Can be drawn into thin wire type to make thin foil. Its coefficient of thermal expansion is very small. Tantalum has excellent chemical properties and is highly resistant to corrosion. It can be used to manufacture evaporation vessels, etc., and can also be used as electrodes, rectifiers and electrolytic capacitors for electronic tubes.
It is used medically to make thin sheets or thin threads to repair damaged tissue. Although the corrosion resistance of tantalum is very strong, its corrosion resistance is due to the formation of a stable tantalum pentoxide protective film on the surface.
Tantalum has very excellent chemical properties, with very high corrosion resistance, whether under cold or hot conditions, it does not react to hydrochloric acid, concentrated nitric acid and "aqua regia". However, tantalum can be corroded in hot concentrated sulfuric acid, below 150 °C, tantalum will not be corroded by concentrated sulfuric acid, and only at temperatures higher than this will react.
In 175 degrees of concentrated sulfuric acid for 1 year, the thickness of the corrosion is 0.0004 mm, the tantalum is immersed in 200 degrees of sulfuric acid for a year, the surface damage is only 0.006 mm. At 250 degrees, the corrosion rate increases to 0.116 mm per year.
At 300 degrees, the corrosion rate is even faster, soaked for 1 year, the surface was corroded 1.368 mm. The corrosion rate of fuming sulfuric acid is more serious than that of concentrated sulfuric acid, and the thickness of the surface is 15.6 mm after soaking in the solution at 130 degrees Celsius for one year.
