A powder boronizing composition comprising: a. 0.5 to 4.5 wt % of a boron source selected from B.sub.4C, amorphous boron, calcium hexaboride, borax or mixtures thereof; b. 45.5 to 88.5 wt % of a diluent selected from SiC, alumina or mixtures thereof; c. 1.0 to 20.0 wt % of an activator selected from KBF.sub.4, ammonia chloride, cryolite or mixtures thereof; and d. 10.0 to 30.0 wt % of a sintering reduction agent selected from carbon black, graphite or mixtures thereof.

This invention in one aspect relates to a method of synthesizing a self-assembled mixed-dimensional heterostructure including 2D metallic borophene and 1D semiconducting armchair-oriented graphene nanoribbons (aGNRs). The method includes depositing boron on a substrate to grow borophene thereon at a substrate temperature in an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) chamber; sequentially depositing 4,4-dibromo-p-terphenyl on the borophene grown substrate at room temperature in the UHV chamber to form a composite structure; and controlling multi-step on-surface coupling reactions of the composite structure to self-assemble a borophene/graphene nanoribbon mixed-dimensional heterostructure. The borophene/aGNR lateral heterointerfaces are structurally and electronically abrupt, thus demonstrating atomically well-defined metal-semiconductor heterojunctions.

A nanostructured material consisting essentially of boron. The material is in amorphous form and comprising aggregates of boron nanoparticles. A method of preparation thereof and the uses thereof.

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.

The invention relates to two dimensional (2D) heterostructures and methods of fabricating the same. The 2D hetero structures are integration of borophene with graphene and 2D lateral and vertical hetero structures with sharp and rotationally commensurate interfaces. The rich bonding configurations of boron indicate that borophene can be integrated into a diverse range of 2D heterostructures.

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.

The present invention provides methods and devices for producing polyhedral boron compounds. The process is generally an anhydrous, one-pot process that comprises a pyrolytic reaction of a tetraborohydride with a quaternary amine salt to form the polyhedral borane. In another aspect of the present invention, polyhedral boranes are produced, without isolation of the Lewis base-borane complex.

A device and method for separating boron from carbonate are provided. The device in some embodiments, includes a first half having a heating section, a second half having a cooling section and a plurality of vials disposed therebetween. The second half is opposite the first half. The plurality of vials are adapted to receive boron and an alkaline matrix such that, during heating of the first half and cooling of the second half, boron is sublimated and condensed on a closed end of each of the plurality of vials.

A hydrogen storage composite material includes: a graphene oxide framework provided as a porous structure and having an average pore diameter of 1 to 2 nm; and the graphene oxide framework is impregnated with a metal hydride, the graphene oxide framework comprises: a graphene oxide; and a linker connecting the graphene oxide.