The energy density of thin-film lithium batteries(TFLBs)is predominantly determined by the average voltage and specific capacity,however,the mechanism of regulating the voltage plateaus of the film electrodes is not w...The energy density of thin-film lithium batteries(TFLBs)is predominantly determined by the average voltage and specific capacity,however,the mechanism of regulating the voltage plateaus of the film electrodes is not well understood.In this study,three boride films(Co–B,Fe–B,and Co–Fe–B alloys)with different thick-nesses were fabricated to enhance the specific capacity and voltage stability of TFLBs.By analyzing the cycling performance,redox peak evolution,and capacitive contribution,the thickness-dependent lithiation behavior of the thin/thick films was elucidated.Theoretical simulations and electrochemical analysis were conducted to investigate how the lithiation behaviors affected the voltage profiles of the film electrodes.In addition,the various-thickness CoB films were compared in all-solid-state TFLBs,demonstrating the universality and practicability of this simple regulation strategy to develop high-performance energy storage devices.展开更多
Transition metal borides(TMBs)are a new class of promising electrocatalysts for hydrogen generation by water splitting.However,the synthesis of robust all-in-one electrodes is challenging for practical applications.He...Transition metal borides(TMBs)are a new class of promising electrocatalysts for hydrogen generation by water splitting.However,the synthesis of robust all-in-one electrodes is challenging for practical applications.Herein,a facile solid-state boronization strategy is reported to synthesize a series of self-supported TMBs thin films(TMB-TFs)with large area and high catalytic activity.Among them,MoB thin film(MoB-TF)exhibits the highest activity toward electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),displaying a low overpotential(η10=191 and 219 mV at 10 mA cm^(−2))and a small Tafel slope(60.25 and 61.91 mV dec^(−1))in 0.5M H_(2)SO_(4)and 1.0M KOH,respectively.Moreover,it outperforms the commercial Pt/C at the high current density region,demonstrating potential applications in industrially electrochemical water splitting.Theoretical study reveals that both surfaces terminated by TM and B atoms can serve as the active sites and the H*binding strength of TMBs is correlated with the p band center of B atoms.This work provides a new pathway for the potential application of TMBs in largescale hydrogen production.展开更多
Multi-component transition group metal borides(MMB_(2))have become a research hotspot due to their new composition design concepts and superior properties compared with conventional ceramics.Most of the current method...Multi-component transition group metal borides(MMB_(2))have become a research hotspot due to their new composition design concepts and superior properties compared with conventional ceramics.Most of the current methods,however,are complicated and time-consuming,the mass production remains a chal-lenge.Herein,we proposed a new high-efficiency strategy for synthesis of MMB_(2)using molten aluminum as the medium for the first time.The prepared Al-containing multi-component borides(TiZrHfNbTa)B_(2)microcrystals had a homogeneous composition with a hexagonal AlB_(2)structure and ultra-high hardness value of∼35.3 GPa,which was much higher than data reported in the literature and the rule of mix-ture estimations.Furthermore,combined with the First-principles calculation results,we found that the Poisson’s ratio(v)values exhibit a clearly ascending trend from 0.17 at VEC=3.5 to 0.18 at VEC=3.4,then to 0.201 at VEC=3.2 with the increasing of Al content.This indicates that the intrinsic toughness of multi-component boride microcrystals is obviously enhanced by the trace-doped Al elements.Besides,the fabricated Al-containing multi-component boride microcrystals have superior oxidation activation en-ergy and structural stability.The enhanced oxidation resistance is mainly attributed to the formation of a protective Al2 O3 oxide layer and the lattice distortion,both of which lead to sluggish diffusion of O_(2).These findings propose a new unexplored avenue for the fabrication of MMB_(2)materials with supe-rior comprehensive performance including ultra-hardness and intrinsically improved thermo-mechanical properties.展开更多
Owing to the orbital hybridization between the transition metal and the B element and the electron-trapping effect of the B ele-ment,transition metal borides are considered very promising materials for energy catalysi...Owing to the orbital hybridization between the transition metal and the B element and the electron-trapping effect of the B ele-ment,transition metal borides are considered very promising materials for energy catalysis.In this work,an amorphous scaly high-entropy boride(HEB)with electron traps was designed and fabricated via a facile reduction method to improve the hydrogen storage properties of magnesium hydride(MgH_(2)).For dehydrogenation,the onset temperature of MgH_(2)+10wt%HEB was dropped to 187.4℃;be-sides,the composite exhibited superior isothermal kinetics and the activation energy of the composite was reduced from(212.78±3.93)to(65.04±2.81)kJ/mol.In addition,MgH_(2)+10wt%HEB could absorb hydrogen at 21.5℃,and 5.02wt%H_(2) was charged in 50 min at 75℃.For reversible hydrogen storage capacity tests,the composite maintained a retention rate of 97%with 6.47wt%hydrogen capacity after 30 cycles.Combining microstructure evidence with hydrogen storage performance,the catalytic mechanism was proposed.During ball milling,scaly high-entropy borides riveted a large number of heterogeneous active sites on the surface of MgH_(2).Driven by the cocktail effect as well as the orbital hybridization of metal borides,numerous active sites steadily enhanced the hydrogen storage reactions in MgH_(2).展开更多
Selective laser melting(SLM)is a cost-effective 3 D metal additive manufacturing(AM)process.However,AM 316 L stainless steel(SS)has different surface and microstructure properties as compared to conventional ones.Bori...Selective laser melting(SLM)is a cost-effective 3 D metal additive manufacturing(AM)process.However,AM 316 L stainless steel(SS)has different surface and microstructure properties as compared to conventional ones.Boriding process is one of the ways to modify and increase the surface properties.The aim of this study is to predict and understand the growth kinetic of iron boride layers on AM 316 L SS.In this study,the growth kinetic mechanism was evaluated for AM 316 L SS.Pack boriding was applied at 850,900 and 950℃,each for 2,4 and 6 h.The thickness of the boride layers ranged from(1.8±0.3)μm to(27.7±2.2)μm.A diffusion model based on error function solutions in Fick’s second law was proposed to quantitatively predict and elucidate the growth rate of FeB and Fe_(2)B phase layers.The activation energy(Q)values for boron diffusion in FeB layer,Fe_(2)B layer,and dual FeB+Fe_(2)B layer were found to be 256.56,161.61 and 209.014 kJ/mol,respectively,which were higher than the conventional 316 L SS.The findings might provide and open new directions and approaches for applications of additively manufactured steels.展开更多
High entropy boride ceramics have great potential as structural materials serving in extreme environ-ments.However,their applications are limited by the difficulty of sintering.In the present study,dense(Ti_(0.2)Zr_(0...High entropy boride ceramics have great potential as structural materials serving in extreme environ-ments.However,their applications are limited by the difficulty of sintering.In the present study,dense(Ti_(0.2)Zr_(0.2)Hf_(0.2)Nb_(0.2)Ta_(0.2))B_(2)ceramics with B_(4)C additions were prepared through pressureless sintering at as low as 1900℃.Calculations based on the CALPHAD approach predict that(Ti_(0.2)Zr_(0.2)Hf_(0.2)Nb_(0.2)Ta_(0.2))B_(2)starts to melt at about 3315℃whilst B_(4)C additions reduce the temperature and broaden the tempera-ture region where solid and liquid coexist.Results showed that the introduction of B_(4)C could trigger the densification of(Ti_(0.2)Zr_(0.2)Hf_(0.2)Nb_(0.2)Ta_(0.2))B_(2)at a lower temperature and promote their densification signif-icantly.The relative density of samples with 5 wt%of B_(4)C additions sintered at 1900 and 2000℃was 97.7%and 99.7%,respectively.While the sintering temperature was further increased to 2100℃,the liquid phase was reactively formed,leading to the rapid grain coarsening in samples with B_(4)C additions.Strengthened by well-dispersed B_(4)C grains,the sample with 5 wt%B_(4)C sintered at 2000℃exhibited excellent mechanical properties with the Vickers hardness,flexural strength,and fracture toughness of 21.07±2.09 GPa,547±45 MPa,and 5.24±0.14 MPa m^(1/2),which are comparable or even higher than counterparts sintered under pressure.展开更多
Hexagonal BN-coated powders have been widely used in various engineering sectors,however,their pro-ductions are restricted by the complexity of gas-solid reactions.In this study,guided by thermodynamics,a novel approa...Hexagonal BN-coated powders have been widely used in various engineering sectors,however,their pro-ductions are restricted by the complexity of gas-solid reactions.In this study,guided by thermodynamics,a novel approach to synthesize Layer-structured hexagonal BN(hBN)-coated high entropy diboride pow-ders in vacuum was developed,using metal salt Zr(NO_(3))4·5H_(2)O,HfCl_(4),NbC_(15),TaC_(15),C_(16)H_(36)O_(4)Ti,boric acid,and sucrose as raw materials.By adjusting the ratio of carbon to metal source(C/M),powders only consisting of two boride solid solutions and hBN were finally obtained,under an optimal process-ing condition of C/M=5.5 and synthesis temperature of 1400 ℃.Parts of hBN were found to coat on high-entropy metal diborides ceramic(HEB)particles,corresponding formation mechanism for core-shell structured powders was investigated,together with the liquid precursor assisted boro/carbothermal re-duction process.Starting from as-synthesized core-shell powders,(Ti_(0.2)Zr_(0.2)Hf_(0.2)Nb_(0.2)Ta_(0.2))B2-11 vol%hBN ceramics were densified at 1900 ℃ under 50 MPa without holding,with a high relative density of 97.3%.展开更多
The first-principle calculations are performed to investigate the structural,mechanical and electronic properties of titanium borides （Ti2B,TiB and TiB2）.Those calculated lattice parameters are in good agreement wit...The first-principle calculations are performed to investigate the structural,mechanical and electronic properties of titanium borides （Ti2B,TiB and TiB2）.Those calculated lattice parameters are in good agreement with the experimental data and previous theoretical values.All these borides are found to be mechanically stable at ambient pressure.Compared with parent metal Ti （120 GPa）,the larger bulk modulus of these borides increase successively with the increase of the boron content in three borides,which may be due to direction bonding introduced by the boron atoms in the lattice and the strong covalent Ti-B bonds.Additionally,TiB can be regarded as a candidate of incompressible and hard material besides TiB2.Furthermore,the elastic anisotropy and Debye temperatures are also discussed by investigating the elastic constants and moduli.Electronic density of states and atomic Mulliken charges analysis show that chemical bonding in these titanium borides is a complex mixture of covalent,ionic,and metallic characters.展开更多
Two-dimensional(2D)transition metal borides(MBenes)have emerged as a rising star and hold great potential promise for catalysis and metal ion batteries owing to a well-defined layered structure and ex-cellent electric...Two-dimensional(2D)transition metal borides(MBenes)have emerged as a rising star and hold great potential promise for catalysis and metal ion batteries owing to a well-defined layered structure and ex-cellent electrical conductivity.Unlike well-studied graphene,perovskite and MXene materials in various fields,the research about MBene is still in its infancy.The inadequate exploration of efficient etching methods impedes their further study.Herein,we put forward an efficient microwave-assisted hydrother-mal alkaline solution etching strategy for exfoliating MoAlB MAB phase into 2D MoB MBenes with a well accordion-like structure,which displays a remarkable electrochemical performance in sodium ion batter-ies(SIBs)with a reversible specific capacity of 196.5 mAh g^(-1)at the current density of 50 mA g^(-1),and 138.6 mAh g^(-1)after 500 cycles at the current density of 0.5 A g^(-1).The underlying mechanism toward excellent electrochemical performance are revealed by comprehensive theoretical simulations.This work proves that MBene is a competitive candidate as the next generation anode of sodium ion batteries.展开更多
Amorphous bimetallic borides,as a new generation of catalytic nanomaterials with modifiable electronic properties,are of great importance in the design of high-efficiency catalysts for NaBH_(4) hydrolysis.This study s...Amorphous bimetallic borides,as a new generation of catalytic nanomaterials with modifiable electronic properties,are of great importance in the design of high-efficiency catalysts for NaBH_(4) hydrolysis.This study synthesizes an amorphous Co_(3)B-Mo_(2)B_(5) catalyst using a self-sacrificial template strategy and NaBH_(4) reduction for both NaBH_(4) hydrolysis and the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.The catalyst delivers an impressive hydrogen generation rate of 7690.5 mL min^(-1) g^(-1) at 25℃,coupled with a rapid reaction rate of 0.701 min^(-1) in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.The enhanced catalytic performance is attributed to the unique amorphous structure and the electron rearrangement between Co_(3)B and Mo_(2)B_(5).Experimental and theoretical analyses suggest electron transfer from Co_(3)B to the Mo_(2)B_(5),with the electron-deficient Co_(3)B site favoring BH_(4)^(-) adsorption,while the electron-rich Mo_(2)B_(5) site favoring H_(2)O adsorption,Furthermore,Co_(3)B-Mo_(2)B_(5) demonstrated potential for energy applications,delivering a power output of 0.3 V in a hydrogen-air fuel cell.展开更多
Dual titanium boride layers consisting of continuous TiB2 top-layer and TiB whisker sub- layer were formed on the surface of Ti6Al4V alloy using powder-pack boriding technique. An iso-thickness diagram of the whole bo...Dual titanium boride layers consisting of continuous TiB2 top-layer and TiB whisker sub- layer were formed on the surface of Ti6Al4V alloy using powder-pack boriding technique. An iso-thickness diagram of the whole boride layer was fitted with the data of thickness of the coating, treatment time and process temperature using Sigma Plot10.0 software. Growth kinetics of the titanium boride layer were analyzed by measuring the extent of penetration of TiB2 and TiB whisker as a function of boriding time in the range of 5-20 h and boriding temperature in the range of 1000-1100 ℃. By the linear regression analysis of growth kinetics of titanium boride layer, the diffusivity K and average diffusion activation energy （Q） of boron atoms in Ti6Al4V alloy were calculated, respectively.展开更多
Electrochemical water splitting is a feasible method for producing environmental benignity energy of hydrogen,while high price and low availability on the earth of noble electrocatalysts constrain their global-scale a...Electrochemical water splitting is a feasible method for producing environmental benignity energy of hydrogen,while high price and low availability on the earth of noble electrocatalysts constrain their global-scale application.Transition metal borides(TMBs)have displayed unique metalloid characteristic and outstanding performance for oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)in the last few decades.Herein,recent developments of the TMBs for HER and OER are summarized.Initially,the impact factors and relevant evaluation of electrocatalytic performance are described,that is,overpotential,Tafel slope and exchange current density,stability,faradaic efficiency,turnover frequency,mass and specific activities.Moreover,the optimization strategies of borides are emphasized,which principally include coupling with effective substrates,elemental doping,phase modification,interfacial engineering,and morphology control.Finally,in order to reach the goal of application,the remaining challenges and perspectives are given to point out a direction for enhancing the performance of borides.展开更多
The two-stage gas boriding in N_(2)−H_(2)−BCl_(3)atmosphere was applied to producing a two-zoned borided layer on Nisil-alloy.The process was carried out at 910℃ for 2 h.The microstructure consisted of two zones diff...The two-stage gas boriding in N_(2)−H_(2)−BCl_(3)atmosphere was applied to producing a two-zoned borided layer on Nisil-alloy.The process was carried out at 910℃ for 2 h.The microstructure consisted of two zones differing in their phase composition.The outer layer contained only a mixture of nickel borides(Ni_(2)B,Ni_(3)B)only.The inner zone contained additionally nickel silicides(Ni_(2)Si,Ni_(3)Si)occurring together with nickel borides.The aim of this study was to determine the presence of nickel silicides on the mechanical properties of the borided layer produced on Ni-based alloy.The hardness and elastic modulus were measured using the nanoindenter with a Berkovich diamond tip under a load of 50 mN.The average values of indentation hardness(HI)and indentation elastic modulus(E_(I))obtained in the outer zone were respectively(16.32±1.03)GPa and(232±16.15)GPa.The presence of nickel silicides in the inner zone reduced the indentation hardness(6.8−12.54 GPa)and elastic modulus(111.79−153.99 GPa).The fracture toughness of the boride layers was investigated using a Vickers microindentation under a load of 0.981 N.It was confirmed that the presence of nickel silicides caused an increase in brittleness(by about 40%)of the gas-borided layer.展开更多
To improve the surface performance of TB2 alloy,pack boriding was performed at 1100℃ for 20 h with 4 wt.%La_(2)O_(3).The composition and thickness of boride layer and corrosion and wear properties of borided TB2 allo...To improve the surface performance of TB2 alloy,pack boriding was performed at 1100℃ for 20 h with 4 wt.%La_(2)O_(3).The composition and thickness of boride layer and corrosion and wear properties of borided TB2 alloy were measured.The results show that La_(2)O_(3) can promote the growth,continuity,and compactness of boride layer,and the length of TiB whisker increases from 16.80 to 21.84μm.The reason is that La_(2)O_(3) can react with B to form La−B active groups and further to improve the growth of the boride layer.The wear and corrosion resistances of TB2 alloy are enhanced by boriding with La_(2)O_(3).The wear mechanisms are adhesive wear and abrasive wear for unborided and borided TB2 alloys,respectively,and the corrosion mechanism is changed from local corrosion(unborided TB2 alloy)to uniform corrosion(borided TB2 alloy).展开更多
Given increasing energy demands and environmental pollution,it is highly desirable to design new hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)catalysts.In this study,we have performed high throughput screening of transition-metal ...Given increasing energy demands and environmental pollution,it is highly desirable to design new hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)catalysts.In this study,we have performed high throughput screening of transition-metal borides(M2B)and Janus counterparts for appealing catalysts.The simulations showcase that the Pd_(2)B,PdPtB,PdIrB and PdAuB possess favorable HER performance with the different chemical nature and unique asymmetry structure.展开更多
The effects of boride coating on the bioactivity, antibacterial activity, and electrochemical behavior of commercially pure titanium(CP-Ti) in phosphate buffer solution(PBS) with bovine serum albumin(BSA) were studied...The effects of boride coating on the bioactivity, antibacterial activity, and electrochemical behavior of commercially pure titanium(CP-Ti) in phosphate buffer solution(PBS) with bovine serum albumin(BSA) were studied. The grazing incidence X-ray diffraction(GIXRD) pattern confirmed the formation of a Ti B/Ti B2 coating via boriding process. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) observation indicated that the Ti B2 cross-linked particles covered the Ti B whiskers. Water contact angle measurements revealed that boriding led to the formation of a surface with intermediate water affinity. Potentiodynamic polarization(PDP) assays demonstrated that the Ti B/Ti B2 coating had acceptable passivation behavior in BSA-containing PBS. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) measurements revealed that the passivation behavior of the CP-Ti and the borided samples was improved by increasing exposure time. Based on the Mott-Schottky(M-S) tests, it was realized that the charge carriers of passive films of both samples decreased with increasing exposure time in BSA-containing PBS. The bioactivity test results in a simulated body fluid showed that the Ti B/Ti B2 coating switched the CP-Ti from bioinert to bioactive material. Finally, the antibacterial activity test of the Ti B/Ti B2 coating against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus indicated 99% antibacterial activity.展开更多
