Self-Organization of Redeposited Binder Nanoparticles in Cubic Boron Nitride Materials

Herein, the previously unrealized ability to grow microspherical agglomerates using nanosecond laser irradiation is demonstrated. In as short as 1 min, microagglomerates with nanoparticles of Titanium (both spherical and woven-like) are grown in air. For the first time, it is demonstrated that surface nano-structuring of cubic boron nitride composites is possible by self-organization of redeposited Ti nanoparticles, at various energy levels and in the vaporization regime of laser-matter interaction. The effect of low-energy laser processing on the surface integrity (i.e., crystallization, morphology) and chemical transformations of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride composites is investigated, with particular emphasis on understanding the effect of laser fluence on chemical transformation at the interface between hard phase and binder. The structure of the newly formed TiB₂ and TiN is investigated through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS), Focus Ion Beam Milling (FIB), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), and X-Ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD).