Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-tn8tq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-26T16:53:49.333Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Defect Formation in Boron Carbide-An ab-initio Electronic Structure Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

Jun Wang
Affiliation:
Motorola Labs/PSRL, Tempe AZ, U.S.A. Nikolay Zein and Gregory Khrenov Soft-Tec, Moscow, Russia
D.S. Marshall
Affiliation:
Motorola Labs/PSRL, Tempe AZ, U.S.A. Nikolay Zein and Gregory Khrenov Soft-Tec, Moscow, Russia
Get access

Abstract

The electronic structure of a crystalline boron carbide has an energy forbidden gap of ∼ 3 eV and is hence a good insulator. But, on the other hand, the electrical conductivity of boron carbide is measurable. It is therefore believed that the defects formation in boron carbide is responsible for its electrical conductivity and a theory of hopping conduction of bipolaron through localized defects were developed, accordingly. Although the bipolaron electrical conductivity model does not rely on any specific type of defect, the bipolaron formation in boron carbide is believed to be a defective CBB intraicosahedral chain in connection with an B11C icosahedron. The current study examined the existing theory of bipolaron electrical conductivity by performing a systematical study on the formation energies of the defects in boron carbide using a state-of-the-art ab-initio electronic structure method. The studied defects cover a) stoichiometric variations of carbon concentration, b) missing boron atoms, and c) distribution of carbon atoms in the materials. It is found that the ground state of a fully carbonated boron carbide consists of B11C icosahedra connected by CBC intraicosahedral chains, i.e. consistent with the reported structural model of B4C. When carbon concentration is reduced, however, the population of CBC chain is found to be intact, while the population of B11C icosahedron is reduced by the replacements of B12 icosahedron. This observation is fundamentally different from the existing model of boron-rich boron carbide. The localized states associated with missing boron atoms are identified and the electrical conductivity through these localized defects states is studied.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1). Mauri, Francesco, Vast, Nathalie, and Pickard, Chris J., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 085506 (2001)Google Scholar
2). Sanchez-Portal, Daniel, Ordejon, Pablo, Artacho, Emilio, Soler, Jose M., Intl. J. of Quantum Chemistry, 65 453461 (1997).Google Scholar