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Title: Electron diffraction radial distribution function analysis of amorphous boron carbide synthesized by ion beam irradiation and chemical vapor deposition

Journal Article · · Journal of the European Ceramic Society
 [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4];  [5]; ORCiD logo [6]
  1. Kyushu Institute of Technology, Fukaoka (Japan)
  2. Osaka Prefecture Univ., Sakai (Japan)
  3. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (United States)
  4. Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (United States)
  5. Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (United States)
  6. Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

Amorphous boron carbide (a-BxC) networks consist of light elements, and their low atomic scattering factors makes structural analysis by x-ray diffraction difficult. Electron diffraction has an advantage of detecting the light elements, because of the strong interaction between the matter and electrons. In this work, we prepared a-BxC by ion beam technologies and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and characterized their structures via atomic pair-distribution functions derived from electron diffraction intensity profiles. It was found that a pentagonal pyramid is the most favorable cluster in a-B4C generated by ion irradiation, while C—C homonuclear bonds were formed in the deposited a-BxC thin film. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy revealed that the a-BxC thin film possesses more carbon than B4C, which is responsible for the formation of the homonuclear bonds.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); MEXT
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1837850
Journal Information:
Journal of the European Ceramic Society, Journal Name: Journal of the European Ceramic Society Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 42; ISSN 0955-2219
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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