• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.369-369
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• 2011

In the current work, we demonstrate the gas phase plasma synthesis of ultrafine boron nanoparticles by decomposing boron trichloride (BCl3) gas in an argon-hydrogen thermal plasma and quenching the hot plasma by expansion through a ceramic nozzle, driving the homogeneous nucleation of nanoparticles. It is shown that ultrafine nanoparticles can be produced from the experiments. We also show the characterization results regarding the oxidation of boron nanoparticles at room temperature using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and the combined Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM) and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS).

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.731-736
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• 2012

A new method for producing boron-containing nanoparticles is described. Boron trichloride ($BCl_3$) and methane ($CH_4$) are dissociated through injection into a thermal plasma followed by a nucleation process producing boron or boron carbide nanoparticles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to detect B-C bonds related to the carbide state and to probe the ratio of boron to carbon in the B-C bond structure. In addition, nanoparticles were characterized with scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. It was found that nanoparticles were in the range 30-70 nm and a boron to carbon ratio in the B-C bond structure of up to 2 can be reached when $BCl_3$ of 20 sccm and $CH_4$ of 25 sccm were used.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.409-409
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• 2014

Recently hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), III-V compound of boron and nitrogen with strong covalent $sp^2$ bond, is a 2 dimensional insulating material with a large direct band gap up to 6 eV. Its outstanding properties such as strong mechanical strength, high thermal conductivity, and chemical stability have been reported to be similar or superior to graphene. Because of these excellent properties, h-BN can potentially be used for variety of applications such as dielectric layer, deep UV optoelectronic device, and protective transparent substrate. Ultra flat and charge impurity-free surface of h-BN is also an ideal substrate to maintain electrical properties of 2 dimensional materials such as graphene. To synthesize a single or a few layered h-BN, chemical vapor deposition method (CVD) has been widely used by using an ammonia borane as a precursor. Ammonia borane decomposes into hydrogen (gas), monomeric aminoborane (solid), and borazine (gas) that is used for growing h-BN layer. However, very active monomeric aminoborane forms polymeric aminoborane nanoparticles that are white non-crystalline BN nanoparticles of 50~100 nm in diameter. The presence of these BN nanoparticles following the synthesis has been hampering the implementation of h-BN to various applications. Therefore, it is quite important to grow a clean and high quality h-BN layer free of BN particles without having to introduce complicated process steps. We have demonstrated a synthesis of a high quality h-BN monolayer free of BN nanoparticles in wafer-scale size of $7{\times}7cm^2$ by using CVD method incorporating a simple filter system. The measured results have shown that the filter can effectively remove BN nanoparticles by restricting them from reaching to Cu substrate. Layer thickness of about 0.48 nm measured by AFM, a Raman shift of $1,371{\sim}1,372cm^{-1}$ measured by micro Raman spectroscopy along with optical band gap of 6.06 eV estimated from UV-Vis Spectrophotometer confirm the formation of monolayer h-BN. Quantitative XPS analysis for the ratio of boron and nitrogen and CS-corrected HRTEM image of atomic resolution hexagonal lattices indicate a high quality stoichiometric h-BN. The method presented here provides a promising technique for the synthesis of high quality monolayer h-BN free of BN nanoparticles.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.56 no.12
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• pp.915-920
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• 2018

With the development of modern microelectronics technologies, the power density of electronic devices is rapidly increasing, due to the miniaturization or integration of device elements which operate at high frequency, high power conditions. Resulting thermal problems are known to cause power leakage, device failure and deteriorated performance. To relieve heat accumulation at the interface between chips and heat sinks, thermal interface materials (TIMs) must provide efficient heat transport in the through-plane direction. We report on the enhanced thermal conduction of $Al_2O_3-based$ polymer composites, fabricated by the surface wetting and texturing of thermally conductive hexagonal boron nitride(h-BN) nanoplatelets with large anisotropy in morphology and physical properties. The thermally conductive polymer composites were prepared with hybrid fillers of $Al_2O_3$ macro beads and surface modified h-BN nanoplatelets. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has high thermal conductivity and is one of the most suitable materials for thermally conductive polymer composites, which protect electronic devices by efficient heat dissipation. In this study, we synthesized hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles by the pyrolysis of cost effective precursors, boric acid and melamine. Through pyrolysis at $900^{\circ}C$ and subsequent annealing at $1500^{\circ}C$, hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles with diameters of ca. 50nm were synthesized. We demonstrate that the addition of a small amount of calcium fluoride ($CaF_2$) during the preparation of the melamine borate adduct significantly enhanced the crystallinity of the h-BN and assisted the growth of nanoplatelets up to 100nm in diameters. The addition of a small amount of h-BN enhanced the thermal conductivity of the $Al_2O_3-based$ polymer composites, from 1.45W/mK to 2.33 W/mK.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.662-667
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• 2014

