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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

A self-propagation high-temperature synthesis and annealing route to synthesis of wave-like boron nitride nanotubes

Highlights: ► Large quantities of wave-like BN nanotubes were synthesized by SHS-annealing method. ► The catalytic boron-containing porous precursor was produced by self-propagation high-temperature synthesis method. ► Three growth models were proposed to explain the growth mechanism of the wave-like BN nanotubes. - Abstract: Large quantities of boron nitride (BN) nanotubes were synthesized by annealing a catalytic boron-containing porous precursor in flowing NH{sub 3} gas at 1180 °C. The porous precursor was prepared by self-propagation high-temperature synthesis (SHS) method at 800 °C using Mg, B{sub 2}O{sub 3} and amorphous boron powder (α-B) as the starting materials. The porous precursor played an important role in large quantities synthesis of BN nanotubes. The as-synthesized product was characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), Raman, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Characterization results indicated that the BN nanotubes displayed wave-like inner structures with diameters in the range of 50–300 nm and average lengths of more than 10 μm. The possible growth mechanism of the BN nanotubes was also discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Predicted boron-carbide compounds: A first-principles study

By using developed particle swarm optimization algorithm on crystal structural prediction, we have explored the possible crystal structures of B-C system. Their structures, stability, elastic properties, electronic structure, and chemical bonding have been investigated by first-principles calculations with density functional theory. The results show that all the predicted structures are mechanically and dynamically stable. An analysis of calculated enthalpy with pressure indicates that increasing of boron content will increase the stability of boron carbides under low pressure. Moreover, the boron carbides with rich carbon content become more stable under high pressure. The negative formation energy of predicted B{sub 5}C indicates its high stability. The density of states of B{sub 5}C show that it is p-type semiconducting. The calculated theoretical Vickers hardnesses of B-C exceed 40 GPa except B{sub 4}C, BC, and BC{sub 4}, indicating they are potential superhard materials. An analysis of Debye temperature and electronic localization function provides further understanding chemical and physical properties of boron carbide.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of boron localized states on the conduction band transport in B{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}P

We study the magnetotransport properties of an n-type (B,Ga)P:Te alloy and an n-type GaP:Te reference under hydrostatic pressure up to 17 kilobars in the temperature range from 1.5 to 300 K. The free carrier concentration and the mobility of the reference sample are almost independent of the applied hydrostatic pressure at room temperature. In contrast, the free carrier concentration as well as the mobility in the B{sub 0.012}Ga{sub 0.988}P:Te alloy increase by about 30% over the accessible pressure range. The observations are explained by assuming that a boron-related density of localized states exists in the vicinity of the conduction band edge of the alloy. These boron states act as electron traps as well as efficient scatter centers. Applying hydrostatic pressure shifts the energetic positions of conduction band edge at the X-point (where the electron transport takes place) and of the boron states apart reducing the impact of boron on the electronic transport properties of the alloy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Temporally and spatially resolved plasma spectroscopy in pulsed laser deposition of ultra-thin boron nitride films

Physical vapor deposition (PVD) has recently been investigated as a viable, alternative growth technique for two-dimensional materials with multiple benefits over other vapor deposition synthesis methods. The high kinetic energies and chemical reactivities of the condensing species formed from PVD processes can facilitate growth over large areas and at reduced substrate temperatures. In this study, chemistry, kinetic energies, time of flight data, and spatial distributions within a PVD plasma plume ablated from a boron nitride (BN) target by a KrF laser at different pressures of nitrogen gas were investigated. Time resolved spectroscopy and wavelength specific imaging were used to identify and track atomic neutral and ionized species including B{sup +}, B*, N{sup +}, N*, and molecular species including N{sub 2}*, N{sub 2}{sup +}, and BN. Formation and decay of these species formed both from ablation of the target and from interactions with the background gas were investigated and provided insights into fundamental growth mechanisms of continuous, amorphous boron nitride thin films. The correlation of the plasma diagnostic results with film chemical composition and thickness uniformity studies helped to identify that a predominant mechanism for BN film formation is condensation surface recombination of boron ions and neutral atomic nitrogen species. These species arrive nearly simultaneously to the substrate location, and BN formation occurs microseconds before arrival of majority of N{sup +} ions generated by plume collisions with background molecular nitrogen. The energetic nature and extended dwelling time of incident N{sup +} ions at the substrate location was found to negatively impact resulting BN film stoichiometry and thickness. Growth of stoichiometric films was optimized at enriched concentrations of ionized boron and neutral atomic nitrogen in plasma near the condensation surface, providing few nanometer thick films with 1:1 BN stoichiometry and good thicknesses uniformity over macroscopic areas.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Electron impact ionization in plasma technologies; studies on atomic boron and BN molecule

