Structural Controls and Predictive Mapping of Tin, Niobium and Tantalum Mineralization Associated with the Mayo Darlé Stanniferous Granitoids;Contributions of Geostatistics

The aim of this study of the spatial dispersion of tin, niobium and tantalum mineralization associated with the Mayo Darlé granitoids was to produce prospecting guides through predictive maps of Sn, Nb and Ta in the region. It was based on a database (in appendix) obtained after analysis of rock samples (greisens and quartz veins) collected in the field, using a portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. Two approaches were used: 1) structural studies in the field using the directions of veins and fractures 2) the use of variographic maps, an essential element in geostatistics for determining directional anisotropies. A joint synthesis of the modelling results shows that tin, tantalum and niobium mineralization at Mayo Darlé is concentrated along strike intervals N315E to N320E, with mineralization also occurring along strike N35E for high-grade Sn, medium-grade Ta and low-grade Nb. In short, mineral concentrations disperse progressively in space: positively from east to west for tantalum and niobium, and inversely for tin.

Electrochemical behaviors of tantalum in anhydrous ethanol containing hydrogen sulfate ions

The electrochemical behaviors of Ta in tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate（TBAHS） ethanol solutions were studied using potentiodynamic polarization,cyclic voltammetry,potentiostatic current time transient and impedance techniques.The results revealed that no active-passive transition is presented in the cyclic voltammogram,and the anodic current density increases with the increase of solution temperature,TBAHS concentration,potential scan rate and water content.The apparent activation energy is about 43.389 kJ/mol and the dissolution process is diffusion-controlled.Potentiostatic measurements showed that the current density gradually decays to a steady value when the potential is low;however,when the potential is higher than a certain value,the current density initially declines to a minimum value and then increases gradually.The resistance of passive film decreases with increasing potential,and inductive loops are presented when the potential is higher than 2.0 V.

Relation between Doping and Texture and Property of Tantalum Bar and Wire

Relation between doping and texture and property of tantalum bar and wire was carefully investigated by optical microscope, SEM fractograph, electron microprobe analysis, density test. observation of TEM and mechanical property test at room temperature. It is illustrated that the grain of tantalum bar after sintering reduces with the increasing of dopant quantity, and the effect of dopant Ce on reduction of the grain is more obvious than that of dopant Ge, even that sintering is be- coming insufficient and the density of tantalum bar tends to be lower with the increaseing of dopant Ce The recrystallization temperature of tantalum wire increases and the grain of texture reduces with the increaseing of dopants quantity. The tensile strength of tantalum wire at room temperature increases with the increasing of dopants quantity, while its elongation decreases with the increase of dopant Ge quantity and rises with theincrease of dopant Ce quantity. And the strengthening effect of dopant Ce is clearer than that of dopant Ge.

Corrosion Study on Tantalum in Anhydrous Ethanol

The corrosion behavior of tantalum in tetraethyl ammonium chloride （TEA） ethanol solutions was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization, cyclic voltammetry, and impedance techniques along with scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. At the early stage of scanning, the current density in the cyclic voltammetry curves very slowly increased because of the presence of a thin oxide film on the electrode surface. Pitting corrosion then occurred as a result of the passivity breakdown caused by the aggressive attack of the Cl^- anions. SEM images showed the growth process of the pits on the electrode surface. The pitting potential decreased with the increase in TEA concentration but increased with the increase in water concentration. The apparent activation energy of the electrochemical reaction was 36 kJ/mol. The impedance spectra exhibited two time constants for all the potentials. Both the passive layer resistance and the charge transfer resistance decreased with the increase in the potential.

Phase evolution of tantalum nitride and tantalum carbide films with PBII parameters

Tantalum nitride and tantalum carbide films were fabricated using magnetron sputtering of tantalum followed by nitrogen and carbon plasma-based ion implantation （N-PBII and C-PBII）. The phase evolution and morphology of the films were studied using glancing angle X-ray diffraction （GXRD） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. It was found that the main phase in the tantalum nitride films was crystalline TaNo.1 whose grain size increases with increasing implantation voltage and phase content increases with increasing implantation dose. In the tantalum carbide film, the main phase was Ta2C. TaC phase also appeared as the implantation dose increased. XRD results from various glancing angles show that the phases with high nitrogen or carbon content, Ta4N5 and TaC, are present in the surface of the films. X-ray photoelectron spectra （XPS） from the tantalum carbide film reveal that the surface carbon content is higher than that of the inner film.

New Advancement of Tantalum Industry in Ningxia Nonferrous Metals Smelter

The history and the evolvement of tantalum powder and wire production in Ningxia Nonferrous Metals Smelter (NNMS) was described. The technology and main characteristics of tantalum products were also concluded. It is indicated that these products are competitive in the international market.

Modified porous tantalum rod technique for the treatment of femoral head osteonecrosis

AIM: To study a modified porous tantalum technique for the treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head.METHODS: The porous tantalum rod was combined with endoscopy,curettage,autologous bone grafting and use of bone marrow aspirates from iliac crest aspiration in 49 patients(58 hips) with a mean age of 38 years.The majority of the patients had idiopathic osteonecrosis,followed by corticosteroid-induced osteonecrosis.Thirtyeight hips were of Steinberg stage Ⅱ disease and 20 hips were of stage Ⅲ disease.Patients were followed for 5 years and were evaluated clinically with the Merle D'Aubigne and Postel score and radiologically.The primary outcome of the study was survival based on the conversion to total hip arthroplasty(THA).Secondary outcomes included deterioration of the osteonecrosis to a higher disease stage at 5 years compared to the preoperative period and identification of factors that were associated with survival.The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to evaluate the survivorship ofthe prosthesis,and the Fisher exact test was performed to test associations between various parameters with survival.RESULTS: No patient developed any serious intraoperative or postoperative complication including implant loosening or migration and donor site morbidity.During the 5-year follow up,1 patient died,7 patients had disease progression and 4 hips were converted to THA.The 5-year survival based on conversion to THA was 93.1% and the respective rate based on disease progression was 87.9%.Stage Ⅱ disease was associated with statistically significant better survival rates compared to stage Ⅲ disease(P = 0.04).The comparison between idiopathic and non-idiopathic osteonecrosis and between steroid-induced and non-steroid-induced osteonecrosis did not showed any statistically significant difference in survival rates.The clinical evaluation revealed statistically significantly improved Merle d'Aubigne scores at 12 mo postoperatively compared to the preoperative period(P < 0.001).The mean preoperative Merle d'Aubigne score was 13.0(SD: 1.8).The respective score at 12 mo improved to 17.0(SD: 2.0).The 12-mo mean score was retained at 5 years.CONCLUSION: The modified porous tantalum rod technique presented here showed encouraging outcomes.The survival rates based on conversion to THA are the lowest reported in the published literature.

Flake tantalum powder for manufacturing electrolytic capacitors

The FTP200 flake tantalum powder was introduced.The microstructures of the powder with leaf-like primary particles having an average flakiness of 2 to 20 and porous agglomerated particles were observed.The chemical composition,physical properties,and electrical properties of the FTP200 powder were compared with those of the FTW300 nodular powder.The FTP200 powder is more sinter-resistant,and the surface area of the flake tantalum powder under sintering at high temperature has less loss than that of the nodular tantalum powder.The specific capacitance of the flake tantalum powder is higher than that of the nodular tantalum powder with the same surface area when anodized at high voltage.Thus,the flake tantalum powder is suitable for manufacturing tantalum solid electrolytic capacitors in the range of median and high（20-63 V） voltages.

Rare Earths, Niobium and Tantalum Minerals in Bayan Obo Ore Deposit and Discussion on Their Genesis

Bayan Obo ore deposit is endowed with and lie hidden in the Proterozoic strata. The localities and occurrences of the minerals in the ore deposit were described. It is obviously that some minerals are strata minerals and some are post strata minerals. The rare earths, niobium and tantalum minerals are exactly the post strata minerals. In these minerals the hydrothermal metasomatic phenomena distinctly reveal their metallogenic characteristics. According to tectonic movement, magma activity, mineral paragenesis, hydrothermal metasomatism, geological age and lasting time scale of metallogenesis, and some other factors, it is supposed that genesis of rare earths, niobium and tantalum minerals in Bayan Obo ore deposit are closely related with hydrothermal metallogenic solution which is differentiated from silica acid and carbonic acid magma and derived from deep seated source, and then intruded into Proterozoic strata and metasomatized. It is recognized that the metallogenesis of Bayan Obo ore deposit is undergoing a long geological period and many episodes.

