volume of filler has good electrical insulation and mechanical properties.     

Multi-step Reaction Route Developed for Improving Crystallinity of Boron Nitride Nanoparticles

A multi-step reaction route was developed to synthesize boron nitride(BN) nanoparticles via the reaction between NaN₃ and BCl₃ in a benzene-thermal solution. By means of this route, the crystallinity of BN nanoparticles was improved via increasing the reaction steps. Meanwhile, a phase transformation from hexagonal BN(hBN) or turbostratic BN(tBN) to cubic BN(cBN) occurred, resulting in the increase of cBN content. Moreover, the content of cBN also slightly increased when the temperature was elevated from 265 ℃ to 280 ℃.     

Structures and Electromagnetic Properties of Boron Nitride Nanoribbons Doped with Transition Metals

Inspired by the recent discovery of the Ti-doped BN nanocages, here we report the design of novel boron nitride (BN) nanoribbons (BNNRs) doped with fourth-row transition metals (Sc−Cu) and the prediction of their structural and electromagnetic properties. First-principles calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations show that Ti-doped BNNR possesses both thermodynamic and kinetic stability at high temperatures for synthesis of BN materials. Metal doping may make the nonmagnetic pristine BNNR ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic, depending on the metal. The doping with all considered metals reduces substantially the band gap of pristine BNNR. For example, Sc-doped BNNR is ferromagnetic with an indirect band gap of 1.18 eV, while V-doped nanoribbon is antiferromagnetic with a direct gap of 2.50 eV. Remarkably, the carrier mobility in both materials is significantly enhanced compared to the pristine BNNR. Our findings suggest that doping with different metals may endow BNNRs with versatile electronic and magnetic properties.     

Catalytic synthesis of bamboo-like multiwall BN nanotubes via SHS-annealing process

Bamboo-like multiwall boron nitride (BN) nanotubes were synthesized via annealing porous precursor prepared by self-propagation high temperature synthesis (SHS) method. The as-synthesized BN nanotubes were characterized by the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. These nanotubes have uniform diameters of about 60 nm and an average length of about 10 μm. Four growth models, including tip, base, based tip and base-tip growth models, are proposed based on the catalytic vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanism for explaining the formation of the as-synthesized bamboo-like BN nanotubes. Chemical reactions and annealing mechanism are also discussed.     

不同处理方法对氮化硼负载铁基催化剂费托合成性能的影响

采用等体积浸渍法制备了三种氮化硼(BN)负载的铁基催化剂,将其用于费托合成反应中;结合XRD、TEM、FT-IR和H2-TPR等表征手段,研究了催化剂的物相结构、形貌特征、还原性能以及F-T合成反应性能。结果表明,Cu助剂加入不会破坏载体BN的物相结构,而硼砂的加入会提高载体BN的结晶度; Cu助剂和硼砂加入对催化剂形貌的影响不明显,但都会使所制备的负载型铁基催化剂还原温度降低。在n(H2_)/n(CO)=2.0、340℃、2 MPa和GHSV=1500 h~(-1)的条件下,三种催化剂Fe/BN、Fe/BNM和Fe-Cu/BN上的CO的转化率分别为12.3%、36.2%和31.6%,产物中甲烷选择性为57.9%、26.8%和44.7%。Fe-Cu/BN和Fe/BNM两种催化剂活性均比Fe/BN催化剂有所提高,表明BN负载的铁基催化剂可以通过加入助剂以及改善载体与活性组分之间的相互作用来提升其对F-T合成反应的催化活性。相关结果可为探索制备高活性的氮化硼基FT合成催化剂提供思路。     

An overview of boron nitride based polymer nanocomposites

Recently, boron nitride (BN) based materials have received significant attention in both academic and industrial sectors due to its interesting properties like large energy band gap, good resistance to oxidation, excellent thermal conductivity, thermal stability, chemical inertness, significant mechanical property and widespread applications. This review article deals with the preparation and properties of boron nitride and its nanocomposites with various polymers. Diverse polymers have been explored for the preparation of boron nitride filled polymer nanocomposites by adopting different mixing methods. Properties of the resulting polymer nanocomposites mainly depend up on filler size and dispersion, mixing conditions and type of interaction between polymer matrix and the filler. Herein, the structure, preparation and properties of various boron nitride based polymer nanocomposites are reviewed in detail along with a brief overview of different classes of BN nanomaterials.     