Electron impact ionization plays important role in plasma technologies. Relevant cross sections on atomic boron are required to understand the erosion processes in fusion experiments. Boronization of plasma exposed surfaces of tokomaks has proved to be an effective way to produce very pure fusion plasmas. This paper reports comprehensive theoretical investigations on electron scattering with atomic Boron and Boron Nitride in solid phases. Presently we determine total ionization cross-section Q{sub ion} and the summed-electronic excitation cross section ΣQ{sub exc} in a standard quantum mechanical formalism called SCOP and CSP-ic methods. Our calculated cross sections are examined as functions of incident electron energy along with available comparisons.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Molecular dynamics investigation of hexagonal boron nitride sputtering and sputtered particle characteristics

The sputtering of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) by impacts of energetic xenon ions is investigated using a molecular dynamics (MD) model. The model is implemented within an open-source MD framework that utilizes graphics processing units to accelerate its calculations, allowing the sputtering process to be studied in much greater detail than has been feasible in the past. Integrated sputter yields are computed over a range of ion energies from 20 eV to 300 eV, and incidence angles from 0° to 75°. Sputtering of boron is shown to occur at energies as low as 40 eV at normal incidence, and sputtering of nitrogen at as low as 30 eV at normal incidence, suggesting a threshold energy between 20 eV and 40 eV. The sputter yields at 0° incidence are compared to existing experimental data and are shown to agree well over the range of ion energies investigated. The semi-empirical Bohdansky curve and an empirical exponential function are fit to the data at normal incidence, and the threshold energy for sputtering is calculated from the Bohdansky curve fit as 35 ± 2 eV. These results are shown to compare well with experimental observations that the threshold energy lies between 20 eV and 40 eV. It is demonstrated that h-BN sputters predominantly as atomic boron and diatomic nitrogen, and the velocity distribution function (VDF) of sputtered boron atoms is investigated. The calculated VDFs are found to reproduce the Sigmund-Thompson distribution predicted by Sigmund's linear cascade theory of sputtering. The average surface binding energy computed from Sigmund-Thompson curve fits is found to be 4.5 eV for ion energies of 100 eV and greater. This compares well to the value of 4.8 eV determined from independent experiments.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Boron-10 Doped Polysiloxanes as Matrix Materials for Application in the Simultaneous Detection and Discrimination of Gamma Rays and Fast and Thermal Neutrons

Three boron-10 enriched aromatic molecules have been synthesized and incorporated into two different commercial polysiloxane resins, Shin Etsu KER-6000 and Wacker SilRes H62-C. Scintillating fluorophores, 9,9-dimethyl-2-phenylfluorene (PhF) and 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO), were tested in combination with each resin and boron-10 molecule for the simultaneous detection of gamma rays, fast neutrons, and thermal neutrons. Here, the H62-C resin was able to solubilize a large amount of PhF, in excess of 20 wt%. Cure kinetics were controlled through the addition of divinylbenzene and phenyl tris(dimethylsiloxy)silane cross-linker solution to the H62-C resin, with rheology experiments demonstrating a large reduction in time to gelation when 20 wt% cross-linker solution was added, from more than 4 hours to less than 1 hour. These polysiloxane resins can be cured in 3 hours under air, while common poly(vinyltoluene) scintillators require at least 4 days of heating and oxygen-free conditions. PhF-doped KER-6000 with tolyl boronate pinacol ester exhibited the best overall performance with a light yield of 62% relative to EJ-200 and thermal neutron capture at energies up to 103 keVee (84 keVee for EJ254B-5). Additionally, four samples exhibited light yields surpassing an industry-standard boron-doped plastic scintillator, Eljen’s EJ254B-5. Over the course of ten months, the KER-6000 samples showed precipitation of dopant molecules, which reduced their light yield by 15% on average, while H62-C proved to be more stable with only a 6% reduction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

