Elasticity of cubic boron nitride under ambient conditions | CU Experts

As a superhard material with properties similar to diamond including chemical inertness, cubic boron nitride (cBN) is an excellent candidate as a pressure calibration standard for high-temperature high-pressure research using its pressure-volume-temperature (P-V-T) equation of state. However, the elastic properties of cBN at ambient conditions reported in the literature vary by up to 8%, which can likely be attributed in part to variability in the cBN composition and defect structure and measurement uncertainties. We have measured the single-crystal elastic moduli of high-purity cBN with high precision by Brillouin scattering measurements, making an effort to minimize experimental uncertainties. We obtain values of C11 = 798.4 ± 1.7 GPa, C44 = 469.0 ± 1.0 GPa, and C12 = 172.4 ± 1.1 GPa, from which the isotropic aggregate bulk modulus Ks = 381.1 ± 1.3 GPa and shear modulus G = 398.8 ± 1.2 GPa (the Hill average) were calculated. Our results improve the precision and reduce the uncertainties in the elastic moduli of high-purity cBN as a reference for future high P-T pressure scales.

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