The influence of the drop-casted nickel boride catalyst loading on glassy carbon electrodes was investigated in a spectroelectrochemical ATR-FTIR thin-film flow cell applied in alkaline glycerol electrooxidation.The c...The influence of the drop-casted nickel boride catalyst loading on glassy carbon electrodes was investigated in a spectroelectrochemical ATR-FTIR thin-film flow cell applied in alkaline glycerol electrooxidation.The continuously operated radial flow cell consisted of a borehole electrode positioned 50μm above an internal reflection element enabling operando FTIR spectroscopy.It is identified as a suitable tool for facile and reproducible screening of electrocatalysts under well-defined conditions,additionally providing access to the selectivities in complex reaction networks such as glycerol oxidation.The fast product identification by ATR-IR spectroscopy was validated by the more time-consuming quantitative HPLC analysis of the pumped electrolyte.High degrees of glycerol conversion were achieved under the applied laminar flow conditions using 0.1 M glycerol and 1 M KOH in water and a flow rate of 5μL min^(–1).Conversion and selectivity were found to depend on the catalyst loading,which determined the catalyst layer thickness and roughness.The highest loading of 210μg cm^(–2)resulted in 73%conversion and a higher formate selectivity of almost 80%,which is ascribed to longer residence times in rougher films favoring readsorption and C–C bond scission.The lowest loading of 13μg cm^(–2)was sufficient to reach 63%conversion,a lower formate selectivity of 60%,and,correspondingly,higher selectivities of C_(2)species such as glycolate amounting to 8%.Thus,only low catalyst loadings resulting in very thin films in the fewμm thickness range are suitable for reliable catalyst screening.展开更多
Lithium−sulfur batteries are one of the most competitive high-energy batteries due to their high theoretical energy density of _(2)600 W·h·kg^(−1).However,their commercialization is limited by poor cycle sta...Lithium−sulfur batteries are one of the most competitive high-energy batteries due to their high theoretical energy density of _(2)600 W·h·kg^(−1).However,their commercialization is limited by poor cycle stability mainly due to the low intrinsic electrical conductivity of sulfur and its discharged products(Li_(2)S_(2)/Li_(2)S),the sluggish reaction kinetics of sulfur cathode,and the“shuttle effect”of soluble intermediate lithi-um polysulfides in ether-based electrolyte.To address these challenges,catalytic hosts have recently been introduced in sulfur cathodes to en-hance the conversion of soluble polysulfides to the final solid products and thus prevent the dissolution and loss of active-sulfur material.In this review,we summarize the recent progress on the use of metal phosphides and borides of different dimensions as the catalytic host of sulfur cathodes and demonstrate the catalytic conversion mechanism of sulfur cathodes with the help of metal phosphides and borides for high-en-ergy and long-life lithium-sulfur batteries.Finally,future outlooks are proposed on developing advanced catalytic host materials to improve battery performance.展开更多
On the basis of the current theoretical understanding of boron-based hard superconductors under ambient conditions,numerous studies have been conducted with the aim of developing superconducting materials with favorab...On the basis of the current theoretical understanding of boron-based hard superconductors under ambient conditions,numerous studies have been conducted with the aim of developing superconducting materials with favorable mechanical properties using boron-rich compounds.In this paper,first-principles calculations reveal the existence of an unprecedented family of tetragonal pentaborides MB_(5)(M=Na,K,Rb,Ca,Sr,Ba,Sc,and Y),comprising B_(20)cages and centered metal atoms acting as stabilizers and electron donors to the boron sublattice.These compounds exhibit both superconductivity and high hardness,with the maximum superconducting transition temperature T_(c)of 18.6 K being achieved in RbB5 and the peak Vickers hardness Hv of 35.1 GPa being achieved in KB_(5)at 1 atm.The combination of these properties is particularly evident in KB_(5),RbB5,and BaB5,with Tc values of∼14.7,18.6,and 16.3 K and H_(v)values of∼35.1,32.4,and 33.8 GPa,respectively.The results presented here reveal that pentaborides can provide a framework for exploring and designing novel superconducting materials with favorable hardness at achievable pressures and even under ambient conditions.展开更多
The properties of boron carbide-lanthanum boride composite material prepared by hot pressed sintering method was tested, and lanthanum boride as a sintering aid for boron carbide was investigated. The result shows tha...The properties of boron carbide-lanthanum boride composite material prepared by hot pressed sintering method was tested, and lanthanum boride as a sintering aid for boron carbide was investigated. The result shows that the hardness of boron carbide-lanthanum boride increases with the increasing content of lanthanum boride. When the content of the lanthanum boride is 6%, the hardness reaches its supreme value of 31.83 GPa, and its hardness is improved nearly 20.52% compared to monolithic boron carbide. The content of the lanthanum boride does not greatly affect flexibility strength, however, it gives much effect on fracture toughness. The curve of fracture toughness likes the form of saw-toothed wave as the content of lanthanum boride increases in the test. When the content of the lanthanum boride is 6%, the fracture toughness reaches its supreme value of 5.14 MPa·m 1/2, which is improved nearly 39.67% compared with monolithic boron carbide materials. The fracture scanning electric microscope analysis of boron carbide-lanthanum boride composite material shows that, with the increase of the content of lanthanum boride, the interior station of monolithic boron carbide is changed. The crystallite arrangement is so compact that pores disappear gradually. The main fracture way of boron carbide-lanthanum boride composite material is intercrystalline rupture, while the transcrystalline rupture is minor, which is in accordance with fracture mechanism of ceramic material. It indicates that this change of fracture mode by the addition of lanthanum boride gives rise to the improvement of the fracture toughness.展开更多
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.52101273 and U22A20118)Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China(Grant No.2022J01042)Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities of China(Grant No.20720242002).
