Boron Rich Solids: Sensors, Ultra High Temperature Ceramics, Thermoelectrics, Armor (NATO Science for Peace and Security Series B: Physics and Biophysics)

The objective of this book is to discuss the current status of research and development of boron-rich solids as sensors, ultra-high temperature ceramics, thermoelectrics, and armor. Novel biological and chemical sensors made of stiff and light-weight boron-rich solids are very exciting and efficient for applications in medical diagnoses, environmental surveillance and the detection of pathogen and biological/chemical terrorism agents. Ultra-high temperature ceramic composites exhibit excellent oxidation and corrosion resistance for hypersonic vehicle applications. Boron-rich solids are also promising candidates for high-temperature thermoelectric conversion. Armor is another very important application of boron-rich solids, since most of them exhibit very high hardness, which makes them perfect candidates with high resistance to ballistic impact. The following topical areas are presented: •boron-rich solids: science and technology; •synthesis and sintering strategies of boron rich solids; •microcantilever sensors; •screening of the possible boron-based thermoelectric conversion materials; •ultra-high temperature ZrB2 and HfB2 based composites •magnetic, transport and high-pressure properties of boron-rich solids; •restrictions of the sensor dimensions for chemical detection; •armor Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Boron Carbide/Boron Carbide-Carbon Nanofibers Laminates with Weak Interfaces....Pages 1-11 All Ceramic Cantilever Sensors with Boron Carbide Layer: Advantages and Dimensional Limitations....Pages 13-27 Raman Effect in Boron and Boron-Rich Compounds....Pages 29-43 Experimentally Founded Charge Transport Model for Icosahedral Boron-Rich Solids....Pages 45-61 Magnetic and Thermoelectric Properties of Boron-Rich Solids....Pages 63-81 Scratch Studies in Boron Rich Lightweight and Ultrahigh Temperature Ceramic....Pages 83-94 The Electronic Properties of Metal Borides and Borocarbides: Differences and Similarities....Pages 95-114 Investigation of Hard Boron Rich Solids: Osmium Diboride and β-Rhombohedral Boron....Pages 115-130 Elastic and Vibration Properties of Boron–Carbon Ultra Hard Materials....Pages 131-145 Processing and Properties of Ultra-Refractory Composites Based on Zr- and Hf-Borides: State of the Art and Perspectives....Pages 147-160 Behavior of Boron Doped Graphites and Boron Carbide under Ion Beam and Plasma Irradiation....Pages 161-180 Vibrational Spectroscopy of Adsorbates on the (111) and (100) Surfaces of Lanthanum Hexaboride....Pages 181-193 Zirconium Dodecaboride, a Novel Superconducting Material with Enhanced Surface Characteristics....Pages 195-206 Boron under Pressure: Phase Diagram and Novel High-Pressure Phase....Pages 207-225 Behavior of the Crystalline Boroncarbide Coating under Tokamak Conditions....Pages 227-235 Electron Structure, Transport, and Superconducting Properties of ZrB 12 , ZrB 2 , YB 6 and MgB 2 ....Pages 237-260 Densification, Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Ultrafine SiC Particle-Dispersed ZrB 2 Matrix Composites....Pages 261-272 Mechanochemically Driven Syntheses of Boride Nanomaterials....Pages 273-285 Vibrational Properties of Zr(Hf)B 2 –SiC UHTC Composites by Micro-Raman Spectroscopy....Pages 287-302 Synthesis and Sintering Strategies of Boron Rich Solids....Pages 303-318 Field-assisted Densification of Superhard B 6 O Materials with Y 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 Addition....Pages 319-326 Back Matter....Pages 327-330 New biological and chemical sensors made of stiff and light-weight boron-rich solids have exciting applications in medical diagnoses, environmental surveillance and the detection of pathogen and biological/chemical terrorism agents. This book covers the field