A method of preparing an atomically-dimensioned elemental boron allotrope includes providing a substrate at a temperature greater than about 200 C.; generating elemental boron vapor from a solid elemental boron source; and contacting said substrate with said boron vapor for at least one of a rate and at a pressure sufficient to deposit on said substrate a boron allotrope comprising an elemental boron layer comprising a boron atomic thickness dimension, said method under negative pressure.

A boron allotrope comprising an elemental boron layer comprising a boron atomic thickness dimension and a method for preparation thereof.

A boron allotrope comprising an elemental boron layer comprising a boron atomic thickness dimension and a method for preparation thereof.

Processing reinforcing fiber products to recover reinforcing fibers by removing other material, such fiber sizing material and/or matrix material from the reinforcing fibers. The processing includes cosolvent treating the reinforcing fiber product with a cosolvent composition including a normally-liquid first solvent portion and a normally-gaseous second solvent portion under conditions of temperature and pressure at which the cosolvent composition is in the form of a single fluid phase that is a liquid or a supercritical fluid. The processing may be performed in a continuous manner to recover the continuous reinforcing fibers in a continuous form.

One aspect of this invention relates to synthesis of borophane polymorphs by hydrogenating borophene with atomic hydrogen in ultrahigh vacuum, including growing borophene on a substrate in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber; and performing hydrogenation of the borophene in situ to obtain borophane having a diverse set of borophane polymorphs. The borophane polymorphs are metallic with modified local work functions that can be reversibly returned to pristine borophene via thermal desorption of hydrogen. Hydrogenation also provides chemical passivation such that the borophane polymorphs have negligible oxidation for multiple days following ambient exposure.

One aspect of this invention relates to synthesis of borophane polymorphs by hydrogenating borophene with atomic hydrogen in ultrahigh vacuum, including growing borophene on a substrate in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber; and performing hydrogenation of the borophene in situ to obtain borophane having a diverse set of borophane polymorphs. The borophane polymorphs are metallic with modified local work functions that can be reversibly returned to pristine borophene via thermal desorption of hydrogen. Hydrogenation also provides chemical passivation such that the borophane polymorphs have negligible oxidation for multiple days following ambient exposure.

A method and an apparatus for producing sodium borohydride that have excellent energy efficiency and production efficiency are provided. Using a production apparatus 20 comprising: a cylindrical reaction container 21; a cylindrical reaction portion 22 which is rotatably held in this reaction container 21 and in which sodium metaborate that is a raw material 1 and granular aluminum are housed together with a grinding medium 2; and a hydrogen introduction portion 23 for introducing hydrogen gas into the reaction portion 22 directly or via the reaction container 21, the sodium metaborate and the granular aluminum are reacted under a hydrogen atmosphere, while being rolled and ground with the grinding medium, to obtain sodium borohydride.

A method and an apparatus for producing sodium borohydride that have excellent energy efficiency and production efficiency are provided. Using a production apparatus 20 comprising: a cylindrical reaction container 21; a cylindrical reaction portion 22 which is rotatably held in this reaction container 21 and in which sodium metaborate that is a raw material 1 and granular aluminum are housed together with a grinding medium 2; and a hydrogen introduction portion 23 for introducing hydrogen gas into the reaction portion 22 directly or via the reaction container 21, the sodium metaborate and the granular aluminum are reacted under a hydrogen atmosphere, while being rolled and ground with the grinding medium, to obtain sodium borohydride.

Embodiments of the invention provide a method for atomic layer etching (ALE) of a substrate. According to one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate, and exposing the substrate to hydrogen fluoride (HF) gas and a boron-containing gas to etch the substrate. According to another embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate containing a metal oxide film, exposing the substrate to HF gas to form a fluorinated surface layer on the metal oxide film, and exposing the substrate to a boron-containing gas to remove the fluorinated surface layer from the metal oxide film. The exposures may be repeated at least once to further etch the metal oxide film.

A method for manufacturing an alloy formed from a boride of a precious metal, may involve reacting a source of the precious metal with a source of boron in a salt or a mixture of salts in the molten state. An alloy formed from a boride of a precious metal may include crystalline nanoparticles of M.sub.xB.sub.y with M being a precious metal, distributed in an amorphous matrix of B or in an amorphous matrix of B and of M.sub.zB.sub.a.