B-doped Si nanoparticles were synthesized by using inductive coupled plasma and specially designed double tube reactor, and their microstructures were investigated. 0~10 sccm of $B_2H_6$ gas was injected during the synthesis of Si nanoparticles from $SiH_4$ gas. Highly crystalline Si nanoparticles were synthesized, and their crystallinity did not change with increase of $B_2H_6$ flow rates. From SEM measurement, their particle sizes were approximately 30 nm regardless of $B_2H_6$ flow rates. From SIMS analysis, almost saturation of B in Si nanoparticles was detected only when 1 sccm of $B_2H_6$ was injected. When $B_2H_6$ flow rate exceeded 5 sccm, higher concentration of B than solubility limit was detected even if any secondary phase was not detected in XRD or HR-TEM results. Due to their high electronic conductivity, those heavily B-doped Si nanoparticles can be a potential candidate for an active material in Li-ion battery anode.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.414-419
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• 2016

Much attention has been paid to thermally conductive materials for efficient heat dissipation of electronic devices to maintain their functionality and to support lifetime span. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), which has a high thermal conductivity, is one of the most suitable materials for thermally conductive composites. In this study, we synthesize h-BN nanocrystals by pyrolysis of cost-effective precursors, boric acid, and melamine. Through pyrolysis at $900^{\circ}C$ and subsequent annealing at $1500^{\circ}C$, h-BN nanoparticles with diameters of ~80 nm are synthesized. We demonstrate that the addition of small amounts of Eu-containing salts during the preparation of melamine borate precursors significantly enhanced the crystallinity of h-BN. In particular, addition of Eu assists the growth of h-BN nanoplatelets with diameters up to ~200 nm. Polymer composites containing both spherical $Al_2O_3$ (70 vol%) and Eu-doped h-BN nanoparticles (4 vol%) show an enhanced thermal conductivity (${\lambda}{\sim}1.72W/mK$), which is larger than the thermal conductivity of polymer composites containing spherical $Al_2O_3$ (70 vol%) as the sole fillers (${\lambda}{\sim}1.48W/mK$).

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.694-696
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• 2010

We have synthesized boron (or phosphorous) doped silicon nanoparticles (Si-NPs) by a solution process. The surfaces of the Si-NPs were terminated with various alkyl groups to form a protecting layer. The Si-NPs were characterized by UV-Vis, PL, FTIR, and NMR. Through a microwave sintering process, the crystalline thin films of the Si-NPs were prepared by removing the surface alkyl groups. The TEM and SEM images reveal that contiguous films as large as $200{\mu}m$ in diameter were formed with a cubic structure. The electrical conductivity of the Si film was controlled by a doping type.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.426-429
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• 2017

In this study, we investigated the effect of BN (boron nitride) on the thermal and the electrical conductivity of composites. In case of epoxy/BN composites, the thermal conductivity was increased as the BN contents were increased. Epoxy/AgNP (Ag nanoparticle) nanocomposites exhibited a slight change of thermal conductivity and showed a electrical percolation threshold at 20 vol% of Ag nanoparticles. At the fixed Ag nanoparticle content below the electrical percolation threshold, increasing the amount of BN enhanced the electrical conductivity as well as thermal conductivity for the epoxy/AgNP/BN composites.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.675-680
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• 2014

Pulverization of two different sized micro-$B_4C$ particles (${\sim}10{\mu}m$ and ${\sim}150{\mu}m$) was investigated using a STS based high energy ball milling system. Shapes, generation of the impurities, and reduction of the particle size dependent on milling time and initial particle size were investigated using various analytic tools including SEM-EDX, XRD, and ICP-MS. Most of impurity was produced during the early stage of milling, and impurity content became independent on the milling time after the saturation. The degree of particle size reduction was also dependent on the initial $B_4C$ size. It was found that the STS nanoparticles produced from milling is strongly bounded with the $B_4C$ particles forming the $B_4C$/STS composite particles that can be used as a neutron absorbing nanocomposite. Based on the morphological evolution of the milled particles, a schematic pulverization model for the $B_4C$ particles was constructed.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.43-48
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• 2023

In this study, we investigate the tribological behavior of AISI 304 stainless steel pairs under deionized water and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) water dispersion lubrication. The specimen friction and wear properties are evaluated using a reciprocating ball-on-flat tribometer. The coefficient of friction remains nearly constant throughout the test under both lubricant conditions. The wear depth of the specimens under h-BN lubrication is smaller than that under deionized water lubrication, indicating the inhibition behavior of h-BN nanolubricants on direct metal-metal contacts. Optical micrographs and stylus profilometer measurements are performed to evaluate the severity of damage caused by the sliding motion and to determine the wear morphology of the specimens, respectively. The results show that h-BN nanolubricants does not have a significant effect on the friction behavior but demonstrates reduced wear owing to their trapping effect between the sliding interfaces. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy images of the specimens were acquired to confirm the trapping effect of h-BN between the sliding interfaces. The results also suggest that the trapped lubricants can distribute the contact pressure, reducing the wear damage caused by the metal-metal contact at the interface. In conclusion, h-BN nanolubricants have potential as an anti-wear additive for lubrication applications. Further investigation is needed to provide direct evidence of the trapping effect of h-BN nanoparticles between the sliding interfaces. These findings could lead to the development of more efficient and effective lubricants for various industrial applications.