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Air-stable, unoxidized, hydrocarbon-dispersible boron nanoparticles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Brian Van Devener
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
Jesus Paulo L. Perez
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
Scott L. Anderson*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: anderson@chem.utah.edu
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Abstract

Here we describe a simple method to produce boron nanoparticles with control over surface chemistry and dispersiblity in different solvents, with potential applications ranging from high energy density fuels to neutron capture therapy. The methodology should be adaptable to many hard materials; indeed, we have produced hydrocarbon-dispersible silicon nanoparticles using a procedure similar to that described below. The method, based on high-energy milling, with subsequent sedimentation to separate aggregates, produces gram quantities of nanoparticles in a narrow distribution of particle sizes centered around 50 nm, and should be readily scalable to industrial scale production.

Type
Rapid Communications
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2009

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