Wear-resistant tantalum device with lithium tantalate film and preparation process thereof. A thin film containing tantalum or niobium oxide (such as lithium tantalate or niobate of lithium) is formed on tantalum or niobium alloy by electrochemical reaction of molten lithium. Many properties of the device can be improved. The breakdown voltage of the film is above 1500 VOLTS and the surface hardness is up to about HV700. It can improve the elasticity, strength and change other physical and electrical properties of the device surface. It can improve the application effect of tantalum or niobium or tantalum or niobium alloy devices and enlarge the application range of tantalum and niobium. Used for tantalum spinneret to reduce clogging and improve fiber quality. It can also be applied to tantalum devices in petrochemical industry, the substrate of thin film heat detectors and the manufacture of corrosion-resistant elastic components.
A tantalum or niobium or tantalum-niobium alloy device combining niobium or tantalum oxide containing lithium tantalate or lithium, or niobium oxide film, and a process for manufacturing the film on tantalum or niobium or tantalum-niobium alloy. One of the important applications of tantalum is based on its good chemical stability. It has certain hardness, certain mechanical strength, certain wear resistance and thermal conductivity, in addition to hydrofluoric acid in a variety of highly corrosive media used in the device can be made of tantalum. For example, tantalum heaters, reactors, pump parts, valve parts and measuring instrument devices in direct contact with strong acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid. A common weakness of tantalum in these applications is that its hardness and yield strength are not ideal, which makes the device's scratch resistance and deformation resistance insufficient, so that the service life and efficiency of the device are affected. A variety of techniques have been used to eliminate this vulnerability.
Another important application of tantalum is based on a thin film of Ta2O5 on tantalum. Ta2O5 thin films have good chemical stability and insulation properties. They are formed on the surface of tantalum by anodic oxidation process known to all. Tantalum with Ta2O5 film is mainly used to make high quality tantalum capacitors. However, the thickness and breakdown voltage of Ta2O5 films are limited by anodic oxidation. Generally, the breakdown voltage of Ta2O5 film is only 100 ~ 200V (the maximum thickness can reach about 2μm), so it can not meet the requirements of insulating film for high voltage.
