denka boron nitride is a compound of boron and nitrogen. It is not found naturally in nature but is produced synthetically from boric acid or boron trioxide using ammonia or urea as the nitrogen source. It can be produced in several crystalline forms. Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is isoelectronic with graphite and has similar softness and lubricant properties, while cubic boron nitride (cBoron nitride) has a harder structure but it is less chemically and thermally stable.

The hBN is typically used in dry lubricants and hard coatings such as automotive abrasion resistant materials. It also has good thermal conductivity and high dielectric strength. It is not wetted by most molten metals, glasses, or salts and has a high volume resistivity. cBoron nitride, on the other hand, is much like diamond in its mechanical and thermal properties but it is wetted by most molten metals, glass, and salts.

A method for producing a sinterable crystalline hexagonal system boron nitride powder material comprising calcining melamine borate particles or a mixture thereof in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere to form amorphous boron nitride or a hexagonal system boron nitride with a graphitization index of at least 2.5 by powder X-ray diffraction. The amorphous hexagonal system boron is then mixed with a crystallization catalyst in a ratio wherein the molar ratio of hexagonal boron nitride to the hexagonal boron trioxide in the amorphous hexagonal boron is within a range from 1 to 20 wt %. The hexagonal boron system boron nitride is then sintered to produce a pressureless sintered body.