Lattice parameters and anisotropic thermal expansion of hexagonal boron nitride in the 10–297.5 K temperature range

Lattice parameters for hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) were determined using X-ray powder diffraction at a synchrotron-radiation source (beamline B2, Hasylab/DESY, Hamburg) in the previously uninvestigated temperature range from 10 K up to 297.5 K. The relative change of a and c with rise of temperature in the studied range is anisotropic and amounts to about -0.05% and +0.82%, respectively. The corresponding increase of the unit-cell volume is 0.73%. The evaluated values of thermal expansion coefficients derived from the lattice-parameter dependences on temperature are generally consistent with earlier data determined by interferometryfor T≥82 K. Received: 25 July 2001 / Accepted: 9 August 2001 / Published online: 17 October 2001