What is Boron Carbide Used For?

Since 2022, Russia-Ukraine geopolitical conflicts have intensified, and global energy prices have risen sharply, with international natural gas prices hitting historic highs. As the most important transitional energy source in the transition from fossil energy to non-fossil energy, the share of natural gas in primary energy has increased from 14.6% in 1965 to 24.7% in 2020.  The global gas price indices showed a unilateral downward trend from 2018, bottomed out in 2020, and remained low for a long time. However, since July 2020, the global gas prices have gradually fluctuated upward, and the impact of geopolitical events made the Dutch TTF gas price even hit record highs repeatedly.

An analyst of a securities company believes that the core catalyst of this round of global gas market lies in the lack of investment in upstream oil and gas resources caused by long-term low prices. Since 2020, although the epidemic has led to a decline in demand, the decline in supply has been faster, resulting in a large inventory consumption. In 2021, demand will recover faster than supply (the supply-side is less sensitive to prices, which will be reflected in investment).  

As the world's two largest gas boron carbide powder are also expected to change significantly.

What is Boron Carbide B4C?

Boron carbide (B4C) is an extremely hard boron-carbon ceramic and covalent material used in tank armor, bulletproof vests, engine damage powder, and many industrial applications. The Vickers hardness is greater than 30GPa, making it one of the hardest materials known, second only to CBN and diamond. 

Boron carbide is considered to be a robust material with extremely high hardness (Mohs scale of approximately 9.5 to 9.75), high neutron absorption cross-sections (i.e. good shielding against neutrons), and stability to ionizing radiation and most chemicals. Its Vickers hardness (38GPa), elastic modulus (460GPa), and fracture toughness (3.5MPa·m(1/2)) are close to those of diamond (1150GPa and 5.3MPa·m(1/2)). 

As of 2015, boron carbide is the third hardest substance known, after diamond and cubic boron nitride, earning it the nickname "black diamond".

Boron carbide is a semiconductor whose electronic properties are mainly hopping transport.  Band gaps depend on composition and degree of order. The band gap is estimated at 2.09 eV, and there are several middle-band gap states that complicate the photoluminescence spectrum. The material is usually p-type. 

What is Boron Carbide Used For? 

Boron carbide is used in refractories because of its high melting point and thermal stability; Because of its extremely strong abrasion resistance, it is used as a grinding powder and coating; High hardness, low density, and excellent ballistic performance; It is commonly used as a neutron radiation absorber in nuclear applications. In addition, boron carbide is a high-temperature semiconductor that can potentially be used for new electronic applications.

Specifically, boron carbide can be used as: 

The padlock 

Bulletproof deck for personal and vehicle 

Sandblasting nozzle 

High-pressure water jet cutting nozzle 

Scratch-resistant and wear-resistant coating 

Cutting tools and dies 

abrasive 

Metal matrix composites 

In the brake lining of a vehicle 

Neutron absorber in a nuclear reactor 

High energy fuel for solid fuel ramjets 

Is Boron Carbide the Hardest? 

Boron carbide has a Mohs hardness of between 9 and 10 and is one of the hardest synthetic substances known, second only to cubic boron nitride and diamond. 

Can Boron Carbide Cut Diamond? 

Due to its high hardness, boron carbide powder is used as an abrasive in polishing and grinding applications and also as a loose abrasive in cutting applications such as water jet cutting. It can also be used for dressing diamond tools.

Boron Carbide B4C Price

The price is influenced by many factors including the supply and demand in the market, industry trends, economic activity, market sentiment, and unexpected events.

If you are looking for the latest B4C price, you can send us your inquiry for a quote. (sales1@rboschco.com)

Boron Carbide B4C Supplier

RBOSCHCO is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12-year-experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and nanomaterials. The company export to many countries including the USA, Canada, Europe, UAE, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Turkey, Mexico, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Brazil, Chile, Dubai, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, etc.

As a leading nanotechnology development manufacturer, RBOSCHCO dominates the market. Our professional work team provides perfect solutions to help improve the efficiency of various industries, create value, and easily cope with various challenges.

If you are looking for B4C, please send an email. (sales1@rboschco.com)

The EU’s draft REPowerEU plan calls for an increase of 15TWh of rooftop PV capacity by 2022. The draft also calls for EU and national governments to take action this year to reduce the time required to obtain permits for rooftop PV installations to three months, and proposes that "all new buildings and existing buildings with an energy grade OF D or above should have rooftop PV installations by 2025".  

In addition, the European Commission is likely to set a target for installed PV capacity of 300GW by 2025 and 500GW by 2030. Some members are more aggressive, with Austria, Belgium, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Spain demanding a 1TW target for 2030.  

The REPowerEU initiative, worth 195 billion euros, was proposed by the EU on March 8 to phase out member states' dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2030. In a few days, the European Commission will present a package to implement the RePowerEU strategy.  

As an important application scenario of distributed PV, rooftop PV is not limited to land, and the development conditions are relatively convenient.  

Since the end of 2021, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and other countries have introduced policies and measures such as government subsidies, tax cuts, fee reductions, and accelerated grid-connection approval to encourage the development of distributed PV.  Europe's potential for rooftop PV is huge and will continue to be an important growth pole for the industry, according to Wood Mackenzie.

Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology is a trusted chemical supplier and manufacturer providing high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials. If you are looking for the boron carbide powder, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry.

Inquiry us