Tantalum is a sensible choice whenever high corrosion resistance is required. Even though tantalum is not one of the noble metals, it is comparable to them in terms of chemical resistance. In addition, tantalum is very easy to work at well below room temperature despite its body-centered cubic crystal structure. Tantalum’s corrosion resistance makes it a valuable material in a large number of chemical applications. We use our “unyielding” material, for example, to produce heat exchangers for the equipment construction sector, charge carriers for furnace construction, implants for medical technology and capacitor components for the electronics industry.XOT metals could provide tantalum sheet of vacuum electron beam melting and powder metallurgy technology, two kinds of manufacturing technology production of tantalum sheet has obvious difference, We can choose manufacturing technology according to the requirement of the customer.
Tantalum sheet of electron beam melting technology is multiple melting not forging of tantalum bar into tantalum ingot through vacuum electron beam melting furnace, put the tantalum ingot axial free forging breakdown into tantalum slab at room temperature. After acid pickling surface of slab, wash with water to remove surface impurities and oil pollution, then dry. after pickling of slab in the vacuum furnace for annealing, waiting for slab cooling, through multiple one-way rolling, cross rolling and accompanied by annealing for many times, finally produce the high quality tantalum plate.
Properties of Tantalum
Tantalum has several unique characteristics that have led to its increased use in the 21st century. It is a highly stable metal that is almost immune to chemical degradation at temperatures lower than 302 °F (159 °C). In addition, it exhibits high levels of corrosion resistance when it comes into contact with air and moisture.
Like most metals, tantalum forms a thin but dense protective oxide layer (Ta2O5) when exposed to the atmosphere. This oxide layer firmly adheres to the surface of the metal, acting as a barrier which protects the underlying metal from further corrosion.
Tantalum belongs to a class of metals known as refractory metals, which are defined by their strong resistance to heat and wear. It has a melting point of 5,463 °F (2,996 °C), the fourth highest of all metals.
In terms of mechanical properties, tantalum is highly ductile, making it suitable for processes such as bending, stamping, and pressing. When combined with other metals, it can produce alloys with enhanced strength and higher melting points.
Applicatins
Chemical Processing
Tantalum has excellent corrosion resistance to most acids (a notable exception is hydrofluoric) in a wide range of concentrations and temperatures. Its corrosion resistance is similar to glass in many of these acids. Consequently, it is used in chemical processing equipment where hot, highly corrosive environments are encountered. Heat exchangers, bayonet heaters, tank liners, valve liners, feed lances, rupture disks, and various other components are fabricated from tantalum.
Semiconductors
The semiconductor market is built on the foundation of silicon chip manufacturing technology. Integrated circuits (ICs) are produced with nanoscale feature sizes and the optimization of electron conduction between nanometer-scale features is critical. Tantalum can be used in logic chips and DRAMS to facilitate the use of copper as interconnects as, unlike copper, tantalum atoms do not diffuse into silicon at the temperatures these chips operate at.
High-purity tantalum and tantalum nitrides are grown on top of the copper chips to stop electromigration of the copper atoms, meaning the semiconductor devices remain reliable for longer. we supply sputter target blanks which are often used to generate barrier layers in modern ICs.
Medical Equipment
Tantalum is extremely biocompatible and does not produce toxic products or trigger adverse immunological responses when exposed to body or bodily fluids. This means that tantalum works well for medical applications that require pairing with living tissue such as medical implants and prosthetics.
Military and Aerospace
Nickel based superalloys are used extensively in gas turbine engines for commercial and military aircraft where they are exposed to extremely high temperatures and stresses. Tantalum additions to these superalloys help improve high temperature strength. Parts and components made from these tantalum containing superalloys can operate at higher internal combustion temperatures resulting in enhanced thrust efficiencies and lower fuel consumption.
Furnace Applications
Refractory furnace trays and boats are routinely used to hold semi-finished goods during extremely high temperature processes like sintering. Tantalum is an exceptional material for furnace applications, retaining good dimensional stability at process temperatures with excellent resistance to creep deformation ensuring long service.
Nuclear Applications
Superconducting wires intended for use in nuclear applications often incorporate tantalum diffusion barriers designed to resist internal diffusion and impart enhanced mechanical properties to the superconducting element. This is useful for large-scale scientific initiatives such as nuclear fusion research.
Electronics Industry
Tantalum has exceptional storage capacities with the ability to store more charge per gram than any other comparable metals. For this reason, tantalum is well-suited to the production of electrical capacitors and resistors whilst being able to hold large amounts of charge in a small component. This has meant manufacturers have been able to make electrical parts and devices much smaller.
Tantalum Physical & General Properties
- Element Category – Transition Metals
- Phase – Solid
- Symbol – Ta
- Number – 73
- STD Atomic Weight – 180.94788
- Crystal Structure – Body Centered Cubic
- Melting Temperature – 5463° F, 3017° C, 3290 K
- Boiling Temperature – 9856° F, 5458° C, 5731 K
- Electrical Resistivity – 20° C, 131 nΩ·m
- Thermal Conductivity – 300 K, 57.5 W·m−1·K−1
- Thermal Expansion – 25°C, 6.3 µm·m−1·K−1
Standard Specifications
- Tantalum Ingot – ASTM B364
- Tantalum Rod and Wire – ASTM B365
- Tantalum Tubing – ASTM B521
- Tantalum Sheet, Plate, Strip and Foil – ASTM B708
- Medical Grade Tantalum – ASTM F560
Common Tantalum Alloys (UNS Codes)
- Unalloyed Tantalum (EB Melted) – R005200
- Unalloyed Tantalum (Powder Metallurgy Grade) – R05400
- Tantalum 2.5% Tungsten – R05252
- Tantalum 10% Tungsten – R05255
- Tantalum 7.5% Tungsten – Spring Grade
- Grain Stabilized – Furnace Grain
If you’re interested in discussing how tantalum can be used for your application, please feel free to contact our technical team directly.