[图像]最好的氧化。信用：Drexel
氧化可能是一种加重。
That’s because oxidation causes生锈, corrosion, andfoulingof even the toughest materials we humans can engineer.
Even borides, which are some of the hardest and most heat-resistant materials out there, oxidize at high temperatures, destroying the materials’ structural integrity.
Boride materials are often used in demanding applications in harsh environments, such as wear-resistant coatings, battery electrodes, and high-temperature-resistant structural materials—so when they fail, they can cause big problems.
但是，来自德雷克塞尔大学（宾夕法尼亚州费城）的研究人员，瑞典的Linkoping University和London帝国学院认为他们可以使硼烷变得更好。
By giving the material a protective layer of aluminum, the scientists have developed the world’s first corrosion-resistant boride.
The tough new material, molybdenum aluminum boride (MoAlB), is a molybdenum-boron lattice with alternating layers of aluminum.
为了发展Moalb，研究人员从对最大阶段的研究中汲取了灵感，这是一个分层的早期过渡金属碳化物和氮化物材料的家族。最大相具有层状晶体结构，并具有交织层，可为材料提供独特的特性，包括热休克性，可加压性，抗氧化性和高温可塑性。
Using techniques gleaned from MAX Phase and MXene fabrication, Drexel’s research group developed a method for making corrosion-resistant layered boride. Credit: Drexel
Noting structural similarities, the authors speculated that they could make molybdenum boride with a structure similar to that of MAX phases, which would help the material resist oxidation at high temperatures.
他们是对的。
The researchers explain that at high temperatures, aluminum atoms diffuse to the surface of MoAlB, where they react with oxygen to form a protective layer of alumina. “So the material forms its own protective coating,” Michel Barsoum, lead author of the research and distinguished professor in Drexel’s College of Engineering, says in aDrexel Now新闻故事.
Layers in the new molybdenum aluminum boride material, which forms a protective layer of alumina. Credit: Drexel
Barsoum说：“这一发现非常重要，因为它是人类历史上的第一个例子，它是一种非常耐氧化的过渡金属硼化物。”
MoAlB maintains its high conductivity at high temperatures, making it potentially useful in a variety of applications. The team reports that that the material’s melting point is more than 1,400ºC, suggesting that it may lead to development of ultrahigh melting point borides that are oxidation resistant.
The open-access paper, published inScientific Reports, is “氧化铝形成纳米胶质的硼化物的合成和表征：moalb”（doi：10.1038/srep26475）。