Boron carbide is hard black with glossy crystals. Hardness is lower than industrial diamond, but higher than silicon carbide. It is less vulnerable than most pottery. It has a large thermal neutron capture cross section. Strong resistance to chemistry. The erosion of hydrogen fluoride and nitric acid. Soluble in molten base, insoluble in water and acid.
Boron Carbide Powder (B4C) a black crystal powder, is one of the hardest Man-Made materials. Its hardness with Mohs hardness 9.36 and microscopic hardness 5400-6300kg/mm2 is only near upon diamond. Its density is 2.52g/cm3 and melting point is 2450ºC. It has excellent abrasion resistance and large neutron-absorbing cross section. The boron carbide possesses properties of endurance hi/low temperature, no reaction with either acids or alkalis, high grinding efficiency, no magnetism. It is a good replacement of diamond. Boron carbide also possesses the special properties of light quality, neutron absorbing, semi-conductivity, etc., so it is widely used in machinery, electronics, instrumentation, metallurgy, national defense, armed forces, nuclear, aviation industry, and also used as abrasives, classic refractory and specific welding materials, human protection materials and so on.
Boron carbide is widely applied as follows: boriding refractory, ion transfusion, film layer as well as grinding, polishing, lapping, drilling hard metal alloys, sapphire, watches, jewels, etc. Meanwhile, it is main material for the wear-resisting parts, precise meter-age element, sandblasting nozzle, precise spray nozzle, sealed washer, smelting boron steel, boron alloy, etc.
Boron carbide has showed many better properties of physics and chemistry in the hi-science/technology fields.
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