In addition to longstanding roles in fluorocarbon chemistry, boron trifluoride continues finding new specialized applications that take advantage of its strong Lewis acidity:

Laboratory chemical ionization gas - Doping BF3 into GC/MS systems increases analyte ion formation.

Fuel cell membranes - BF3-amine complexes allow ion conduction for solid acid fuel cells.

Gold nanoparticle catalyst - Ultrafine gold nanoparticles made using BF3 have enhanced catalytic activity.

Graphene electronics - Low-damage graphene doping is enabled by BF3 for device fabrication.

Photocatalyst - BF3 addition improves catalytic activity of TiO2 for water splitting reactions.

Fluoride glasses - BF3 assists in synthesizing heavy-metal fluoride glasses for fiber optics.

Nuclear industry - BF3 is used to generate isotopes for neutron radiography imaging.

With responsible handling and containment, the unique properties of boron trifluoride will likely find additional high-value specialty uses as material, chemical, and nuclear technologies continue advancing.