Tantalum powder

Powder is a primary product for different tantalum products from billets that serve as primary blanks for making other semi-finished products to ready-made products of complex shape made by powder metallurgy methods. This is one of the main important elements in the chain of creating sophisticated and science-driven products as its properties determine the parameters of the received products.

Metotechnics website offers tantalum powder. They can be ordered on the prices page, via e-mail or by phone.

You can find out more about the grades, production methods and applications of the mentioned products in the corresponding sections of this page.

Grades

The chemical composition and marking of the described products are determined by TC 95-124-69, TC 95-136-69, TC 95.250-74 standards.

Production

The product is received by reduction. Tantalum compounds serve as the primary raw materials such as tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅), complex fluoric salts (K₂TaF₇) and tantalum pentachloride (TaCl₅). This point is that the reducing reagent reacts with the non-metal component and the metal is received in pure form. Carbon (С) or aluminum (Al) are used for oxides as reducing agents; sodium (Na) is used as a reducing agent for fluoric salt; magnesium (Mg) or hydrogen (H) are used for chlorides.

Also tantalum powder can be received by electrolytic reduction. In this process the metal is purified from the salt exposed by the current passing through liquid electrolyte. By composition, electrolytes can be divided into two groups:

• oxyfluoride-chloride based on salt mixture of K₂TaF₇ and potassium fluorides and chlorides to which Ta₂O₅ is added;
• oxygen-free fluoride-chloride or purely chloride with the addition of complex fluorides (K₂TaF₇) or pentachlorides (TaCl₅).

Technological parameters such as particle sizes, bulk density, supply condition are regulated by TC 48-19-72-92 and TC 48-19-57-91 governing documents.

Tantalum powder with small grain size is also called tantalum dust.

Application

Tantalum powder has two applications:

• raw materials for producing compacted tantalum;
• primary material for making condensers.

In the first case Ta is made in form of billets of limited size baked of powder using powder metallurgy methods. In the second one, tantalum powder is produced of sintered-slug condensers. Powder metallurgy methods are applied for this.

Prices

Tantalum cost and range of available grades can be found on Prices page.