Patent ID: 6967011

Claim:
A process for synthesizing a boride compound, comprising the steps of: a) Mixing boron and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of transition, lanthanide and actinide metals in a stoichiometric ratio corresponding to the boride compound forming a feedstock, the feedstock having a spherical pellet shape capable of levitation; b) Placing the feedstock on a nozzle of an aerodynamic levitator, the aerodynamic levitator having a levitation chamber, conical nozzle, a gas laser, a pyrometer, a camera, and a vacuum pump; c) Clearing the levitation chamber of the aerodynamic levitator of any potential contaminant gas or materials using the levitator's vacuum pump; d) Filling the reaction chamber of the aerodynamic levitator with a first argon; e) Levitating the feedstock using the aerodynamic levitator, the levitator using a second argon gas to levitate the feedstock, the flow of the second argon gas being increased or decreased to control the position of the feedstock, levitation being based on the rate of flow of the second argon gas; f) Heating the levitating feedstock using the gas laser to a minimum of 200° C. above the boride compound's melting point; g) When the elements/compounds of the feedstock begin to interact with each other and their surfaces begin to melt together, increasing the power of the laser by between 20–70%, continuing to heat the feedstock until the feedstock is completely molten and the temperature begins to stabilize, the interaction between the feedstock forming a boride compound; h) Cooling the resulting boride compound.