Tantalum is a rare, hard, blue-gray lustrous transition metal. It has high ductility, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity. It has strong corrosion resistance which can even resist aqua regia at below 150 ° C. It is a refractory metal and is often used as a secondary component of alloys. Its low chemical activity is suitable to replace platinum as the material of experimental equipment. At present, the main application of tantalum is tantalum capacitors, which are used in electronic equipment such as mobile phones, DVD players, electronic game consoles and computers. In nature, tantalum appears together with niobium with similar chemical properties. It is generally found in tantalite, niobite and coltan.
The biggest application of tantalum is electronic components made of tantalum powder, mainly capacitors and high-power resistors. It can also be used to make various ductile alloys with high melting points. These alloys can be used as materials for super-hard metal processing tools and to make high-temperature alloys for jet engines, chemical experimental equipment, nuclear reactors, and missiles. Tantalum is highly ductile and can be drawn into filaments. These tantalum wires are used to vaporize various metals, such as aluminum.
Tantalum is widely used to make surgical tools and implants because it can resist the erosion of biological fluids without irritating tissues. For example, tantalum can bond directly to hard tissue, so many bone implants have a porous tantalum coating. Tantalum has a high melting point and can resist oxidation, so it can be used as a material for vacuum furnace parts. Many anti-corrosive parts require tantalum, and tantalum oxide can be used to make high-refractive-index camera lens glass.