Tantalum Niobium Carbide

Tantalum niobium carbide powder is a kind of composite powder composed of tantalum carbide (TaC) and niobium carbide (NbC), which is usually grey in appearance. It has high hardness, high melting point, good abrasion and corrosion resistance, as well as high chemical stability, etc. It can be used in the fields of cemented carbide, thermal spraying, plasma spraying, and electrical conductivity, etc., and it is a kind of important industrial material.

Characteristics

Appearance: Usually grey-brown powder.

Density: The data varies depending on the ratio of specific components, but is generally at a high level. For example, the density of Tantalum Carbide is about 13.9g/ml, and the density of Niobium Carbide is also higher, so the overall density of Tantalum and Niobium Carbide powder is higher.

Melting point: The melting point is high, between the melting points of Tantalum Carbide and Niobium Carbide. The melting point of Tantalum Carbide is about 3880℃, and the melting point of Niobium Carbide is about 3490℃.

Hardness: Very high, due to its strong covalent bond structure. Tantalum Carbide itself has a microhardness of 1600-2000 kg/mm² (approx. 9 Mohs), and Tantalum Niobium Carbide powder as a composite powder also has a high hardness.
Particle size: Can be customised according to production requirements, generally in the range of nanometres to microns, for example it is common to find different particle sizes such as 100 nm, 500 nm, 1 micron, 5 micron, etc.

Solubility: insoluble in water, difficult to dissolve in inorganic acids, but soluble in a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid and can be decomposed.

Antioxidant: It has good antioxidant property and can maintain good stability in high temperature and other environments.

Conductivity: it has certain metal conductivity, and its conductivity will change with the temperature change.

Stability: more stable at room temperature and pressure, but need to avoid contact with oxides and other substances.

Applications

Cemented carbide field:

Cutting tool materials: Tantalum niobium carbide powder can be used in the manufacture of cemented carbide cutting tools, such as turning tools, milling cutters and drills. The addition of tantalum niobium carbide can significantly improve the hardness, wear resistance and cutting performance of the tool, enabling it to maintain good cutting effect and extend the service life of the tool under high-speed cutting and heavy load cutting conditions. For example, when processing hard materials such as high hardness materials, alloy steel, stainless steel and other difficult-to-machine materials, the use of carbide tools containing tantalum niobium carbide can improve machining efficiency and machining quality.

Mould manufacturing: It is used to manufacture various moulds such as stamping moulds, injection moulds, die-casting moulds and so on. Moulds need to withstand high pressure and friction during the working process, the addition of tantalum niobium carbide powder can improve the hardness, strength and wear resistance of moulds, reduce the wear and deformation of the moulds, thus improving the service life of the moulds and production efficiency.

Powder metallurgy field: as an additive for powder metallurgy, tantalum niobium carbide powder can improve the performance of powder metallurgy materials. It can enhance the hardness, strength and toughness of the material, and improve the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the material. For example, when manufacturing powder metallurgy products such as automotive parts, mechanical parts, aerospace parts, etc., the addition of an appropriate amount of tantalum niobium carbide powder can improve the performance and quality of the products.

Electronic industry field:

Electronic packaging materials: Because tantalum niobium carbide powder has good electrical conductivity and thermal stability, it can be used as an additive for electronic packaging materials to improve the electrical conductivity and heat dissipation performance of packaging materials. For example, in the fields of integrated circuit packaging and semiconductor device packaging, the use of packaging materials containing tantalum niobium carbide can effectively improve the performance and reliability of electronic devices.

Capacitor materials: Tantalum niobium carbide powder can be used to manufacture anode materials for tantalum capacitors. Tantalum capacitors have the advantages of high capacity, high stability, low leakage, etc., and are widely used in electronic equipment, communication equipment, aerospace and other fields.

Aerospace field:

High-temperature structural materials: In the aerospace field, it is necessary to use materials that can withstand high temperatures, high pressures and high-speed airflow washout. Tantalum niobium carbide powder has a high melting point and good high-temperature performance, which can be used to manufacture high-temperature structural materials, such as engine blades, combustion chambers, turbine discs and so on. These components work in high temperature environments and need to have good heat and oxidation resistance. The addition of tantalum niobium carbide powder can improve the performance of the material and meet the needs of the aerospace industry.

Coating material: It can be used as a coating material on the surface of aerospace parts to improve the wear resistance, corrosion resistance and high temperature resistance of the parts. For example, spraying tantalum niobium carbide coatings on the surface of aircraft engine blades can improve the blade’s resistance to abrasion and corrosion, and extend the blade’s service life.

Chemical industry: tantalum niobium carbide powder has good chemical stability and corrosion resistance, and can be used to manufacture chemical equipment parts, such as valves, pipelines, pumps and so on. In the chemical production process, these parts need to withstand the corrosion and abrasion of various chemicals, the use of tantalum niobium carbide powder manufactured parts can improve the service life and reliability of the equipment.

Other fields:
Watch decoration: the sintered body of Tantalum Carbide displays a golden yellow colour, which can be used as a watch decoration to increase the beauty and uniqueness of the watch.
Cutting tools: It can be used to manufacture electrodes for wire cutting, EDM cutting and other machining tools, improving machining efficiency and machining precision.