The unique but complicated lattice structures of the boron modifications (crystal forms) follow from this electron deficit of the boron atoms. Boron never exists in pure form in nature due to the large affinity to oxygen. The unstable pure boron has 4 allotrope modifications besides the amorphous form. That is, boron can take on 4 different crystal forms in the same state of aggregation. Another example of such a behaviour are the 2 allotrope modifications graphite and diamond of the element carbon.

No other element exhibits a similar flexibility in its modifications. Boron atoms have coordination numbers ranging from 4 to 9 with highly varying bond gaps. The large coordination numbers require the formation of multiple-center bonds, since the boron atoms have 3 valence electrons, only. These multiple-center bonds yield boron modifications with extremely large hardness.

The thermodynamic stable b-rhombohedral boron has a Mohs hardness of 9.3 and is the second-hardest material after diamond with a Mohs hardness of 10. Other materials based on boron with large hardness are the black shiny boron carbides such as B13C2 or the cubic boron nitride cBN. In contrast, the hexagonal boron nitride hBN has a crystal form that is similar to that of graphite and has little hardness but very good lubrication properties. This is why hBN is often used as high-temperature lubricant.

The outstanding properties of boron can be improved even further with nanotechnology. For example, the boron diamond powder (MCDP) produced by NNT is used for friction reduction despite and because of the extremely large hardness (the base material is boron carbide). This is due to the tininess of the crystals, which acts as rolling bearing balls without abrasion of the treated surface.

Argonne National Laboratories
The Boron-CLS-Bond™ product line is based upon the discovery made by Dr. Ali Erdemir at the Argonne National Laboratories, a Department of Energy Laboratory dedicated to reducing energy loss and component wear from friction. Argonne is one of the U.S. Department of Energy's largest research centers. The laboratory has more than 4,000 employees, including about 1,400 scientists and engineers, of whom about 700 hold doctorate degrees. Argonne's annual operating budget is around $475 million.

Taking advantage of the Boron-CLS-Brand™ technology for your fluid system will have the greatest impact for you financially, mechanically and environmentally.

Dr. Ali Erdemir Background
Ali Erdemir, born in Kadirli, Adana, Turkey, is a Turkish materials scientist specializing in surface engineering and tribology. He graduated from the Metallurgy Department of the Istanbul Technical University in 1977. After working for two years at the Iskenderun Iron and Steel Company in Turkey as an engineer, he went to the USA for doctoral studies. Erdemir received a master's degree in materials engineering and a doctorate in materials science and engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1982 and 1986, respectively. After completing his military service in Turkey, Erdemir began in 1987 to work as an assistant metallurgist at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, which is operated by the University of Chicago for the U.S. Department of Energy. Since 1990, he is conducting his research as a materials scientist.

Erdemir has broken one of the technological records of the century by conducting friction tests on a new ultra-hard, low-friction coating. The material is many times slicker than Teflon and hard enough to show promise for use in automobile engine parts. It is reported that the invention of Erdemir, who has been on the covers of many scientific magazines published in the USA, has broken the friction coefficient record by 20-fold. He developed a carbon coating that showed the lowest coefficient of friction, less than 0.001, when tested in a dry nitrogen atmosphere. This makes the carbon coating 40 times slicker than Teflon, which has a coefficient of about 0.04.

Erdemir made Argonne Laboratory the number one research center for tribology and has received many international prizes, including three R&D awards, considered the Oscar of technology, in 1991, 1998 and 2003 for a boric acid lubricant and a near frictionless carbon coating, respectively.