New Cluster Secondary Ions for Quantitative Analysis of the Concentration of Boron Atoms in Diamond by Time-of-Flight Secondary-Ion Mass Spectrometry

A new approach to quantitative analysis of the concentration of boron atoms in diamond using secondary- ion mass spectrometers with time-of-flight mass analyzers is proposed. Along with the known boron-containing lines (B, BC, BC{sub 2}), many lines related to cluster secondary ions BC{sub N} have been found in the mass spectrum; their intensity increases by one or two orders of magnitude when Bi{sub 3} probe ions are used. Lines BC{sub 4}, BC{sub 6}, BC{sub 2}, and BC{sub 8} have the highest intensity (in the descending order); when they are summed, the sensitivity increases by an order of magnitude in comparison with the known mode of detecting BC{sub 2}. The parameters of the boron δ-layer in single-crystal diamond films grown under optimal conditions have been measured to be unprecedented: the δ-layer width is about 2 nm, and the concentration is 6.4 × 10{sup 20} cm{sup –3} (the boron concentrations for doped and undoped diamonds differ by four orders of magnitude).

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Power Distribution Control Strategy of a Conceptual Soluble Boron Free SMR

In a commercial PWR, the two primary functions of control rods are to provide rapid shutdown and to control power distribution, whereas the initial excess reactivity associated with fuel loading is controlled by the soluble boron in the coolant and burnable absorbers. The required number of total control rods is determined by the shutdown margin of the reactor. The control rod grouping is also required to control power distribution. Therefore, removal of soluble boron requires extra reliance on the control rods to compensate excess reactivity. In a soluble boron free reactor which has highly negative MTC requires an increase in both worth and number of control rod assemblies to ensure adequate shutdown margin. In addition, since control rods are partially inserted into the reactor core, their presence adversely affects the power distribution and thus may make high peaking factors leading to an operating margin reduction. In this paper, the strategy of control rods operation to control excess reactivity and power distribution have been studied. Also, shutdown capability of the control rods was examined. A loading pattern for a Conceptual Soluble Boron Free Small Modular Reactor (CSBF-SMR) has been constructed. Two groups of regulating banks employ Ag-In-Cd to control excess reactivity and power distributions during the cycle operation and 1 group of shutdown bank made of B{sub 4}C were used.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2017

In Situ Detection of Boron by ChemCam on Mars

Here, we report the first in situ detection of boron on Mars. Boron has been detected in Gale crater at levels <0.05 wt % B by the NASA Curiosity rover ChemCam instrument in calcium-sulfate-filled fractures, which formed in a late-stage groundwater circulating mainly in phyllosilicate-rich bedrock interpreted as lacustrine in origin. We also consider two main groundwater-driven hypotheses to explain the presence of boron in the veins: leaching of borates out of bedrock or the redistribution of borate by dissolution of borate-bearing evaporite deposits. Our results suggest that an evaporation mechanism is most likely, implying that Gale groundwaters were mildly alkaline. On Earth, boron may be a necessary component for the origin of life; on Mars, its presence suggests that subsurface groundwater conditions could have supported prebiotic chemical reactions if organics were also present and provides additional support for the past habitability of Gale crater.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Platinum Nanoparticle Loading of Boron Nitride Aerogel and Its Use as a Novel Material for Low-Power Catalytic Gas Sensing

