Is boron a metal or a non-metal?

Is boron a metal?

Boron powder is not a metal, but boron is a solid non-metal because it does not have the general characteristics of a metal. Boron is the only non-metallic element with less than 4 electrons in the outermost layer. This element has amorphous and crystalline forms. The former is brown-black to black powder, and the latter is black-black to silver gray with metallic luster. Its hardness is similar to that of diamond. Amorphous boron slowly oxidizes in the air at room temperature and ignites spontaneously at around 800 °C. Boron and hydrochloric acid or hydrofluoric acid do not work even if they boil for a long time.

Boron can be slowly attacked and oxidized by hot concentrated nitric acid and a mixture of sodium dichromate and sulfuric acid. Hydrogen peroxide and ammonium persulfate will also slowly oxidize crystalline boron. Boron reacts violently with sulfur at about 600°C to form a boron sulfide mixture. When boron is heated to above 1000°C in nitrogen or ammonia, boron nitride is formed. At 1800-2000°C, boron does not react with hydrogen, and boron and silicon react above 2000°C to form silicon boride. At high temperatures, boron reacts with many metals and metal oxides to form metal borides.

Boron characteristics

Elemental boron is black or dark brown powder. When it is oxidized in the air, it prevents the internal boron from continuing to oxidize due to the formation of a boron trioxide film. It reacts with fluorine at room temperature and is not corroded by hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid aqueous solutions. Boron is insoluble in water. Powdered boron is soluble in boiling nitric acid and sulfuric acid, as well as most molten metals such as copper, iron, manganese, aluminum and calcium. Amorphous boron is chemically active, and powder and air can form an explosive mixture.

Boron is a weak electrical conductor at room temperature and good at high temperatures. Elemental boron has many allotropes, amorphous boron is brown powder, and crystalline boron is gray-black. Elemental boron has a hardness similar to diamond and has high electrical resistance, but its electrical conductivity increases with increasing temperature. Crystalline boron is more inert, while amorphous boron is more active. There are 14 isotopes in boron, of which only two are stable. Boron mainly exists in the form of boric acid and borate in nature.

Overview of Boron

Boron (B) is a light element that forms stable borides with transition metals, and the compounds with high melting points are compounds formed with elements of group IVA, group VA and group VIA. The crystal structure of boride is determined by the structural characteristics of the boron atom. The chemical stability of borides gradually decreases from IVA to VIA. The most stable borides are TiB2, ZrB2 and HfB2.

People's research on boride films is far less in-depth and sufficient than nitride and carbide films. In terms of hardness, borides are equivalent to carbides, and some are slightly higher. This is because the degree of covalent bonding of borides is higher than that of carbides. However, boride is quite brittle, its inertness is strong, and its chemical properties are stable, so it is used in some fields. Such as protective coating and hard alloy coated tools. Most boride films are prepared by CVD method, but reactive sputtering and direct sputtering methods are also used to prepare boride films.

Boron application

Boride has the characteristics of high conductivity, high melting point, high hardness and high stability: Boride has relatively high thermal conductivity and strength, so its thermal stability is relatively good. The oxidation resistance of boride at high temperature is based on group IVB metals. Boride is the best.

Borides are soluble in molten alkali, rare earth and alkaline earth metal borides are not corroded by humid air or dilute hydrochloric acid, but are soluble in nitric acid. Almost all borides have the appearance and properties of metals, with high conductivity and positive temperature coefficient of resistance. The borides of Ti, Zr, and Hf have better conductivity than their metals.

The creep resistance of boride is very good, which is very important for gas turbines and rockets that require materials to work at high temperatures for a long time, and can maintain strength, resist deformation, resist corrosion, and heat shock. Various alloys or cermets based on borides, carbides, and nitrides can be used to manufacture rocket structural components, aviation equipment components, turbine components, sample holders for high-temperature material testing machines and instrument components, bearings, and measuring high temperature Cone head for hardness and some structural parts of nuclear energy device, etc.

The price of boron powder

The price of boron powder will vary randomly with the production cost, transportation cost, international situation, exchange rate and supply and demand of boron powder market. Tanki New Materials Co., Ltd. aims to help various industries and chemical wholesalers find high-quality, low-cost nanomaterials and chemicals by providing a full set of customized services. If you are looking for boron powder, please feel free to send an inquiry to get the latest price of boron powder.

Supplier of boron powder

As a global boron powder supplier, Tanki New Materials Co., Ltd. has extensive experience in the performance, application and cost-effective manufacturing of advanced engineering materials. The company has successfully developed a series of powder materials (including oxides, carbides, nitrides, single metals, etc.), high-purity targets, functional ceramics and structural devices, and provides OEM services.