Accession Number:

ADA247265

Title:

The Structure and Reactivity of Boron Surfaces

Descriptive Note:

Final technical rept. 1 Jan 1988-31 Aug 1991

Corporate Author:

CHICAGO UNIV IL DEPT OF CHEMISTRY

Personal Author(s):

• Trenary, Michael

Report Date:

1991-11-26

Pagination or Media Count:

10.0

Abstract:

This is the final technical report on a project designed to apply the experimental techniques of modern surface science to address issues loosely related to the combustion of boron particles. Boron particles have potential application as a fuel. Our experiments focused on the reaction of O2 with the 111 surface of Beta-rhombohedral boron to produce B2O3 and the subsequent reactions involved in desorbing B2O3 from the boron surface. We find that the reactivity with O2 is low throughout the temperature range of 300-1300 K. We find that the net uptake of O by the surface is at a maximum in the temperature range of 800-1100 K but that at most only submonolayers of B2O3 are formed. When B2O3 is directly deposited on the surface, it reacts with the substrate in the temperature range of 1100 to 1300 K to produce B2O2. In separate experiments, we have used scanning tunneling microscopy to obtain atomically resolved images of the LaB6 100 surface.

Descriptors:

• *COMBUSTION
• *PARTICLES
• *BORON
• TEMPERATURE
• TUNNELING(ELECTRONICS)
• ELECTRONIC SCANNERS
• TEST METHODS
• DEPOSITION
• RANGE(EXTREMES)
• FUELS
• REACTIVITIES
• SUBSTRATES
• ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
• SURFACES

Subject Categories:

• Inorganic Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• Combustion and Ignition

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE