Boron Nitride (BN) is a white, low porosity refractory material with physical and mechanical properties similar to Graphite.

It is produced in a hot pressed form and the resulting material properties are anisotropic relative to the press direction. In fact, the material properties can vary considerably depending on the direction or the grade of the material.

It is easily machined into complex shapes using standard carbide tooling. The most common formulation of Boron Nitride contains boric oxide.

However, unlike Graphite, Boron Nitride has high thermal conductivity and good thermal shock performance. The boric oxide can cause Boron Nitride to absorb moisture, resulting in swelling and property degradation. The operation temperatures range from 900°C for oxidizing environments to 2200°C for inert environments.

Depending on how it is processed, the hardness of Boron Nitride varies considerably, from a soft machinable material (Mohs hardness of ~2) to Cubic Boron Nitride (Mohs hardness of ~9.5), which is second only to diamond in hardness.

Boron Nitride Applications

- Low friction seals

- Microwave tubes

- Plasma arc insulators

- Microcircuit packages