Separation and purification of tantalum from plumbomicrolite of amazonite deposit in Kola Peninsula by acid leaching and solvent extraction

A plumbomicrolite concentrate(PMC)was leached with the mixture of HF and H2SO4,HF and HNO3 acids,respectively.Optimal conditions ensuring high recovery of tantalum and niobium(up to 99%)into solution,and radionuclides into insoluble residue were determined.Fluoride-sulfuric acid and fluoride-nitric acid schemes were proposed for PMC leaching by an extractive separation of tantalum form niobium,lead and impurities,and production of high-purity tantalum compounds.Octanol-1 was used as an extractant.Optimal conditions for production of high-purity tantalum strip solutions were defined for all stages(extraction-scrubbing-stripping).Produced tantalum compounds,such as tantalum pentoxide and potassium heptafluotanthalate,comply with the norms for high-purity substances in terms of impurities content.Final choice of the PMC processing scheme is determined by its profitability.

Single-stage anterior debridement and reconstruction with tantalum mesh cage for complicated infectious spondylitis

AIM To evaluate the clinical and radiographic results of patients with complicated infectious spondylitis treated with single-stage anterior debridement and reconstruction using tantalum mesh cage(TaMC) followed by immediate instrumentation.METHODS Single-stage radical debridement and subsequent reconstruction with TaMC instead of autograft or allograft were performed to treat 20 patients with spinal deformity or instability due to complicated infectious spondylitis. Clinical outcomes were assessed by careful physical examination and regular serological tests to determine the infection control. In addition, the visual analog score(VAS), neurologic status, length of vertebral body reconstruction, and the correction of sagittal Cobb angle on radiography were recorded and compared before and after surgery. The conditions of the patients were evaluated based on the modified Brodsky's criteria.RESULTS The average VAS score significantly decreased after the surgery(from 7.4 ± 0.8 to 3.3 ± 0.8, P < 0.001). The average Cobb angle correction was 14.9 degrees. The neurologic status was significantly improved after the surgery(P = 0.003). One patient experienced refractory infection and underwent additional debridement. Eighteen patients achieved good outcome based on the modified Brodsky's criteria and significant improvement after the surgery(P < 0.001). No implant breakage orTaMC dislodgement was found during at least 24 mo of follow-up.CONCLUSION Single-stage anterior debridement and reconstruction with TaMC followed by immediate instrumentation could be an alternative method to manage the patients with spinal deformity or instability due to complicated infectious spondylitis.

Electrochemical behavior of tantalum in ethylene carbonate and aluminum chloride solvate ionic liquid

To investigate the electrochemical reduction mechanism of Ta(Ⅴ)in ethylene carbonate and aluminum chloride(EC-AlCl3)solvate ionic liquid,cyclic voltammetry experiments were conducted on a tungsten working electrode.Four reduction peaks were observed in the cyclic voltammogram of the EC-AlCl3-TaCl5 ionic liquid.The reduction peaks at-0.55,-0.72,and-1.12 V(vs Al)were related to the reduction of Ta(Ⅴ)to tantalum metal by three stages including the formation of Ta(Ⅳ)and Ta(Ⅲ)complex ions.The reduction of Ta(Ⅲ)to tantalum metal was an irreversible diffusion-controlled reaction with a diffusion coefficient of 3.7×10^-7 cm^2/s at 323 K,and the diffusion activation energy was 77 k J/mol.Moreover,the cathode products at 323 K were characterized by scanning electron microscopy,energy-dispersive spectroscopy,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The results showed that tantalum metal and tantalum oxides were obtained by potentiostatic electrodeposition at-0.8 V for 2 h.

Effects of tantalum addition on microstructure and properties of titanium alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

The expanding of material library of laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)is of great significance to the development of material science.In this study,the biomedical Ti-13Nb-13Zr powder was mixed with the tantalum particles(2 wt%−8 wt%)and fabricated by L-PBF.The microstructure consists of aβmatrix with partially unmelted pure tantalum distributed along the boundaries of molten pool owing to the Marangoni convention.Because the melting process of Ta absorbs lots of energy,the size of molten pool becomes smaller with the increase of Ta content.The fine microstructure exists in the center of melt pool while coarse microstructure is on the boundaries of melt pool because of the existence of heat-affected zone.The columnar-to-equiaxed transitions(CETs)happen in the zones near the unmelted Ta,and the low lattice mismatch induced by solid Ta phase is responsible for this phenomenon.The recrystallization texture is strengthened while the fiber texture is weakened when the tantalum content is increased.Due to the formation of refined martensiteα′grains during L-PBF,the compressive strengths of L-PBF-processed samples are higher than those fabricated by traditional processing technologies.The present research will provide an important reference for biomedical alloy design via L-PBF process in the future.

