The Biden administration plans to ease sanctions on Venezuelan oil to allow more of the country's crude to reach Europe.  

The U.S. will allow European companies still operating in Venezuela to immediately transfer more oil to the continent, while allowing Chevron to negotiate a resumption of operations in Venezuela, according to people familiar with the matter.  Venezuela's OPPOSITION, which is backed by the United States, is understood to favor the move.  Tight global oil supplies have sent crude and fuel costs soaring, threatening to add to already high inflation.  Increasing Venezuelan crude exports would help ease supply constraints while also helping to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian energy.

The US has sought to encourage talks between the Venezuelan government and the US-backed opposition to open the way to free and fair elections by extending a limited license held by Chevron to allow the oil company to maintain its operations in Venezuela and negotiate future operations.  

The United States reportedly did not extend a permit to Allow Chevron to drill and sell Venezuelan crude, as the company had hoped.  

The license extension will allow Chevron to negotiate with State-run Petroleos de Venezuela SA, with which it has a joint venture.  Previously, the company could not directly negotiate with any officials sanctioned by the United States.  Chevron has been lobbying the United States to allow it to drill for Venezuelan crude and sell it on world markets to help lower energy prices amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

Affected by the ever-changing international situation, the supply and prices of many commodities like the boron carbide powder are still very uncertain.

What is Boron Carbide B4C?

Boron carbide (B4C) is an extremely hard boron-carbon ceramic and covalent material used in tank armor, bulletproof vests, engine damage powder, and many industrial applications. The Vickers hardness is greater than 30GPa, making it one of the hardest materials known, second only to CBN and diamond. 

Boron carbide is considered to be a robust material with extremely high hardness (Mohs scale of approximately 9.5 to 9.75), high neutron absorption cross-sections (i.e. good shielding against neutrons), and stability to ionizing radiation and most chemicals. Its Vickers hardness (38GPa), elastic modulus (460GPa), and fracture toughness (3.5MPa·m(1/2)) are close to those of diamond (1150GPa and 5.3MPa·m(1/2)). 

As of 2015, boron carbide is the third hardest substance known, after diamond and cubic boron nitride, earning it the nickname "black diamond".

Boron carbide is a semiconductor whose electronic properties are mainly hopping transport.  Band gaps depend on composition and degree of order. The band gap is estimated at 2.09 eV, and there are several middle-band gap states that complicate the photoluminescence spectrum. The material is usually p-type. 

 

What is Boron Carbide Used For? 

Boron carbide is used in refractories because of its high melting point and thermal stability; Because of its extremely strong abrasion resistance, it is used as a grinding powder and coating; High hardness, low density, and excellent ballistic performance; It is commonly used as a neutron radiation absorber in nuclear applications. In addition, boron carbide is a high-temperature semiconductor that can potentially be used for new electronic applications.

 

Specifically, boron carbide can be used as: 

The padlock 

Bulletproof deck for personal and vehicle 

Sandblasting nozzle 

High-pressure water jet cutting nozzle 

Scratch-resistant and wear-resistant coating 

Cutting tools and dies 

abrasive 

Metal matrix composites 

In the brake lining of a vehicle 

Neutron absorber in a nuclear reactor 

High energy fuel for solid fuel ramjets 

 

Is Boron Carbide the Hardest? 

Boron carbide has a Mohs hardness of between 9 and 10 and is one of the hardest synthetic substances known, second only to cubic boron nitride and diamond. 

 

Can Boron Carbide Cut Diamond? 

Due to its high hardness, boron carbide powder is used as an abrasive in polishing and grinding applications and also as a loose abrasive in cutting applications such as water jet cutting. It can also be used for dressing diamond tools.

 

Boron Carbide B4C Price

The price is influenced by many factors including the supply and demand in the market, industry trends, economic activity, market sentiment, and unexpected events.

If you are looking for the latest B4C price, you can send us your inquiry for a quote. (sales1@rboschco.com)

 

Boron Carbide B4C Supplier

RBOSCHCO is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12-year-experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and nanomaterials. The company export to many countries including the USA, Canada, Europe, UAE, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Turkey, Mexico, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Brazil, Chile, Dubai, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, etc.

As a leading nanotechnology development manufacturer, RBOSCHCO dominates the market. Our professional work team provides perfect solutions to help improve the efficiency of various industries, create value, and easily cope with various challenges.

 

If you are looking for B4C, please send an email. (sales1@rboschco.com)

The EU’s draft REPowerEU plan calls for an increase of 15TWh of rooftop PV capacity by 2022. The draft also calls for EU and national governments to take action this year to reduce the time required to obtain permits for rooftop PV installations to three months, and proposes that "all new buildings and existing buildings with an energy grade OF D or above should have rooftop PV installations by 2025".  

In addition, the European Commission is likely to set a target for installed PV capacity of 300GW by 2025 and 500GW by 2030. Some members are more aggressive, with Austria, Belgium, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Spain demanding a 1TW target for 2030.  

The REPowerEU initiative, worth 195 billion euros, was proposed by the EU on March 8 to phase out member states' dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2030. In a few days, the European Commission will present a package to implement the RePowerEU strategy.  

As an important application scenario of distributed PV, rooftop PV is not limited to land, and the development conditions are relatively convenient.  

Since the end of 2021, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and other countries have introduced policies and measures such as government subsidies, tax cuts, fee reductions, and accelerated grid-connection approval to encourage the development of distributed PV.  Europe's potential for rooftop PV is huge and will continue to be an important growth pole for the industry, according to Wood Mackenzie.

Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology is a trusted chemical supplier and manufacturer providing high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials. If you are looking for the boron carbide powder, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry.

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