Molecular Dynamics Study of Cubic Boron Nitride Nanoparticles: Decomposition with Phase Segregation during Melting.

The relative stability and melting of cubic boron nitride (c-BN) nanoparticles of varying shapes and sizes are studied using classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Focusing on the melting of octahedral c-BN nanoparticles, which consist solely of the most stable {111} facets, decomposition is observed to occur during melting, along with the formation of phase segregated boron clusters inside the c-BN nanoparticles, concurrent with vaporization of surface nitrogen atoms. To assess this MD prediction, a laser-heating experiment of c-BN powders is conducted, manifesting boron clusters for the post-treated powders. A general analysis of the geometrical and surface dependence of the nanoparticle ground-state energy using a Stillinger-Weber potential determines the relative stability of cube-shaped, octahedral, cuboctahedral, and truncated-octahedral c-BN nanoparticles. This stability is further examined using transient MD simulations of the melting behavior of the differently-shaped nanoparticles, providing insights and revealing the key roles played by corner and edge initiated disorder, as well as surface reconstruction from {100} to the more stable {111} facets in the melting process. Finally, the size dependence of the melting point of octahedral c-BN nanoparticles is investigated, showing the well-known qualitative trend of depression of melting temperature with decreasing size, albeit with different quantitative behavior from that predicted by existing analytical models.