Effect of porosity on mechanical properties of porous tantalum scaffolds produced by electron beam powder bed fusion

The effect of porosity on compressive,bending,and tensile properties of the porous tantalum scaffolds fabricated by electron beam powder bed fusion(EB-PBF)was investigated.The porous tantalum scaffolds with porosity from 69%to 77.8%were obtained by varying the designed porosity and adjusting the processing parameters.It is found that the pores and unfused powder decrease with the increase of deposited energy density.The decrease of porosity leads to an improvement in mechanical properties.The relevancy between compressive/bending/tensile yield strength and relative density can be described appropriately by exponential model,while the relationship between elastic modulus and relative density is in good agreement with the Gibson-Ashby model.All the porous tantalum scaffolds exhibit good ductility in compressive,bending and tensile tests.No fragmentation of struts is observed during the compression process,but cracks are formed on the strut surface after 90°bending,mainly due to the high sensibility to defects caused by the oxide.

Acetabular revisions using porous tantalum components: A retrospective study with 5-10 years follow-up

AIM To evaluate the clinical and X-ray results of acetabular components and tantalum augments in prosthetic hip revisions.METHODS Fifty-eight hip prostheses with primary failure of the acetabular component were reviewed with tantalum implants. The clinical records and X-rays of these cases were retrospectively reviewed. Bone defect evaluations were based on preoperative CT scans and classified according to Paprosky criteria of Radiolucent lines and periprosthetic gaps; implant mobilization and osteolysis were evaluated by X-ray. An ad hoc database was created and statistical analyses were performed with SPSS software(IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 23.0). Statistical analyses were carried out using the Student's t test for independent and paired samples. A P value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant and cumulative survival was calculated by the KaplanMeier method.RESULTS The mean follow-up was 87.6 ± 25.6 mo(range 3-120 mo). 25 cases(43.1%) were classified as minor defects, and 33 cases(56.9%) as major defects. The preoperative HHS rating improved significantly from a mean of 40.7 ± 6.1(range: 29-53) before revision, to a mean of 85.8 ± 6.1(range: 70-94) at the end of the follow-up(Student's t test for paired samples: P < 0.001). Considering HHS only at the end of follow-up, no statistically significant difference was observed between patients with a major or minor defect(Student's t test for independent samples: P > 0.05). Radiolucent lines were found in 4 implants(6.9%). Postoperative acetabular gaps were observed in 5 hips(8.6%). No signs of implant mobilization or areas of periprosthetic osteolysis were found in the x-rays at the final follow-up. Only 3 implants failed: 1 case of infection and 2 cases of instability. Defined as the end-point, cumulative survival at 10 years was 95%(for all reasons) and 100% for aseptic loosening of the acetabular component.CONCLUSION The medium-term use of prosthetic tantalum components in prosthetic hip revisions is safe and effective in a wide variety of acetabular bone defects.

Premature failure induced by non-equilibrium grain-boundary tantalum segregation in air-plasma sprayed ZrO_(2)-YO_(1.5)-TaO_(2.5)thermal barrier coatings

ZrO_(2)-YO_(1.5)-TaO_(2.5)(ZYTO)is a promising top-coat material for thermal barrier coatings(TBCs).The bulk properties of ZYTO have been reported by several studies,but its performances as TBCs are less-well understood.In this work,ZYTO TBCs were prepared by air plasma spraying(APS)and their thermal cycling performances were investigated at 1150℃.Despite of the good bulk properties,APS ZYTO TBCs present an extremely short thermal fatigue life.This is attributed to the non-equilibrium grain-boundary segregation of TaO_(2.5) induced by limited solubility and rapid quenching during APS process,resulting in a tetragonal(t)to cubic(c)and metastable-tetragonal(tm)phase transformation in ZYTO TBCs.The volume shrinkage(~0.74vol%)of phase transformation leads to many cracks at the c/tm phase boundaries after deposition.On the other hand,the formation of cubic phase with massive grain-boundary Ta segregation induces a large intergranular embrittlement and a weak bonding strength(~5.3 MPa),resulting in the premature failure of the ZYTO TBCs.

