Borides, i.e. boron-based compounds, have a multitude of valuable properties such as chemical inertness, radiation hardness, high thermal conductivity and self-healing properties, making them interesting candidates for a variety of applications, such as beta-voltaic cells and radiation protective coatings.
These material properties arise directly from the crystal structure of these borides and are potentially affected by structural defects. A fundamental understanding of how the material properties of borides are dictated by their atomic structure, will allow one to further improve the desirable properties for a specific application. Employing x-ray absorption spectroscopy and the modeling thereof with density functional theory has revealed the origin and nature of for example triangular defects observed in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and the self-healing property of icosahedral boron phosphide (B12P2).
It is on this work that Sebastiaan Huber defended his thesis compiled of numerical and experimental studies done at the Center for X-ray Optics and the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, California, under the guidance of Dr David Prendergast from Berkeley, and Dr Robbert van de Kruijs and promotor Prof. Fred Bijkerk of the XUV Optics Group at the Science and Technology Faculty of the University of Twente. The title is "Illuminating the structure of borides through x-ray absorption spectroscopy".
