Properties and Applications of Boron Carbide

The boron-carbide crystal is rhombohedral in structure. Its crystal lattice is the D3d5R3m space lattice. The rhombohedral lattice can be described as an icosahedron-shaped primitive cell grid that extends diagonally in the space. The c-axis is the same as the diagonal of the area. A linear chain is formed by connecting three boron-atoms to an adjacent icosahedron. Three of the 12 icosahedral position are found on the chain. If B is due to the icosahedron’s position and C is in a chain, the stoichiometry is B4C.

1. Basic properties and applications for boron carbide

1) Low density

B4C density is small at 2.52g/cm3. The empirical formula (9) can be used to express the relationship between carbon content and density in the homogeneous area.

r=2.4224+0.00489C%(9)

Because of the low density of the boron carbide, if a higher density is achieved, the performance of the boron carbide can be reached, with high strength and hardness. Save energy.

Hardness and wear resistant

B4C exhibits super hardness, and it is highly resistant to wear. In the homogeneous area, B4C’s Vickers Hardness increases as the C content increases. The hardness is 29.1 GPa when the carbon is 10.6%; at 20% carbon, it can reach 37.7 GPa. At high temperature, its hardness remains high (>30GPa). You can express the change of hardness in temperature by using empirical formula (10).

H=H0-exp(-aT)(10)

The formula is: H0-the hardness of the material at room temperature

Temperature is T.

Carbon is referred to as a constant.


This formula applies to 201700. B4C is second only to cubic BN and diamond in terms of hardness.


B4C wear resistance increases with temperature. As the temperature increases, the friction coefficient of B4C decreases. It drops to 0.05 between 20 and 1400, while the friction rate also decreases. B4C’s super hardness and friction properties have made it a popular sandblasting tool.


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What are the Main Application Areas of Boron Carbide

What is Boron Carbide?

Boron carburide (also known as black diamand) is a substance that has the molecular formula B4C. It’s a gray-black fine powder. It is among the three hardest substances known (the two others being diamond and cubic boron-nitride). Tank armor, bulletproof vests, and other industrial uses are all made of it. Boron carbide absorbs a lot of neutrons but does not produce radioisotopes. This makes it an ideal neutron absorption material for nuclear power plants. Neutron absorbers are used to regulate the rate of nuclear fusion. Boron carbide, which is used in nuclear reactors, is mostly made in a controlled rod shape. But sometimes it’s made as powder due to the increased surface area.

What are the main applications of Boron Carbide?

(1) The field is national defense. Bullet-proofing has been done with boron carbide ceramics since the 1960s. Comparing it to other materials, its characteristics are easy portability and high toughness. It plays an important role in the lightweight armour of armed aircraft and the bulletproof body armor of helicopters. The British used this material as a raw materials to manufacture armor that can protect against armor piercing projectiles.


(2) In terms of raw chemical materials. To increase the wear-resistance and strength of alloys boron carbide has been used as an agent to boronize alloys. This can be done on the metal surface by generating a thin layer iron boride.


(3) Wear-resistant field. Boron carbide ceramics are visible in a number of industrial nozzles. These include desander nozzles to remove rust and nozzles designed for high-pressure water gun cutting. They are often chosen by factories for their durability under extreme conditions, and cost-effectiveness. . It can also be used to avoid pollution due to abrasive waste during grinding. As a diamond abrasive substitute, boron carbide can be used to reduce the cost of processing various metals as well as jade glass.


(4) Nuclear energy. Because of its excellent capacity to absorb neutrons, boron carbide is often used as a neutron absorption rod, safety rod and other components in order to control nuclear fission rate and protect human safety.


(5) Aviation. The gyroscope, which is an essential component of the navigation system for aircrafts, can be effectively extended by using boron-carbide as a material additive.


(aka. Technology Co. Ltd., a trusted global chemical materials supplier & manufacture with more than 12 years experience, is a trusted source for super-high quality chemicals and nanomaterials. The powder that we produce is of high purity with fine particles and low impurities. If you need lower, please call us.

Properties and Uses of Boron Carbide

What is Boron Carbide?

Boron carburide (also known as black diamand) is an organic material with the molecular formula B4C. It’s a gray-black fine powder. It is among the three hardest substances known (the two others being diamond and cubic boron-nitride). It’s used in bulletproof vests, tank armor and other industrial applications. Its Mohs hardness rating is 9.3.

Boron carbide absorbs a large amount of neutrons while forming no radioisotopes. It is therefore an ideal neutron absorption material in nuclear power plants. The neutron absorbers control the nuclear fission rate. Boron carbide, which is used in nuclear reactors, is mostly made in a controlled rod shape. But sometimes a powder is produced because of its larger surface area.


Due to its low density, it is a good material for lightweight armor and ceramic reinforcement phases. It is widely used in ceramic reinforcing phase, lightweight armor, neutron absorbers and other applications. As boron carbide can be easily manufactured and is less expensive than diamond and cubic Boron Nitride, it is used more often. It can be used in place of expensive diamond in certain areas and is often used for grinding, drilling, and grinding.

Boron carbide Powder Uses

(1) The field is national defense. Bullet-proofing has been done with boron carbide ceramics since the 1960s. Comparing it to other materials, its characteristics are easy portability and a high level of hardness. It is a key component of the lightweight armor used on armed helicopters as well as the bulletproof aircraft armor. The British used this material as a raw materials to manufacture armor that can protect against armor-piercing projectsiles.


(2) In terms of raw chemical materials. To increase the wear resistance of alloy materials and their strength, boron-carbide is used as an alloying agent. This can be done by boronizing the metal to produce a thin layer iron boride.


(3) Wear-resistant field. Boron carbide ceramics are visible in a number of industrial nozzles. These include desander nozzles and nozzles designed for high-pressure water gun cutting. These are frequently the first choices for factories, due to their durability under extreme conditions as well as high cost performance. . It can also be used to avoid pollution due to abrasive waste during grinding. As a diamond abrasive substitute, boron carbide can be used to reduce the cost of processing various metals as well as jade glass.


(4) Nuclear energy. Due to its excellent capacity for neutron absorbtion, boron carbide is often used as a neutron absorber material in safety rods, control rods and other components. This helps control the rate at which nuclear fission occurs and ensures human safety.


(aka. Technology Co. Ltd., a trusted global chemical materials supplier & manufacture with more than 12 years experience in providing super-high quality chemicals and nanomaterials. The B4C powder that we produce is of high purity with a fine particle size. If you require lower, please Contact us.