Catalyst systems for synthesis of cubic boron nitride

Claim 1

IN THE METHOD FOR CONVERTING HEXAGONAL BORON NITRIDE TO CUBIC BORON NITRIDE WHEREIN HEXAGONAL BORON NITRIDE IN THE PRESENCE OF CATAYST MATERIAL FOR THE CONVERSION THEREON TOJ CUBIC BORON NITRIDE IS SUBJECTED TO THE SIMULTANEOUS APPLICATION OF CUBIC BORON NITRIDE STABLE PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURES, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING. A. MAKING AVAILABLE AS THE CATALYST MATERIAL DURING THE CONVERSION A QUANTITY OF AT LEAST ONE ALLOY IN WHICH ALUMINUM IS COMBINED WITH AT LEAST ONE ALLOYING METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COBALT, NICKEL AND MANGANESE, THE RATIO OF ALUMINUM TO ALLOY METAL BEING IN THE RANGE OF FROM 1 PART BY WEIGHT OF ALUMINUM 2 PARTS BY WEIGHT ALLOYING METAL TO 1 PART BY WEIGT OF ALUMINUM: 100 PATRS BY WEIGHT OF ALLOYING METAL, SAID ALLOY PASSING THROUGH A MOLTEN PHASE DURING SAID CONVERSION, AND B. THE QUANTITY OF HEXAGONAL BORON NITRIDE TO BE CONVERTED IS IN CONTACT AS A MASS WITH A MASS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SINTERED CARBIDE AND SINTERAL CARBIDE POWDER FORMING AN INTERFACE THEREWITH, THE CARBIDE PORTION OF SAID SINTERED CARBIDE OR SAID SINTERABLE CARBIDE POWDER BEING PREDOMINANTLY OF A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TUNGSTEN CARBIDE, TITANIUM CARBIDE, TITANIUM CARBIDE AND MIXTURES THEREOF, WHEREBY A COMPOSITE CUBIC BORON NITRIDE/SINTERED CARBIDE BODY IS FORMED IN SITU WHEREIN THE CUBIC BORON NITRIDE IS STRONGLY BONDED TO THE SINTERED CARBIDE AND WHEREBY THE INTERFACE OF SAID COMPOSITE BETWEEN SAID CUBIC BORON NITRIDE AND SAID SINTERED CARBIDE IS INTERLOCKING, FREE OF VOID AND IRREGULAR ON THE SCALE OF ABOUT 1-100 MICROMETERS.