文摘The energy density of thin-film lithium batteries(TFLBs)is predominantly determined by the average voltage and specific capacity,however,the mechanism of regulating the voltage plateaus of the film electrodes is not well understood.In this study,three boride films(Co–B,Fe–B,and Co–Fe–B alloys)with different thick-nesses were fabricated to enhance the specific capacity and voltage stability of TFLBs.By analyzing the cycling performance,redox peak evolution,and capacitive contribution,the thickness-dependent lithiation behavior of the thin/thick films was elucidated.Theoretical simulations and electrochemical analysis were conducted to investigate how the lithiation behaviors affected the voltage profiles of the film electrodes.In addition,the various-thickness CoB films were compared in all-solid-state TFLBs,demonstrating the universality and practicability of this simple regulation strategy to develop high-performance energy storage devices.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,Grant/Award Number:52172058Outstanding Youth Fund of Natural Science Foundation of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,Grant/Award Number:2023JQ15+4 种基金Fundamental Research Funds for the Inner Mongolia Normal University,Grant/Award Numbers:2022JBBJ010,2022JBTD008Major Project Cultivation Fund for the Inner Mongolia Normal University,Grant/Award Number:2020ZD01Funds for Reform and Development of Local Universities Supported by The Central Government(Cultivation of First-Class Disciplines in Physics)Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF,Grant/Award Number:GZB20240101China Postdoctoral Science Foundation,Grant/Award Number:2024M750304.
文摘Transition metal borides(TMBs)are a new class of promising electrocatalysts for hydrogen generation by water splitting.However,the synthesis of robust all-in-one electrodes is challenging for practical applications.Herein,a facile solid-state boronization strategy is reported to synthesize a series of self-supported TMBs thin films(TMB-TFs)with large area and high catalytic activity.Among them,MoB thin film(MoB-TF)exhibits the highest activity toward electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),displaying a low overpotential(η10=191 and 219 mV at 10 mA cm^(−2))and a small Tafel slope(60.25 and 61.91 mV dec^(−1))in 0.5M H_(2)SO_(4)and 1.0M KOH,respectively.Moreover,it outperforms the commercial Pt/C at the high current density region,demonstrating potential applications in industrially electrochemical water splitting.Theoretical study reveals that both surfaces terminated by TM and B atoms can serve as the active sites and the H*binding strength of TMBs is correlated with the p band center of B atoms.This work provides a new pathway for the potential application of TMBs in largescale hydrogen production.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52271033 and 52071179)the Key program of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51931003)+2 种基金Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province,China(No.BK20221493)Jiangsu Province Leading Edge Technology Basic Research Major Project(No.BK20222014)Foundation of“Qinglan Project”for Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province.
文摘Multi-component transition group metal borides(MMB_(2))have become a research hotspot due to their new composition design concepts and superior properties compared with conventional ceramics.Most of the current methods,however,are complicated and time-consuming,the mass production remains a chal-lenge.Herein,we proposed a new high-efficiency strategy for synthesis of MMB_(2)using molten aluminum as the medium for the first time.The prepared Al-containing multi-component borides(TiZrHfNbTa)B_(2)microcrystals had a homogeneous composition with a hexagonal AlB_(2)structure and ultra-high hardness value of∼35.3 GPa,which was much higher than data reported in the literature and the rule of mix-ture estimations.Furthermore,combined with the First-principles calculation results,we found that the Poisson’s ratio(v)values exhibit a clearly ascending trend from 0.17 at VEC=3.5 to 0.18 at VEC=3.4,then to 0.201 at VEC=3.2 with the increasing of Al content.This indicates that the intrinsic toughness of multi-component boride microcrystals is obviously enhanced by the trace-doped Al elements.Besides,the fabricated Al-containing multi-component boride microcrystals have superior oxidation activation en-ergy and structural stability.The enhanced oxidation resistance is mainly attributed to the formation of a protective Al2 O3 oxide layer and the lattice distortion,both of which lead to sluggish diffusion of O_(2).These findings propose a new unexplored avenue for the fabrication of MMB_(2)materials with supe-rior comprehensive performance including ultra-hardness and intrinsically improved thermo-mechanical properties.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.22179054)the Jiangsu Province Innovation Support Project,China(No.BZ2023010)+1 种基金the Project of Jiangsu University High-Tech Ship Collaborative Innovation Center(No.1174871801-11)the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China(No.G2023014022L).
文摘Owing to the orbital hybridization between the transition metal and the B element and the electron-trapping effect of the B ele-ment,transition metal borides are considered very promising materials for energy catalysis.In this work,an amorphous scaly high-entropy boride(HEB)with electron traps was designed and fabricated via a facile reduction method to improve the hydrogen storage properties of magnesium hydride(MgH_(2)).For dehydrogenation,the onset temperature of MgH_(2)+10wt%HEB was dropped to 187.4℃;be-sides,the composite exhibited superior isothermal kinetics and the activation energy of the composite was reduced from(212.78±3.93)to(65.04±2.81)kJ/mol.In addition,MgH_(2)+10wt%HEB could absorb hydrogen at 21.5℃,and 5.02wt%H_(2) was charged in 50 min at 75℃.For reversible hydrogen storage capacity tests,the composite maintained a retention rate of 97%with 6.47wt%hydrogen capacity after 30 cycles.Combining microstructure evidence with hydrogen storage performance,the catalytic mechanism was proposed.During ball milling,scaly high-entropy borides riveted a large number of heterogeneous active sites on the surface of MgH_(2).Driven by the cocktail effect as well as the orbital hybridization of metal borides,numerous active sites steadily enhanced the hydrogen storage reactions in MgH_(2).
文摘Selective laser melting(SLM)is a cost-effective 3 D metal additive manufacturing(AM)process.However,AM 316 L stainless steel(SS)has different surface and microstructure properties as compared to conventional ones.Boriding process is one of the ways to modify and increase the surface properties.The aim of this study is to predict and understand the growth kinetic of iron boride layers on AM 316 L SS.In this study,the growth kinetic mechanism was evaluated for AM 316 L SS.Pack boriding was applied at 850,900 and 950℃,each for 2,4 and 6 h.The thickness of the boride layers ranged from(1.8±0.3)μm to(27.7±2.2)μm.A diffusion model based on error function solutions in Fick’s second law was proposed to quantitatively predict and elucidate the growth rate of FeB and Fe_(2)B phase layers.The activation energy(Q)values for boron diffusion in FeB layer,Fe_(2)B layer,and dual FeB+Fe_(2)B layer were found to be 256.56,161.61 and 209.014 kJ/mol,respectively,which were higher than the conventional 316 L SS.The findings might provide and open new directions and approaches for applications of additively manufactured steels.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52022072,52293373,52332003,52202067)the National Key R&D Programs(No.2021YFB3701400)+1 种基金the Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(Distinguished Young Scholars 2022CFA042)the Independent Innovation Projects of Hubei Longzhong Laboratory(No.2022ZZ-10).
文摘High entropy boride ceramics have great potential as structural materials serving in extreme environ-ments.However,their applications are limited by the difficulty of sintering.In the present study,dense(Ti_(0.2)Zr_(0.2)Hf_(0.2)Nb_(0.2)Ta_(0.2))B_(2)ceramics with B_(4)C additions were prepared through pressureless sintering at as low as 1900℃.Calculations based on the CALPHAD approach predict that(Ti_(0.2)Zr_(0.2)Hf_(0.2)Nb_(0.2)Ta_(0.2))B_(2)starts to melt at about 3315℃whilst B_(4)C additions reduce the temperature and broaden the tempera-ture region where solid and liquid coexist.Results showed that the introduction of B_(4)C could trigger the densification of(Ti_(0.2)Zr_(0.2)Hf_(0.2)Nb_(0.2)Ta_(0.2))B_(2)at a lower temperature and promote their densification signif-icantly.The relative density of samples with 5 wt%of B_(4)C additions sintered at 1900 and 2000℃was 97.7%and 99.7%,respectively.While the sintering temperature was further increased to 2100℃,the liquid phase was reactively formed,leading to the rapid grain coarsening in samples with B_(4)C additions.Strengthened by well-dispersed B_(4)C grains,the sample with 5 wt%B_(4)C sintered at 2000℃exhibited excellent mechanical properties with the Vickers hardness,flexural strength,and fracture toughness of 21.07±2.09 GPa,547±45 MPa,and 5.24±0.14 MPa m^(1/2),which are comparable or even higher than counterparts sintered under pressure.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52022072,52332003,51972243,52293373 and 92060202)National Key R&D Programmer(No.2021YFB3701400)+1 种基金Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(Distinguished Young Scholars 2022CFA042)Independent Innovation Projects of the Hubei Longzhong Laboratory(No.2022ZZ-10).
文摘Hexagonal BN-coated powders have been widely used in various engineering sectors,however,their pro-ductions are restricted by the complexity of gas-solid reactions.In this study,guided by thermodynamics,a novel approach to synthesize Layer-structured hexagonal BN(hBN)-coated high entropy diboride pow-ders in vacuum was developed,using metal salt Zr(NO_(3))4·5H_(2)O,HfCl_(4),NbC_(15),TaC_(15),C_(16)H_(36)O_(4)Ti,boric acid,and sucrose as raw materials.By adjusting the ratio of carbon to metal source(C/M),powders only consisting of two boride solid solutions and hBN were finally obtained,under an optimal process-ing condition of C/M=5.5 and synthesis temperature of 1400 ℃.Parts of hBN were found to coat on high-entropy metal diborides ceramic(HEB)particles,corresponding formation mechanism for core-shell structured powders was investigated,together with the liquid precursor assisted boro/carbothermal re-duction process.Starting from as-synthesized core-shell powders,(Ti_(0.2)Zr_(0.2)Hf_(0.2)Nb_(0.2)Ta_(0.2))B2-11 vol%hBN ceramics were densified at 1900 ℃ under 50 MPa without holding,with a high relative density of 97.3%.
基金Project(2010JK404) supported by the Education Committee Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province,ChinaProjects(ZK0918,ZK0915) supported by the Baoji University of Arts and Sciences Key Research,China
文摘The first-principle calculations are performed to investigate the structural,mechanical and electronic properties of titanium borides （Ti2B,TiB and TiB2）.Those calculated lattice parameters are in good agreement with the experimental data and previous theoretical values.All these borides are found to be mechanically stable at ambient pressure.Compared with parent metal Ti （120 GPa）,the larger bulk modulus of these borides increase successively with the increase of the boron content in three borides,which may be due to direction bonding introduced by the boron atoms in the lattice and the strong covalent Ti-B bonds.Additionally,TiB can be regarded as a candidate of incompressible and hard material besides TiB2.Furthermore,the elastic anisotropy and Debye temperatures are also discussed by investigating the elastic constants and moduli.Electronic density of states and atomic Mulliken charges analysis show that chemical bonding in these titanium borides is a complex mixture of covalent,ionic,and metallic characters.
基金supported by the National Key Re-search and Development Program of China(No.2020YFC1909604)SZIIT Startup Fund(No.SZIIT2022KJ072)+1 种基金Shenzhen Peacock Project Startup Fund(No.RC2023-002)Shenzhen Steady General Projects(No.KJ2024C010).
