Tantalum powder particle size

Tantalum powder particle size, 334 production, 332 Thermal decomposition of CoNbOFj, 54,210 fluorotantalates, 195, 200 oxyfluoroniobates, 202-205,210 Nb02F, 25,210-211 niobium hydroxides, 300-303 niobium peroxide, 305-308 tantalum hydroxide, 300-303 tantalum peroxide, 305-308 Tributyl phosphate, 279-281... 

Brown et al. [494] developed a method for the production of hydrated niobium or tantalum pentoxide from fluoride-containing solutions. The essence of the method is that the fluorotantalic or oxyfluoroniobic acid solution is mixed in stages with aqueous ammonia at controlled pH, temperature, and precipitation time. The above conditions enable to produce tantalum or niobium hydroxides with a narrow particle size distribution. The precipitated hydroxides are calcinated at temperatures above 790°C, yielding tantalum oxide powder that is characterized by a pack density of approximately 3 g/cm3. Niobium oxide is obtained by thermal treatment of niobium hydroxide at temperatures above 650°C. The product obtained has a pack density of approximately 1.8 g/cm3. The specific surface area of tantalum oxide and niobium oxide is nominally about 3 or 2 m2/g, respectively. 

Agulyanskaya et al. [507] investigated the impact of fluorine content on the particle size of niobium and tantalum oxides and powdered lithium niobate and tantalate prepared from the oxides. It was shown that fluorine concentrations lower than 10"2% wt. do not influence particle size and result in a set minimum particle size. This concentration range was referred to as being non-... 

Kobayashi et al. [508] developed an effective method to control particle size and fluoride content in granular tantalum oxide and niobium oxide. The resultant powders are suitable for application in the manufacturing of ceramics, single crystals, optical glass, etc. 

The interaction described in Equation (148), in which C02 separates from the solution and ammonia hydroxide is formed, reduces the acidity of the solution causing precipitation of tantalum or niobium hydroxide. The hydroxide powder precipitated using ammonium carbonate is usually coarser and has better filtering properties. Changing the ammonium carbonate concentration and temperature of the solution allows some control over the particle size and filtering properties of the precipitated hydroxides. 

Similar results were reported by Freidin et al. [568]. Moreover, a correlation was reported [360] between the particle size of tantalum powder obtained by electrolysis of fluoride - chloride melts and its electric conductivity. 

Tantalum powder with a smaller particle size compared with that obtained by the regular process was obtained by thermal treatment at 700-950°C of a mixture containing KTaF6, NH4F and sodium [581]. Eighty three percent of the tantalum powder obtained appears to be smaller than 200 mesh. 

In order to produce coarse-grained tantalum or niobium powder it is recommended to perform the reduction of molten K2TaF7 or K2NbF7 with sodium or potassium in the presence of tantalum or niobium metal particles, which are added to aid nucleation [582]. It is reported that tantalum powder with an average particle size of 2.7-4.2 pm was obtained at a yield of 90.1-94%. 

The concentration of K2TaF7 in the initial melt is the main parameter controlling the particle size and surface area of the reduced primary powder [598]. Typically, the increased concentration of K2TaF7 leads to the formation of coarse tantalum powder. According to Yoon et al. [599], the diluent prevents a strong increase in the temperature of the melt that is caused due to the exothermic effect of the reduction process. Based on the investigation of the reduction process in a K2TaF7 - KC1 - KF system, it was shown that increased amounts of diluent lead to a decrease in particle size of the obtained tantalum powder. 

Kim et al. [601] investigated the influence of both temperature and the excess amount of sodium compared with the stoichiometry of the interaction. The molten system K2TaF7 - KC1 - KF was used for the experiments and the temperature varied in the range of 800-980°C. The excessive amount of sodium ranged from -10% to +10%. It was found that increasing either the temperature or the excess amount of added sodium led to an enhanced yield and increased the particle size of the tantalum powder. Optimal conditions were found to be 920°C and 5% excess reductant. 

Based on available results, it can be summarized that the particle size of tantalum powder increases (specific charge decreases) with the increase in temperature, K2TaF7 concentration and excess sodium. In addition, an increase in the specific surface area of the melt and Na/K ratio also leads to the formation of coarser tantalum powder. The most important conclusion is that for the production of finer tantalum powders with higher specific charges, the concentration of K2TaF7 in the melt must be relatively low. This effect is the opposite of that observed in the electrochemical reduction of melts. 

The uniformity of tantalum powder is also a veiy important parameter of capacitor-grade tantalum powder. The loss of powder uniformity can initiate during the regular reduction process due to varying conditions at the beginning and end of the reduction process. At the end of the process, the concentration of tantalum in the melt is very low, while the sodium content increases. Based on the complex structure model of melts, it should be noted that the desired particle size of the powder is formed at the veiy beginning of the process, while the very fine fraction forms at the end of the process, independent of the initial content of the melt. The use of special equipment enables to perform a continuous reduction process with simultaneous loading of K TaFy and sodium, which can influence the improved uniformity of the primary powder [592,603,604],... 

Thermal reduction processes have been apphed successfully in making the metal from salts. In one such process, potassium fluotantalate is reduced with sodium metal at high temperatures to form tantalum powder of high purity and small particle size. Also, tantalum oxide can be reduced at high temperatures in vacuum with aluminum, silicon, or tantalum carbide. When the oxide is reduced by tantalum carbide, a metal sponge is obtained which can be embrittled with hydrogen to form powder metal. 

The activation of aluminum with ultrasound or dispersion of liquid aluminum. The suspension of powder aluminum in petrol or n-geptane without oxygen is subjected to ultrasound the tough oxide film on the surface of aluminum is removed and aluminum becomes reactive. The second activation technique is the dispersion of liquid aluminum with argon or purified nitrogen flow into a finely dispersed state. It should be noted, however, that the most reactive aluminum powder for direct synthesis is the powder alloyed with transition metals (titanium, zirconium, niobium, tantalum) with the size of particles from 10 to 125 pm. 

Pulmonary clearance of tantalum dust following insufflation by humans was dependent upon particle size a 1-pm powder was removed from the alveolar regions with a clearance half-time of 2.1 years, while 5-pm and 10- xm powders were removed with a half-time of 333 days (Morrow et al. 1976). Following the accidental exposure of a human to Ta and Ta via inhalation at a nuclear reactor test site, 93% of the activity was eliminated entirely in the feces within 7 days (Sill etal. 1969) the remaining radioactivity was slowly eliminated at a rate of 0.05% per day, but no radioactivity was detected in the urine. In another... 

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