Tantalum (Ta): Capacitor Manufacturing, Sputtering Targets, and High-Stress Furnace Parts

Tantalum and its alloys have high melting point, high strength and ductility, and excellent chemical corrosion resistance. Tantalum carbide-graphite composite is one of the hardest materials ever known, appearing blue in rough state but showing silver luster when polished. Melting point exceeds 6,700°C. Pure metal is ductile and tough, can be drawn into thin wires, hammered and processed into various shapes. Tantalum wire ignites in air when exposed to flame.

Applications

1. For manufacturing high-temperature alloys and superconducting alloys.
2. For manufacturing electrolytic capacitors and vacuum furnace components.
3. For manufacturing sputtering targets.

Product Series

Health and Safety Information

Packaging Specifications

• Standard packaging: 50 kg/drum, 500 kg/pallet, ton bags
• Sample packaging: 500 g/bag, 1 kg/bottle

About Tantalum
Smelting method: Tantalum-niobium ores often contain various metals. Main steps of tantalum smelting include decomposing concentrate, purifying and separating tantalum and niobium to obtain pure compounds, finally producing metal.

Ore decomposition methods: hydrofluoric acid decomposition, sodium hydroxide fusion, chlorination, etc.

Tantalum-niobium separation methods: solvent extraction [common extractants: methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), tributyl phosphate (TBP), sec-octanol, acetamide, etc.], fractional crystallization, ion exchange, etc.

Tantalum production:

1.Tantalum powder can be produced by metallothermic reduction (sodium reduction). In inert atmosphere, potassium fluorotantalate is reduced by sodium metal:
K₂TaF₇ + 5Na → Ta + 5NaF + 2KF
Reaction is carried out in stainless steel tank, when temperature reaches 900°C, reduction completes quickly. Tantalum powder produced this way has irregular particle shape and fine size, suitable for tantalum capacitors.

Tantalum powder can also be produced by molten salt electrolysis: using molten salt electrolyte of potassium fluorotantalate, potassium fluoride and potassium chloride mixture, dissolving tantalum pentoxide (Ta₂O₅) in it, electrolyzing at 750°C to obtain tantalum powder with purity 99.8-99.9%.

2.Tantalum can also be obtained by carbothermal reduction of Ta₂O₅. Reduction is generally done in two steps: first mix Ta₂O₅ and carbon in certain ratio, make tantalum carbide (TaC) in hydrogen atmosphere at 1800-2000°C; then mix TaC and Ta₂O₅ in certain ratio and reduce in vacuum to metallic tantalum.

Tantalum can also be produced by thermal decomposition or hydrogen reduction of tantalum chlorides. Dense tantalum metal can be prepared by vacuum arc, electron beam, plasma beam melting or powder metallurgy. High purity tantalum single crystal is prepared by crucible-free electron beam zone melting.