文摘Two-dimensional(2D)transition metal borides(MBenes)have emerged as a rising star and hold great potential promise for catalysis and metal ion batteries owing to a well-defined layered structure and ex-cellent electrical conductivity.Unlike well-studied graphene,perovskite and MXene materials in various fields,the research about MBene is still in its infancy.The inadequate exploration of efficient etching methods impedes their further study.Herein,we put forward an efficient microwave-assisted hydrother-mal alkaline solution etching strategy for exfoliating MoAlB MAB phase into 2D MoB MBenes with a well accordion-like structure,which displays a remarkable electrochemical performance in sodium ion batter-ies(SIBs)with a reversible specific capacity of 196.5 mAh g^(-1)at the current density of 50 mA g^(-1),and 138.6 mAh g^(-1)after 500 cycles at the current density of 0.5 A g^(-1).The underlying mechanism toward excellent electrochemical performance are revealed by comprehensive theoretical simulations.This work proves that MBene is a competitive candidate as the next generation anode of sodium ion batteries.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52363028,21965005)Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi(Nos.2021GXNSFAA076001,2018GXNSFAA294077)Guangxi Technology Base and Talent Subject(Nos.GUIKE AD23023004,GUIKE AD20297039)。
文摘Amorphous bimetallic borides,as a new generation of catalytic nanomaterials with modifiable electronic properties,are of great importance in the design of high-efficiency catalysts for NaBH_(4) hydrolysis.This study synthesizes an amorphous Co_(3)B-Mo_(2)B_(5) catalyst using a self-sacrificial template strategy and NaBH_(4) reduction for both NaBH_(4) hydrolysis and the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.The catalyst delivers an impressive hydrogen generation rate of 7690.5 mL min^(-1) g^(-1) at 25℃,coupled with a rapid reaction rate of 0.701 min^(-1) in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.The enhanced catalytic performance is attributed to the unique amorphous structure and the electron rearrangement between Co_(3)B and Mo_(2)B_(5).Experimental and theoretical analyses suggest electron transfer from Co_(3)B to the Mo_(2)B_(5),with the electron-deficient Co_(3)B site favoring BH_(4)^(-) adsorption,while the electron-rich Mo_(2)B_(5) site favoring H_(2)O adsorption,Furthermore,Co_(3)B-Mo_(2)B_(5) demonstrated potential for energy applications,delivering a power output of 0.3 V in a hydrogen-air fuel cell.
文摘Dual titanium boride layers consisting of continuous TiB2 top-layer and TiB whisker sub- layer were formed on the surface of Ti6Al4V alloy using powder-pack boriding technique. An iso-thickness diagram of the whole boride layer was fitted with the data of thickness of the coating, treatment time and process temperature using Sigma Plot10.0 software. Growth kinetics of the titanium boride layer were analyzed by measuring the extent of penetration of TiB2 and TiB whisker as a function of boriding time in the range of 5-20 h and boriding temperature in the range of 1000-1100 ℃. By the linear regression analysis of growth kinetics of titanium boride layer, the diffusivity K and average diffusion activation energy （Q） of boron atoms in Ti6Al4V alloy were calculated, respectively.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52025013,51622102)Ministry of Science and Technology of China MOST(2018YFB1502101)+1 种基金the 111 Project(B12015)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.
文摘Electrochemical water splitting is a feasible method for producing environmental benignity energy of hydrogen,while high price and low availability on the earth of noble electrocatalysts constrain their global-scale application.Transition metal borides(TMBs)have displayed unique metalloid characteristic and outstanding performance for oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)in the last few decades.Herein,recent developments of the TMBs for HER and OER are summarized.Initially,the impact factors and relevant evaluation of electrocatalytic performance are described,that is,overpotential,Tafel slope and exchange current density,stability,faradaic efficiency,turnover frequency,mass and specific activities.Moreover,the optimization strategies of borides are emphasized,which principally include coupling with effective substrates,elemental doping,phase modification,interfacial engineering,and morphology control.Finally,in order to reach the goal of application,the remaining challenges and perspectives are given to point out a direction for enhancing the performance of borides.
基金This work has been financially supported by Ministry of Science and Higher Education in Poland as a part of the Project No.0513/SBAD.
文摘The two-stage gas boriding in N_(2)−H_(2)−BCl_(3)atmosphere was applied to producing a two-zoned borided layer on Nisil-alloy.The process was carried out at 910℃ for 2 h.The microstructure consisted of two zones differing in their phase composition.The outer layer contained only a mixture of nickel borides(Ni_(2)B,Ni_(3)B)only.The inner zone contained additionally nickel silicides(Ni_(2)Si,Ni_(3)Si)occurring together with nickel borides.The aim of this study was to determine the presence of nickel silicides on the mechanical properties of the borided layer produced on Ni-based alloy.The hardness and elastic modulus were measured using the nanoindenter with a Berkovich diamond tip under a load of 50 mN.The average values of indentation hardness(HI)and indentation elastic modulus(E_(I))obtained in the outer zone were respectively(16.32±1.03)GPa and(232±16.15)GPa.The presence of nickel silicides in the inner zone reduced the indentation hardness(6.8−12.54 GPa)and elastic modulus(111.79−153.99 GPa).The fracture toughness of the boride layers was investigated using a Vickers microindentation under a load of 0.981 N.It was confirmed that the presence of nickel silicides caused an increase in brittleness(by about 40%)of the gas-borided layer.
基金the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51761023)。
文摘To improve the surface performance of TB2 alloy,pack boriding was performed at 1100℃ for 20 h with 4 wt.%La_(2)O_(3).The composition and thickness of boride layer and corrosion and wear properties of borided TB2 alloy were measured.The results show that La_(2)O_(3) can promote the growth,continuity,and compactness of boride layer,and the length of TiB whisker increases from 16.80 to 21.84μm.The reason is that La_(2)O_(3) can react with B to form La−B active groups and further to improve the growth of the boride layer.The wear and corrosion resistances of TB2 alloy are enhanced by boriding with La_(2)O_(3).The wear mechanisms are adhesive wear and abrasive wear for unborided and borided TB2 alloys,respectively,and the corrosion mechanism is changed from local corrosion(unborided TB2 alloy)to uniform corrosion(borided TB2 alloy).
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52122308 and 51973200)the Project of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2022M712909)the National Supercomputing Center in Zhengzhou。
文摘Given increasing energy demands and environmental pollution,it is highly desirable to design new hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)catalysts.In this study,we have performed high throughput screening of transition-metal borides(M2B)and Janus counterparts for appealing catalysts.The simulations showcase that the Pd_(2)B,PdPtB,PdIrB and PdAuB possess favorable HER performance with the different chemical nature and unique asymmetry structure.
基金Iran National Science Foundation(INSF)for supporting the research under project No.95841122.
