Complete Guide to Processing Tantalum

Tantalum is classified as a refractory metal that occurs frequently in nature, in the form of tantalite ore having formula (Fe, Mn) [(Nb, Ta) O3] 2. Tantalum is a shiny, silvery metal which is soft when is pure. Its ore is referred to as tantalite which also contains iron, manganese and niobium, and samarskite, which contains seven metals. When niobium predominates than tantalum, it is known as niobite. The world's largest tantalum deposits is found in Thailandia Australia, Brazil, Portigal and Canada and a number of African countries.

It possesses a low vapor pressure and good electrical and thermal conductivity.  It is a strong, ductile metal that can be drawn into a fine wire and to evaporate metals, such as aluminum. Tantalum can be alloyed with steel to increase steel's ductility, strength and melting point.

Tantalum in the environment

Since, tantalum oxide is insoluble and rarely present in liquid form, that’s why there is almost no tantalum found in natural waters. It’s approx. level in soils 0.1 to 3 ppm therefore, only tiny amounts of tantalum is absorbed by plants.

Chemical behavior of Tantalum:

Tantalum is resistant to almost all the types of chemical substances. However, in thermodynamic terms, it can form stable compounds with a wide variety of elements. When it is exposed to O2 tantalum forms a very dense oxide layer (Ta2O5). This layer protects the base material from attack. This is the reason it is a very good corrosion-resistant substance.

If tantalum is exposed to chemical attack, hydrogen enters its metal lattice and the material becomes brittle. The corrosion resistance falls with increasing temperature. Tantalum does not react with noble gases, therefore high purity noble gases can be used as protective gases. However, with increasing temperature, tantalum reacts very strongly with oxygen and may absorb large quantities of hydrogen and nitrogen. The inorganic substances with which tantalum is not resistant are: molten sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. Acidic material that attacks tantalum are concentrated sulfuric acid, fluorine, hydrofluoric acid.

Important Industrial Applications for Tantalum

Tantalum is an element found in many ways in our every day lives. It finds its main application in areas: high-temperature resistance; electrical devices, surgical devices, capacitors; and corrosive resistant materials. Due to its particular ability to store and release electrical energy it has huge application in electronic industry. It is mainly used as powder and wire for capacitors. Tantalum applications include use in electronics, engineering, energy generation and medicine.

It is a very hard material, and hardness of Tantalum carbide's makes it ideal for cutting tools. Tantalum also does not irritate the body and therefore makes it excellent surgical equipments.  Tantalum has  applications in telecommunications, implantable medical devices and data storage.