Characteristic

Tantalum pentoxide, also known as tantalum(V) oxide, is the inorganic compound with the formula Ta₂O₅. It is a white solid that is insoluble in all solvents but is attacked by strong bases and hydrofluoric acid. Ta₂O₅ is an inert material with a high refractive index and low absorption (i.e. colourless), which makes it useful for coatings. It is also extensively used in the production of capacitors, due to its high dielectric constant.

Chemical formula：Ta₂O₅

Molar mass：441.893 g/mol

Appearance：white, odorless powder

Density：β-Ta2O5 = 8.18 g/cm³

               α-Ta2O5 = 8.37 g/cm³

Melting point：1,872 °C (3,402 °F; 2,145 K)

Solubility in water：negligible

Solubility：insoluble in organic solvents and most mineral acids, reacts with HF

Band gap：3.8 - 5.3 eV

Magnetic susceptibility (χ)：−32.0·10⁻⁶ cm³/mol

Refractive index (nD)：2.275

Application

In electronics

Owing to its high band gap and dielectric constant, tantalum pentoxide has found a variety of uses in electronics, particularly in tantalum capacitors. These are used in automotive electronics, cell phones, and pagers, electronic circuitry; thin-film components; and high-speed tools. In the 1990s, interest grew in the use of tantalum oxide as a high-k dielectric for DRAM capacitor applications.,

It is used in on-chip metal-insulator-metal capacitors for high frequency CMOS integrated circuits. Tantalum oxide may have applications as the charge trapping layer for Non-volatile memories., There are applications of tantalum oxide in resistive switching memories.

Other uses

Due to its high refractive index, Ta₂O₅ has been utilized in the fabrication of the glass of photographic lenses.

Ta2O5_MSDS.pdf