Properties and applications of boron carbide

Overview of Boron Carbide B4C powder

Boron carbide (B4C) is also known as black diamond. It is gray-black and is a very hard man-made material: the Mohs hardness is 9.3, and the microhardness is 5500~6700kg/mm2, second only to diamond and cubic boron nitride.

The structure of boron carbide is hexagonal. The density of boron carbide is 2.52g/cm3. The melting point of boron carbide is 2450℃, and it decomposes and volatilizes rapidly when the temperature is higher than 2800℃.

 Boron carbide B4C powder properties

Boron carbide is insoluble in water and organic solvents, has strong chemical stability, is resistant to acid and alkali corrosion, and hardly reacts with all acid and alkali solutions. The thermal neutron capture cross section of boron carbide is large and the neutron absorption ability is strong, so it is called a neutron absorber and a semiconductor.

Application of boron carbide B4C powder

Due to its attractive combination of properties, it is a suitable material for many high-performance applications.

The excellent hardness of boron carbide makes it a suitable abrasive for grinding, polishing and water jet cutting of metals and ceramics. It is suitable for grinding, polishing, drilling and other processing of various carbide tools, molds, parts, components and gemstones. Boron carbide can be made into abrasive paste and polishing paste with appropriate amount of oil or water as lubricant.

Control nuclear fission

Boron carbide can absorb a large number of neutrons without forming any radioactive isotopes. It is an ideal neutron absorber in nuclear power plants. Neutron absorbers mainly control the rate of nuclear fission. Boron carbide is mainly used in nuclear reactors as controllable rods, but is sometimes powdered due to increased surface area.

During the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986, Russia dropped nearly 2,000 tons of boron carbide and sand, which ultimately stopped a chain reaction within the reactor.

Abrasives

Because boron carbide has long been used as a rough grinding material. Due to its high melting point, it is not easy to cast into artificial products, but it can be processed into simple shapes by melting powder at high temperature. For grinding, grinding, drilling and polishing of hard materials such as carbide and gemstones.

Coating

Boron carbide can also be used as ceramic coatings for warships and helicopters. It is lightweight and has the ability to resist penetration of armor-piercing projectiles through thermocompression coatings, forming a complete defensive layer.

Nozzle

In the arms industry, it can be used to make gun barrels. Boron carbide, extremely hard and wear-resistant, does not react with acid and alkali, high and low temperature resistance, high pressure resistance, density ≥2.46g/cm3; microhardness ≥3500kgf/mm2, flexural strength ≥400MPa, melting point 2450℃.

Since boron carbide nozzles have the above-mentioned characteristics of wear resistance and high hardness, boron carbide sandblasting nozzles will gradually replace known cemented carbide/tungsten steel and silicon carbide, silicon nitride, alumina, zirconia and other sandblasting nozzles.

Other

Boron carbide is also used in the manufacture of metal borides, smelting sodium boron, boron alloys and special welding.

Boron carbide B4C powder price

The price of boron carbide B4C powder will vary randomly due to factors such as production costs, transportation costs, international conditions, exchange rates, and market supply and demand of boron carbide B4C powder. 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 range of customized services. If you are looking for boron carbide B4C powder, please feel free to send an inquiry to get the latest price of boron carbide B4C powder.

Boron Carbide B4C Powder Supplier

As a global supplier of boron carbide B4C powders, Tanki New Materials Ltd. has extensive experience in the performance, application and cost-effective manufacturing of advanced and engineered materials. The company has successfully developed a series of powder materials (titanium diboride, silicon hexaboride, molybdenum boride, iron boride), high-purity target materials, functional ceramics and structural devices, and provides OEM services.