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Boron carbide, also known as black diamond, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula B₄C, typically appearing as a gray-black powder. It is one of the three hardest known materials (second only to diamond and cubic boron nitride) and is used in tank armor, bulletproof vests, and many industrial applications. Its Mohs hardness is about 9.5. It was discovered in the 19th century as a byproduct of research on metal borides, and it wasn't until the 1930s that it was studied scientifically. Boron carbide can be produced by reducing boron trioxide with carbon in an electric furnace. Boron carbide can absorb a large number of neutrons without forming any radioactive isotopes, making it an ideal neutron absorber in nuclear power plants, where neutron absorbers are primarily used to control the rate of nuclear fission. In nuclear reactors, boron carbide is mainly made into controllable rod shapes, but sometimes it is powdered to increase the surface area.