We report that a high-surface-area, highly crystalline boron nitride aerogel synthesized with nonhazardous reactants has been loaded with crystalline platinum nanoparticles to form a novel nanomaterial that exhibits many advantages for use in a catalytic gas sensing application. The platinum nanoparticle-loaded boron nitride aerogel integrated onto a microheater platform allows for calorimetric propane detection. The boron nitride aerogel exhibits thermal stability up to 900 °C and supports disperse platinum nanoparticles, with no sintering observed after 24 h of high-temperature testing. The high thermal conductivity and low density of the boron nitride aerogel result in an order of magnitude faster response and recovery times (<2 s) than reported on alumina support and allow for 10% duty cycling of the microheater with no loss in sensitivity. Lastly, the resulting 1.5 mW sensor power consumption is two orders of magnitude less than commercially available catalytic gas sensors and unlocks the potential for wireless, battery-powered catalytic gas sensing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

CFD Modeling of Boron Removal from Liquid Silicon with Cold Gases and Plasma

The present study focuses on a specific step of the metallurgical path of purification to provide solar-grade silicon: the removal of boron through the injection of H{sub 2}O(g)-H{sub 2}(g)-Ar(g) (cold gas process) or of Ar-H{sub 2}-O{sub 2} plasma (plasma process) on stirred liquid silicon. We propose a way to predict silicon and boron flows from the liquid silicon surface by using a CFD model (©Ansys Fluent) combined with some results on one-dimensional diffusive-reactive models to consider the formation of silica aerosols in a layer above the liquid silicon. The comparison of the model with experimental results on cold gas processes provided satisfying results for cases with low and high concentrations of oxidants. This confirms that the choices of thermodynamic data of HBO(g) and the activity coefficient of boron in liquid silicon are suitable and that the hypotheses regarding similar diffusion mechanisms at the surface for HBO(g) and SiO(g) are appropriate. The reasons for similar diffusion mechanisms need further enquiry. We also studied the effect of pressure and geometric variations in the cold gas process. For some cases with high injection flows, the model slightly overestimates the boron extraction rate, and the overestimation increases with increasing injection flow. A single plasma experiment from SIMaP (France) was modeled, and the model results fit the experimental data on purification if we suppose that aerosols form, but it is not enough to draw conclusions about the formation of aerosols for plasma experiments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Thermostructural evolution of boron carbide characterized using in-situ x-ray diffraction

Boron carbide, with a nominal stoichiometry of B 4 C, is a highly desired ceramic candidate for armor applications due to its high hardness derived from the complex crystal structure. However, stress-induced local amorphization can lead to failure and is a known challenge for this material which must be addressed for applications in ballistic environments. Understanding boron carbide's atomic structural behavior and bonding environment is critical in determining effective strategies to mitigate these issues. Here, in this work, the thermo-structural behavior of B 4 C has been studied in detail using a conical nozzle levitator system coupled with in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Lattice expansion and the resulting thermal expansion coefficients (CTEs) were determined from 25-2100 °C. Rietveld refinements showed anisotropic atomic displacement for each of the 4 unique sites as a function of temperature. An exceptionally large z-axis displacement for the boron chain center is linked to bond weakness and may be linked to faster expansion of the α 33 relative to α 11 CTEs. Thermally induced lattice changes can inform the use of boron carbide at elevated temperatures as well as help develop strategies for mitigating structural failure for armor applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Capture of novel sp 3 hybridized Z-BN by compressing boron nitride nanotubes with small diameter

Experimental synthesis of new sp 3 hybridized carbon/boron nitride structures remains challenging despite that numerous sp 3 structures have been proposed in theory. Here, we showed that compressed multi-walled boron nitride nanotubes (MWBNNTs) and boron nitride peapods (C 60 @BNNTs) with small diameters could transform into a new sp 3 hybridized boron nitride allotrope (Z-BN). This strategy is considered from the topological transition point of view in boron nitride nanotubes upon compression. Due to the increased curvature in compressed small-diameter MWBNNTs, the uncommon 4- and 8-membered rings in Z-BN could be more favorably formed. And the irreversible tube collapse is proved to be a critical factor for the capture of the formed Z-BN, because of the competition between the resilience of tube before collapse and the stress limitation for the lattice stabilization of Z-BN upon decompression. In this case, Z-BN starts to form above 19.0 GPa, which is fully reversible below 45 GPa and finally becomes quenchable at 93.5 GPa. Consequently, this collapse-induced capture of the high-pressure phase could also be extended to other tubular materials for quenching novel sp 3 structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multi-scale boron penetration toward stabilizing nickel-rich cathode

Nickel-rich layered oxides LiNi x Co y Mn 1-x-y O 2 (x≥0.8) have been recognized as the preferred cathode materials to develop lithium-ion batteries with high energy density (>300Wh kg -1 ). However, the poor cycling stability and rate capability stemming from intergranular cracks and sluggish kinetics hinder their commercialization. To address such issues, a multi-scale boron penetration strategy is designed and applied on the polycrystalline LiNi 0.83 Co 0.11 Mn 0.06 O 2 particles that are pre-treated with pore construction. The lithium-ion conductive lithium borate in grain gaps functions as the grain binder that can bear the strain/stress from anisotropic contraction/expansion, and provides more pathways for lithium-ion diffusion. As a result, the intergranular cracks are ameliorated and the lithium-ion diffusion kinetics is improved. Moreover, the coating layer separates the sensitive cathode surface and electrolyte, helping to suppress the parasitic reactions and related gas evolution. In addition, the enhanced structural stability is acquired by strong B-O bonds with trace boron doping. As a result, the boron-modified sample with an optimized boron content of 0.5% (B5-NCM) exhibits a higher initial discharge capacity of 205.5mAh g -1 at 0.1C (1C=200mA g -1 ) and improved capacity retention of 81.7% after 100 cycles at 1C. Furthermore, the rate performance is distinctly enhanced by high lithium-ion conductive LBO (175.6mAh g -1 for B5-NCM and 154.6mAh g -1 for B0-NCM at 5C).

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy in the Treatment of Recurrent Laryngeal Cancer

Purpose: To investigate the safety and efficacy of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) as a larynx-preserving treatment option for patients with recurrent laryngeal cancer. Methods and Materials: Six patients with locally recurrent squamous cell laryngeal carcinoma and 3 patients with persistent laryngeal cancer after prior treatment were treated with BNCT at the FiR1 facility (Espoo, Finland) in 2006 to 2012. The patients had received prior radiation therapy with or without concomitant chemotherapy to a cumulative median dose of 66 Gy. The median tumor diameter was 2.9 cm (range, 1.4-10.9 cm) before BNCT. Boron neutron capture therapy was offered on a compassionate basis to patients who either refused laryngectomy (n=7) or had an inoperable tumor (n=2). Boronophenylalanine-fructose (400 mg/kg) was used as the boron carrier and was infused over 2 hours intravenously before neutron irradiation. Results: Six patients received BNCT once and 3 twice. The estimated average gross tumor volume dose ranged from 22 to 38 Gy (W) (mean; 29 Gy [W]). Six of the 8 evaluable patients responded to BNCT; 2 achieved complete and 4 partial response. One patient died early and was not evaluable for response. Most common side effects were stomatitis, fatigue, and oral pain. No life-threatening or grade 4 toxicity was observed. The median time to progression within the target volume was 6.6 months, and the median overall survival time 13.3 months after BNCT. One patient with complete response is alive and disease-free with a functioning larynx 60 months after BNCT. Conclusions: Boron neutron capture therapy given after prior external beam radiation therapy is well tolerated. Most patients responded to BNCT, but long-term survival with larynx preservation was infrequent owing to cancer progression. Selected patients with recurrent laryngeal cancer may benefit from BNCT.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2015

(Pt{sub 1–x}Cu{sub x}){sub 3}Cu{sub 2}B and Pt{sub 9}Cu{sub 3}B{sub 5}, the first examples of copper platinum borides. Observation of superconductivity in a novel boron filled β-Mn-type compound

