Industry examples: Transportation | Buildings and materials | Consumer products | Energy and power | Technology
Borates are fundamental components across key industries and applications
Refined borates support sustainable development, efficient energy consumption, and technological advances by improving the safety, durability, and performance of materials and products essential to contemporary living. Discover examples from each industry below.
Transportation
Durability
Railroads remain a top form of transportation. Borates protect an essential component—wood crossties—from rot, pests, and moisture. That extends their service life for decades.
In cars, borosilicate glass is used to improve the strength of windshields.
Safety
When a car’s steel-based frame is made with refined borates, it becomes stronger and less vulnerable to corrosion. Borates also play an instrumental role in a car’s airbags by supporting their rapid inflation upon impact
Performance
Fluids critical to your car’s performance also benefit from borates. For example, boric acid can improve the lubrication properties of fuel, reducing friction in the engine.
As the world transitions to electric vehicles (EVs), boron plays a major role in improving the performance of several EV battery components, including the anode, cathode, electrolytes, and battery housing.
Buildings and materials
Durability
A borate treatment is a safe and effective choice to protect wood from harmful actors such as fungi, pests, and fire that threaten this essential construction material’s durability.
Boron is also used in interior materials such as nylon carpet. Borax decahydrate controls pH during the dyeing process, which prevents the jute backing from stains.
Safety
From PVC pipes to wiring to silicone-based sealants, polymers are abundant in buildings. However, polymers are highly susceptible to combustion and burning. Zinc borates combat this propensity through excellent fire retardancy properties, making them a great choice for developing safer buildings.
For decades, two major types of insulation—cellulose and fiberglass—have also benefitted from borates’ fire retardancy properties.
Performance
High-quality, water-soluble borates penetrate completely through wood, giving the protection wood needs to maintain its integrity and performance.
Boron is also commonly added to gypsum board, which increases the board’s strength and reduces weight.
Consumer products
Durability
Cracking, pinholes, blisters, and poor glaze adhesion are all problems that can plague consumer ceramics products. However, incorporating borates into their production eliminates these problems, creating durable ceramics such as cookware and tiles.
Safety
Eye drops feature boron as a key ingredient in solutions because it allows producers to control pH and retain moisture. Those qualities result in safe, effective products.
Performance
When you go to the grocery store, you may not realize boron helps you bring your food home. Borates are used in the adhesives that hold together many paper products such as grocery paper bags, corrugated box board, and cartons. Boron enables adhesives to achieve the right viscosity, tack, and bonding.
Energy and power
Durability
Borosilicate glass is used for solar energy panels because it transmits light efficiently and provides a durable protective layer. This means the panels can withstand adverse weather conditions and experience a longer lifespan.
In another renewable energy source—wind energy—borate-based glass fibers fortify wind turbines.
Safety
Boron’s special atomic structure is critical to safeguard against rare, out-of-control reactions in nuclear power plants.
Performance
Batteries are everywhere—from the lithium-ion batteries in smartphones to the ones powering electric vehicles. Research shows that borates impart several key benefits when used in battery production, such as improved cycle life, increased ability to store energy, and rate capability. These benefits extend to large-scale capacitors as well, enhancing capacitor’s energy storage capabilities.
Technology
Durability
What prevents the glass used for your electronic device’s screen from shattering and scratching? Boron. Incorporating boron into a frit to make borosilicate glass increases the strength and durability of screens, while keeping desired properties such as thinness.
Safety
Applying a boron surface coating to a lithium-ion battery found in modern technology such as smartphones prevents harmful lithium deposits from accruing. Keeping batteries deposit free reduces the risk of batteries failing and even igniting in rare occurrences.
