Abstract
The metallic tantalum powder was successfully synthesized via reduction of tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) with magnesium gas at 1073~1223 K for 10 h inside the chamber held under an argon atmosphere. The powder obtained after reduction shows the Ta–MgO mixed structure and that the MgO component was dissolved and removed fully via stirring in a water-based HCl solution. The particle size in the tantalum powder obtained after acid leaching was shown to be in a range of 50~300 nm, and the mean internal crystallite sizes measured by the Scherrer equation varied from 11.5 to 24.7 nm according to the increase in reduction temperatures. The temperature satisfactory for a maximal reduction effect was found to be 1173 K because the oxygen content was minimally saturated to about 1.3 wt %.
Highlights
Tantalum is one of the key rare metals that has an extremely high melting temperature of 3290 K.Due to the excellent elasticity and corrosion resistance, it has been actively used as an alloying element into a super-alloy applied in the military parts such as jet engine, missile, and so on [1,2,3]
We found that 1) the reduction temperature is relatively low, 2) handling is relatively easier, and 3), after reduction via magnesium, the magnesium oxide (MgO) of a by-product can be eliminated by acid leaching
The reduction occurred in the reaction via magnesium gas and tantalum oxide, and resulted in the formation of a secondary product, magnesium oxide, inside which reduced metallic tantalum powder may have existed
Summary
Tantalum is one of the key rare metals that has an extremely high melting temperature of 3290 K.Due to the excellent elasticity and corrosion resistance, it has been actively used as an alloying element into a super-alloy applied in the military parts such as jet engine, missile, and so on [1,2,3]. Tantalum is one of the key rare metals that has an extremely high melting temperature of 3290 K. The dielectric properties of the anodic oxide have allowed for its application as a raw material in the production of capacitors in the electronic industry [4]. Many studies have been done to secure high-purity tantalum material. Pure metals are extracted via reduction of their oxide phase with a reductant media such as hydrogen or carbon [5]. In the case of tantalum metal, tantalum pentoxide (Ta2 O5 ) has been regarded as an initial material, but its reduction is nearly impossible, practically and theoretically, by hydrogen gas, by vacuum, or by carbon due to its high thermodynamic stability
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