Beryllium Boride

Beryllium boride is a binary compound consisting of beryllium and boron with the chemical formula BeB2. It is a hard, grayish-white ceramic material with high melting and boiling points. Beryllium boride has a hexagonal crystal structure and possesses excellent high-temperature stability, good thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity.

Beryllium boride is primarily used as a refractory material, due to its ability to withstand high temperatures without significantly degrading. It also finds application in neutron detection due to its high cross-section for capturing neutrons. Additionally, it has been studied for use as an electrode material in lithium-ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity and low-mass density.

However, beryllium boride poses health risks due to the toxicity of beryllium, which can cause chronic beryllium disease if inhaled as fine particulate matter. Therefore, proper handling and disposal procedures should be followed when working with this material.