Tantalum is pronounced: tǎn.
Interpretation: metallic element, symbol Ta. silvery-white. It has superconductivity (at -268.8℃) and ductility, and has strong resistance to acid and alkali. Used in the manufacture of evaporating vessels, etc., but also used to manufacture the electrodes in the electron tube. It also conducts electricity in one direction and can be used to make rectifiers. Tantalum has no stimulating effect on the body's internal tissues, medical treatment is used to make a thin sheet or a fine line, sewing the damaged tissue.
Tantalum (Tantalum), element symbol Ta, a rare metal, the sixth cycle of the VB group - transition elements, atomic number 73. tantalum atomic weight 180.9479, standard melting point of 2996 ℃, the standard boiling point of 5425 ± 100 ℃, the standard heat of vaporization of 123Kcal / Kg.
Tantalum monomers are gray metal, tantalum melting point is very high (2996 ℃), only lower than tungsten, rhenium and other elements, tantalum can be 150 ℃ to resist any chemical erosion. Tantalum metal is stable in the air at room temperature, does not react with water, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, when the temperature is higher than 500 ℃ to accelerate the oxidation of Ta2O3. Tantalum has a high melting point, good cold working performance, high resistance to corrosion of liquid metals and a series of excellent performance.
Tantalum was discovered in 1802 by the Swedish chemist Ekeberg (A.G. Ekeberg) in the minerals, due to the tantalum and niobium physicochemical properties are similar to the two *** born in nature in the minerals, so the discovery of the real tantalum-niobium ore. Named after Tantalus, the son of the god S. God.
In 1903, the German chemist W. von Bolton first prepared the plastic metal tantalum, used as a filament material. 1940 large-capacity tantalum capacitors appeared, and widely used in military communications. China established a tantalum metallurgical industry in the early 1960s. Since the 1990s, especially since 1995, China's tantalum production and application has shown rapid development.
Tantalum capacitors, which have the advantages of large capacity, small size and good reliability, account for more than two-thirds of the total tantalum usage. In the field of dentistry and medical surgery, tantalum's chemical inertness is often used as a substitute for human teeth and bones, and can also be made into silk threads for connecting broken nerves. Tantalum and its compounds rely on their own high corrosion resistance, can be used as raw materials for hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid production equipment.
Tantalum applications
1, the field of electronics
Tantalum is used in large quantities in the electrical and electronics industry, due to the tantalum and oxygen and nitrogen atoms of the high reactivity, will be formed on the surface of the dielectric strength of the Ta2O5 oxide film layer, and thus can be made into a small volume, large capacity capacitors. Electrolytic capacitors made of tantalum have a small resting area, light weight, good reliability, a wide range of operating temperatures, vibration resistance, long service life, and at the same time than the same size of other capacitors with a capacity of more than five times.
2, alloy field
Tantalum carbide demand for tantalum accounted for about 20% of the total market with tantalum, second only to the electronics industry. Cutting tools made of tantalum carbide-based cemented carbide can avoid bad problems such as edge peeling and breaking produced by cutting tools in the fusion welding stage.
3, chemical field
Tantalum in the 150 ℃ below the ability to resist chemical corrosion and atmospheric corrosion, with good impact toughness, plasticity and processing performance, and thus can be used as a chemical equipment structure materials. One-half of the consumption of tantalum in the chemical industry is used in the manufacture of equipment for the production of sulfuric acid, and more than one-quarter is used in the manufacture of equipment exposed to chlorine and its derivatives.
Chemical equipment using tantalum are: heat exchangers, concentrators, heaters, coolers, recycling devices, churning machines, pharmaceutical containers, halogen-resistant devices, high-pressure kettles, pumps, valves, pipelines, chrome-plated tanks, pickling broadcast exhaust fan and so on.
4, the field of materials
Tantalum metal and its alloys because of its high temperature characteristics, can be used to make high-speed aircraft engines, and even for rocket nozzles, which can be used up to 2200 ℃. At the same time tantalum to liquid metal mercury, sodium and potassium alloys have high chemical stability, so in the atomic energy industry can be tantalum alloy made of high temperature heat release element of the diffusion wall.
5, the field of medicine
Tantalum metal can be in close contact with human or animal cells, so there is a "pro-biotic metal" reputation. Porous tantalum is a kind of foam-like porous metal material with similar pore structure with human bone. Compared with other medical metal materials, porous tantalum has the typical characteristics of high volumetric porosity, low elastic modulus, and high surface friction coefficient, which is regarded as a kind of ideal bone replacement material.
During medical treatment, porous tantalum facilitates bone growth and promotes osteogenesis to establish osseointegration and osseointegration, thereby significantly improving the initial stability of implants and the applicability of bone regeneration strategies.