boron nitride
Noun
Meaning
boron nitride (uncountable)
(inorganic chemistry) A binary compound of boron and nitrogen, of empirical formula BN; exists in forms analogous to the allotropes of carbon, many of which are inorganic polymers.
Examples
All other forms of boron nitride are crystalline.
Amorphous form (a-BN) The amorphous form of boron nitride (a-BN) is non-crystalline, lacking any long-distance regularity in the arrangement of its atoms.
Because of excellent thermal and chemical stability, boron nitride ceramics are traditionally used as parts of high-temperature equipment.
Because of its excellent thermal and chemical stability, boron nitride ceramics are traditionally used as parts of high-temperature equipment.
Cubic boron nitride, among other applications, is used as an abrasive, as it has a hardness comparable with diamond (the two substances are able to produce scratches on each other).
In the BN compound analogue of graphite, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), the positively charged boron and negatively charged nitrogen atoms in each plane lie adjacent to the oppositely charged atom in the next plane.