文摘The effects of boride coating on the bioactivity, antibacterial activity, and electrochemical behavior of commercially pure titanium(CP-Ti) in phosphate buffer solution(PBS) with bovine serum albumin(BSA) were studied. The grazing incidence X-ray diffraction(GIXRD) pattern confirmed the formation of a Ti B/Ti B2 coating via boriding process. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) observation indicated that the Ti B2 cross-linked particles covered the Ti B whiskers. Water contact angle measurements revealed that boriding led to the formation of a surface with intermediate water affinity. Potentiodynamic polarization(PDP) assays demonstrated that the Ti B/Ti B2 coating had acceptable passivation behavior in BSA-containing PBS. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) measurements revealed that the passivation behavior of the CP-Ti and the borided samples was improved by increasing exposure time. Based on the Mott-Schottky(M-S) tests, it was realized that the charge carriers of passive films of both samples decreased with increasing exposure time in BSA-containing PBS. The bioactivity test results in a simulated body fluid showed that the Ti B/Ti B2 coating switched the CP-Ti from bioinert to bioactive material. Finally, the antibacterial activity test of the Ti B/Ti B2 coating against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus indicated 99% antibacterial activity.
文摘The influence of the drop-casted nickel boride catalyst loading on glassy carbon electrodes was investigated in a spectroelectrochemical ATR-FTIR thin-film flow cell applied in alkaline glycerol electrooxidation.The continuously operated radial flow cell consisted of a borehole electrode positioned 50μm above an internal reflection element enabling operando FTIR spectroscopy.It is identified as a suitable tool for facile and reproducible screening of electrocatalysts under well-defined conditions,additionally providing access to the selectivities in complex reaction networks such as glycerol oxidation.The fast product identification by ATR-IR spectroscopy was validated by the more time-consuming quantitative HPLC analysis of the pumped electrolyte.High degrees of glycerol conversion were achieved under the applied laminar flow conditions using 0.1 M glycerol and 1 M KOH in water and a flow rate of 5μL min^(–1).Conversion and selectivity were found to depend on the catalyst loading,which determined the catalyst layer thickness and roughness.The highest loading of 210μg cm^(–2)resulted in 73%conversion and a higher formate selectivity of almost 80%,which is ascribed to longer residence times in rougher films favoring readsorption and C–C bond scission.The lowest loading of 13μg cm^(–2)was sufficient to reach 63%conversion,a lower formate selectivity of 60%,and,correspondingly,higher selectivities of C_(2)species such as glycolate amounting to 8%.Thus,only low catalyst loadings resulting in very thin films in the fewμm thickness range are suitable for reliable catalyst screening.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51725401, 51904030, and 21935006)
文摘Lithium−sulfur batteries are one of the most competitive high-energy batteries due to their high theoretical energy density of _(2)600 W·h·kg^(−1).However,their commercialization is limited by poor cycle stability mainly due to the low intrinsic electrical conductivity of sulfur and its discharged products(Li_(2)S_(2)/Li_(2)S),the sluggish reaction kinetics of sulfur cathode,and the“shuttle effect”of soluble intermediate lithi-um polysulfides in ether-based electrolyte.To address these challenges,catalytic hosts have recently been introduced in sulfur cathodes to en-hance the conversion of soluble polysulfides to the final solid products and thus prevent the dissolution and loss of active-sulfur material.In this review,we summarize the recent progress on the use of metal phosphides and borides of different dimensions as the catalytic host of sulfur cathodes and demonstrate the catalytic conversion mechanism of sulfur cathodes with the help of metal phosphides and borides for high-en-ergy and long-life lithium-sulfur batteries.Finally,future outlooks are proposed on developing advanced catalytic host materials to improve battery performance.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12104127 and 22131006)the Doctoral Starting Up Foundation of Hebei Normal University for Nationalities(Grant No.DR2020001)+1 种基金the Clean Energy(Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality)Industry Research Institute of Chengde(Grant No.202205B090)the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(Grant No.ZR2020QA060)。
文摘On the basis of the current theoretical understanding of boron-based hard superconductors under ambient conditions,numerous studies have been conducted with the aim of developing superconducting materials with favorable mechanical properties using boron-rich compounds.In this paper,first-principles calculations reveal the existence of an unprecedented family of tetragonal pentaborides MB_(5)(M=Na,K,Rb,Ca,Sr,Ba,Sc,and Y),comprising B_(20)cages and centered metal atoms acting as stabilizers and electron donors to the boron sublattice.These compounds exhibit both superconductivity and high hardness,with the maximum superconducting transition temperature T_(c)of 18.6 K being achieved in RbB5 and the peak Vickers hardness Hv of 35.1 GPa being achieved in KB_(5)at 1 atm.The combination of these properties is particularly evident in KB_(5),RbB5,and BaB5,with Tc values of∼14.7,18.6,and 16.3 K and H_(v)values of∼35.1,32.4,and 33.8 GPa,respectively.The results presented here reveal that pentaborides can provide a framework for exploring and designing novel superconducting materials with favorable hardness at achievable pressures and even under ambient conditions.
文摘The properties of boron carbide-lanthanum boride composite material prepared by hot pressed sintering method was tested, and lanthanum boride as a sintering aid for boron carbide was investigated. The result shows that the hardness of boron carbide-lanthanum boride increases with the increasing content of lanthanum boride. When the content of the lanthanum boride is 6%, the hardness reaches its supreme value of 31.83 GPa, and its hardness is improved nearly 20.52% compared to monolithic boron carbide. The content of the lanthanum boride does not greatly affect flexibility strength, however, it gives much effect on fracture toughness. The curve of fracture toughness likes the form of saw-toothed wave as the content of lanthanum boride increases in the test. When the content of the lanthanum boride is 6%, the fracture toughness reaches its supreme value of 5.14 MPa·m 1/2, which is improved nearly 39.67% compared with monolithic boron carbide materials. The fracture scanning electric microscope analysis of boron carbide-lanthanum boride composite material shows that, with the increase of the content of lanthanum boride, the interior station of monolithic boron carbide is changed. The crystallite arrangement is so compact that pores disappear gradually. The main fracture way of boron carbide-lanthanum boride composite material is intercrystalline rupture, while the transcrystalline rupture is minor, which is in accordance with fracture mechanism of ceramic material. It indicates that this change of fracture mode by the addition of lanthanum boride gives rise to the improvement of the fracture toughness.
