boric oxide

APPLICATION AND BENEFITS 

In glass formulations, boric oxide helps to reduce melting temperatures, increase thermal resistance and mechanical strength, and enhance aqueous and chemical durability. Pure B₂O₃ is necessary for the production of certain types of glass:

• Optical lenses
• Telescope lenses
• Medical glass (ampoules)
• Electronic glass
• Glass-ceramic composites

Boric oxide is used by ceramic manufacturers used to produce elemental boron as well as various types of high-strength and heat-resistant ceramic products:

• Boron carbide
• Boron nitride
• Titanium diboride
• Zirconium diboride

Boric oxide is used in the manufacture of ceramics for many reasons, including its ability to increase the yields, strength, and scratch and chemical resistance of ceramic wares:

• Wall and floor tiles
• Tableware
• Porcelain
• Enameled appliances

Final glazes and enamels also benefit from boron’s influence on both the melting and physical properties of the product.

In metallurgy, boric oxide is an excellent solvent for metallic oxides at high temperatures. It is useful in the preparation of special welding and soldering fluxes, the hardening of steel, and the production of alloys with iron, nickel, or manganese. Boric oxide is also used to produce amorphous metal and rare-earth magnets.

In refractories, chemically bonded firebricks and castables require resistance to high temperature, abrasion, and corrosion. Boric oxide is used as a binder for magnesia-based refractory bricks and as a stabilizer for dolomite refractory bricks, commonly used in steel-smelting furnaces.

Finally, boric oxide is used as a catalyst in the conversion and synthesis of many organic compounds, as well as in the preparation of boron halides, sodium borohydride, metallic borates, and borate esters.