Reversible Modification of the Structural and Electronic Properties of a Boron Nitride Monolayer by CO Intercalation

We demonstrate the reversible intercalation of CO between a hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) monolayer and a Rh(111) substrate above a threshold CO pressure of 0.01 mbar at room temperature. The intercalation of CO results in the flattening of the originally corrugated h‐BN nanomesh and an electronic decoupling of the BN layer from the Rh substrate. The intercalated CO molecules assume a coverage and adsorption site distribution comparable to that on the free Rh(111) surface at similar conditions. The pristine h‐BN nanomesh is reinstated upon heating to above 625 K. These observations may open up opportunities for a reversible tuning of the electronic and structural properties of monolayer BN films.     

Surface modification of boron nitride by bio‐inspired polydopamine and different chain length polyethylenimine co‐depositing

We established a novel, easy, and versatile method of obtaining diverse and controllable interphases between epoxy resin and fillers. The method involved the co‐deposition of polydopamine (PDA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) with different molecular lengths on boron nitride (BN) surface. The obtained PDA/PEI‐modified BN composites showed significantly improved mechanical properties, including tensile strength, toughness, and elongation at break. For example, the tensile strength, fracture toughness, and elongation at break of EP composite increased by 51%, 132%, and 170% compared with EP when the PEI molecular weight was 10 000, respectively. These results suggested that the interphases between BN and EP matrix can be adjusted by changing the molecular lengths of grafted modifiers, thereby offering a new method for the reasonable designing and exploitation of the BN‐based composite materials.     

纳米氮化硼在吡啶热条件下的物相转变规律

为了研究纳米氮化硼在溶剂热条件下的物相转变规律, 利用三氯化硼(BCl3)和氮化锂(Li3N)为原料, 吡啶作为溶剂合成了纳米氮化硼. 在实验过程中, 系统研究了反应温度、压力以及反应时间的影响, 发现在吡啶热反应体系中, 首先形成的是结构无序的无定形纳米氮化硼(aBN). 随着反应温度和压力的提高以及时间的延长, 纳米氮化硼中的原子排列有序度不断提高, 逐渐出现了结构部分有序的湍层氮化硼(tBN)和结构有序的六方氮化硼(hBN). 在反应温度和压力提高时, 样品中首先是tBN的含量提高, 然后是hBN的含量明显增加, 说明在合成反应过程中存在aBN→tBN→hBN的物相转变.     

Boron Nitride Nanosheet Modified Electrode: Preparation and Application to Direct Electrochemistry of Myoglobin

An ionic liquid modified carbon paste electrode (CILE) was prepared with 1‐hexylpyridine hexafluorophosphate (HPPF₆) and used as a substrate electrode. Then hexagonal boron nitride (BN) nanosheet, myoglobin (Mb) and Nafion were fixed on the electrode surface by coating method to get a new‐style chemically modified electrode (Nafion/Mb/BN/CILE). The morphology and crystal phase of BN nanosheet were characterized by SEM, TEM and XRD. UV‐Vis and FT‐IR results showed that Mb retained its original conformation in the composite modified film. In phosphate buffer solutions (PBS) with pH 3.0, cyclic voltammetry (CV) was performed to investigate the direct electrochemical behaviour of Mb. A pair of quasi‐reversible redox reaction peaks was obtained on the CV curve, proving that BN nanosheet had good biocompatibility and could accelerate electron transfer between Mb and electrode surface. Electrocatalytic reduction of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) was investigated, which was further applied to TCA detection. The catalytic reduction peak current at ?0.355 V depended linearly on the TCA concentration in the range of 0.2～30.0 mmol/L with the equation of Ipc (μA)=6.340 C (mmol/L)+0.305 (r=0.998), and the detection limit was 0.05 mmol/L (3 σ).