High pressure synthesis of single crystals of α-boron

A method of synthesis of single crystals of alfa-boron (alpha-B) is presented. alpha-Boron has been crystallized from a boron-platinum melt at high pressures (6-11 GPa) and high temperatures (1200-1600 degrees C). The method is based on the high-pressure large volume (multi-anvil) press technique. An average size of the as-grown isometric crystals is 60-80 mu m in maximum dimension. A refinement of an accurate crystal structure of alpha-B against single crystal X-ray diffraction data demonstrates the excellent quality of the single crystals. The crystal structure is in good agreement with the literature. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.