Boron is an enigmatic metal that can exist in several forms

Boron is an enigmatic metal that can exist in several forms (allotropes), each with other physical and chemical properties. Amorphous boron is a lightweight but rugged brown powder generally produced via a reduction of boron oxide with magnesium. SMI Ltd. stocks and supplies both 95% and 99% min. Amorphous boron powder. Our higher purity (99% min.) boron powder contains less than 1.5% magnesium and has an average particle size of 1-5 microns. This B2O3 is sensitive to moisture and gets converted to boric acid (H3BO3). The presence of B2O3 and H3BO3 on the surface of the boron particles poses problems during propellant processing, ignition, and combustion. The hydroxyl functional group of the propellant binder, i.e., Hydroxyl Terminated Poly-Butadiene (HTPB), reacts with B2O3 / H3BO3 to form substantial cross-linking with the boron particles, resulting in an increase in viscosity, making propellant processing difficult. Hence, boric acid is an undesirable impurity in ABP. Various authors have tried to inhibit the surface oxidation of boron particles by using different surface passivating agents such as organic amines, hydroxylamine, or ceramic B4C. Efforts were also made to overcome this problem by using various coating agents adhering to the surface of the boron particles. The coating materials react with the B2O3 layer, facilitating quick removal during combustion. This paper describes a method for assaying the boric acid content of ABP. The presence of boric acid in ABP was also characterized by FTIR and SEM with EDX. In-house boron samples and boron samples obtained from commercial sources were analyzed, and the results have been thoroughly compared. The aging characteristics (concerning boric acid formation) during storage of in-house boron powder were also studied. If you are looking for high quality, high purity and cost-effective amorphous boron powder, or if you require the latest price of amorphous boron powder, please feel free to email contact mis-asia.