# Mechanical properties of boron phosphides

## TL;DR

This study investigates the microstructure and mechanical properties of bulk boron phosphides, revealing their hardness and toughness, and suggesting their potential as binders for superhard materials.

## Contribution

It provides new data on the hardness, elastic properties, and fracture toughness of cubic BP and rhombohedral B12P2, highlighting their potential applications.

## Key findings

- Both phosphides are hard materials with notable fracture toughness.
- They exhibit promising elastic properties suitable for binder applications.
- Data supports their use in superhard composite materials.

## Abstract

Microstructure and mechanical properties of bulk polycristalline boron phosphides (cubic BP and rhombohedral B12P2) have been studied by scanning electron microscopy and micro- and nanoindentation. The obtained data on hardness, elastic properties and fracture toughness clearly indicate that both phosphides belong to a family of hard phases and can be considered as prospective binders for diamond and cubic boron nitride.

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1901.06272