New ternary copper platinum borides have been synthesized by arc melting of pure elements followed by annealing at 600 °C. The structures have been studied by X-ray single crystal and powder diffraction. (Pt{sub 1−x}Cu{sub x}){sub 3}Cu{sub 2}B (x=0.33) forms a B-filled β-Mn-type structure (space group P4{sub 1}32; a=0.6671(1) nm). Cu atoms are distributed preferentially on the 8c atom sites, whereas the 12d site is randomly occupied by Pt and Cu atoms (0.670(4) Pt±0.330(4) Cu). Boron is located in octahedral voids of the parent β-Mn-type structure. Pt{sub 9}Cu{sub 3}B{sub 5} (space group P-62m; a=0.9048(3) nm, c=0.2908(1) nm) adopts the Pt{sub 9}Zn{sub 3}B{sub 5–δ}-type structure. It has a columnar architecture along the short translation vector exhibiting three kinds of [Pt{sub 6}] trigonal prism columns (boron filled, boron semi-filled and empty) and Pt channels with a pentagonal cross section filled with Cu atoms. The striking structural feature is a [Pt{sub 6}] cluster in form of an empty trigonal prism at the origin of the unit cell, which is surrounded by coupled [BPt{sub 6}] and [Pt{sub 6}] trigonal prisms, rotated perpendicularly to the central one. There is no B–B contact as well as Cu–B contact in the structure. The relationships of Pt{sub 9}Cu{sub 3}B{sub 5} structure with the structure of Ti{sub 1+x}Os{sub 2−x}RuB{sub 2} as well as with the structure families of metal sulfides and aluminides have been elucidated. (Pt{sub 1–x}Cu{sub x}){sub 3}Cu{sub 2}B (x=0.3) (B-filled β-Mn-type structure) is a bulk superconductor with a transition temperature of about 2.06 K and an upper critical field μ{sub 0}H{sub C2}(0){sup WHH} of 1.2 T, whereas no superconducting transition has been observed up to 0.3 K in Pt{sub 9}Cu{sub 3}B{sub 5} (Pt{sub 9}Zn{sub 3}B{sub 5–δ}-type structure) from electrical resistivity measurements. - Highlights: • First two copper platinum borides, (Pt{sub 0.67}Cu{sub 0.33}){sub 3}Cu{sub 2}B and Pt{sub 9}Cu{sub 3}B{sub 5} were obtained. • (Pt{sub 0.67}Cu{sub 0.33}){sub 3}Cu{sub 2}B forms a B-filled β-Mn-type structure. • Pt{sub 9}Cu{sub 3}B{sub 5} adopts a Pt{sub 9}Zn{sub 3}B{sub 5–δ}-type structure. • Boron atoms exhibit octahedral and trigonal prismatic coordination. • (Pt{sub 1–x}Cu{sub x})3Cu{sub 2}B (x=0.3) is a bulk superconductor with T{sub c} 2.06 K.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

The effect of boron addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of biomedical Ti35Nb6Ta alloy

The beta-titanium alloys are promising materials for bioapplications but their processing via melting is difficult. Coarse grains have been observed in as-cast specimens. Subsequent thermo-mechanical processing seems to be necessary in order to obtain fine-grained microstructure with better mechanical properties. The grain size can be decreased significantly by addition of small boron amount. In this work Ti–35Nb–6Ta alloy with various B additions (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 wt.%) has been studied. Even the smallest amount of B leads to significant grain refinement in Ti–35Nb–6Ta alloy (from 1300 to about 350 μm). Slight grain refinement has been observed also after hot forging and solution treatment. TiB particles emerged in specimens due to B addition. These particles contribute to changes in mechanical properties not only in hot forged and solution treated specimens (hardness increase from 140 to 180 HV10), but also in cold swaged specimens (hardness from 230 to 250 HV10, tensile strength from 800 to 920 MPa). The hardness values can be increased up to 370 HV10 during aging at 400 °C (specimen with 0.5 wt.% B). It has been observed that specimens with low boron addition 0.05 wt.% possess no cytotoxicity. On the other hand in specimens with 0.1 wt.% B or more slight adverse effect on cytotoxicity has been observed. - Highlights: • The influence of boron on microstructure and mechanical properties has been studied. • Beta-transus temperature has been determined. • Cytotoxicity depending on boron content has been evaluated. • Possibility of final heat treatment has been determined.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