Corrosion behavior of tantalum and its nitride in alkali solution

The corrosion behavior of tantalum and its nitrides in stirring NaOHsolutions was researched by potentiostatic method, cyclic voltammetry and XPS. The results showedthat the corrosion products were composed of Ta_2O_5 and NaTaO_3. The corrosion reaction formula oftantalum and its nitrides was written according to cyclic volt-ampere curves. The electric chargetransfer coefficient and the electric charge transfer number were calculated

Effects of femtosecond laser micropatterning on the surface properties and cellular response of biomedical tantalum-blended composites

Poly(ε-caprolactone)(PCL)holds unique bioresorbability and competent biomechanical properties for tissueengineering application.However,PCL is hydrophobic intrinsically and poor in cell-biomaterial interaction.In this study,we prepared a composite based on PCL and bioactive tantalum(Ta)to understand the effects of direct laser micropatterning on composite surface properties.The PCL/Ta composite after preparation was surface-patterned by femtosecond laser and characterized with surface morphology,crystal structure,chemical composition,wettability and cellular response of fibroblast.It was found that laser micropatterning enlarged the difference of wetting properties(~15°)on PCL and PCL/Ta surfaces.The wetting changes was dependent on both material composition and lasermachined geometry.The blending of Ta enhanced surface wettability with prolonged contact time on the laser-machined line and rectangle microarrays.In vitro culture results showed beneficial effects of laser micropatterning on cell morphology of the fibroblasts.On the PCL/Ta surfaces with line and rectangle microarrays,the cells were more likely to bridge the sidewalls of the microgrooves,showing adaptive 3D morphologies to the micro/nano topographies on the sidewalls.These findings are envisaged to facilitate surface design and micropattern optimization for favorable tuning the cell response to biomedical PCL/Ta composites.

Blast and tensile properties of tantalum/niobium lined SiC/SiC composite tubes for nuclear cladding

The mechanical performances such as tensile strength and blast property of metal lined SiC/SiC composite cladding tubes were investigated. Nb or Ta was selected as liner material, and the SiC/SiC composite layer was fabricated by winding and different precursor impregnation and pyrolysis(PIP) processes. The tensile strengths of different tube samples were measured at room temperature(RT) and 1200 °C, respectively. The blast property was investigated through the maximum water pressure of tubes. And the fracture microstructures were observed by SEM.The highest tensile strength at RT was 150.7 MPa. The blast strength was enhanced with the PIP process increasing from 1 to 4 cycles and the tube of 4 PIP cycles had the highest water pressure of 34.7 MPa. Compared with the metal tubes, the multi-layer structure improved tensile and blast properties significantly. The different processes such as PIP cycles and pyrolytic carbon(PyC) coating were important factors to enhance the mechanical performances of SiC/SiC-based tubes. However, the retention rate of tensile strength was only 18.5% at 1200 °C.

Solar energy‐driven C−H activation of methanol for direct C−C coupling to ethylene glycol with high stability by nitrogen doped tantalum oxide

Direct photocatalytic coupling of methanol to ethylene glycol(EG)is highly attractive.The reported photocatalysts for this reaction are all metal sulfide semiconductors,which may suffer from photocorrosion and have low stability.Thus,the development of non‐sulfide photocatalysts for efficient photocatalytic coupling of methanol to EG and H2 with high stability is urgent but extremely challenging.Herein,the first metal oxide photocatalyst,tantalum‐based semiconductor,is reported for preferential activation of C−H bond within methanol to form hydroxymethyl radical(•CH_(2)OH)and subsequent C−C coupling to EG.Compared with other metal oxide photocatalysts,such as TiO2,ZnO,WO_(3),Nb_(2)O_(5),tantalum oxide(Ta_(2)O_(5))is unique in that it can realize the selective photocatalytic coupling of methanol to EG.The co‐catalyst free nitrogen doped tantalum oxide(2%N‐Ta_(2)O_(5))shows an EG formation rate as high as 4.0 mmol gcat−1 h−1,about 9 times higher than that of Ta_(2)O_(5),with a selectivity higher than 70%.The high charge separation ability of nitrogen doped tantalum oxide plays a key role in its high activity for EG production.This catalyst also shows excellent stability longer than 160 h,which has not been achieved over the reported metal sulfide photocatalysts.Tantalum‐based photocatalyst is an environmentally friendly and highly stable candidate for photocatalytic coupling of methanol to EG.