General synthesis of metal borides in liquid salt melts

摘要

The present invention relates to a novel process for the manufacture of metal borides by reaction of a metal source and hydride-containing boron source in a molten salt solvent. The present invention also relates to metal boride materials obtainable by this process. The process allows obtaining the desired metal boride without the need for extremely high temperatures, and is capable of providing the metal borides in crystalline form without the need for a subsequent annealing step. The metal boride obtained by the process may be porous, may have a certain morphology, or may be in the form of metal boride particles that are encapsulated in a shell of boron nitride or amorphous boron. Additionally, the present invention relates to the use of compounds having polarizable anions for adjusting and controlling the particle size and/or morphology of a product produced in a molten salt reaction mixture.