Tantalum carbide
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| Tantalum carbide | |
|---|---|
| Image:Tantalum carbide.jpg | |
| Other names | tantalum (IV) carbide |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | [12070-06-3] |
| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | TaC |
| Molar mass | 192.959 g/mol |
| Appearance | black-gray odorless powder |
| Density | 13.9 g/cm3, solid |
| Melting point |
3880°C |
| Boiling point |
5500°C |
| Solubility in water | insoluble |
| Hazards | |
| MSDS | External MSDS |
| EU classification | not listed |
| Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references |
|
Tantalum carbide (TaC) is an extremely hard refractory ceramic material, commercially used in tool bits for cutting tools. The hardness even exceeds that of diamond [1]. It is a heavy, brown powder usually processed by sintering, and an important cermet material. It is sometimes used as a fine-crystalline additive to tungsten carbide alloys. Tantalum carbide has the distinction of being the stoichiometric binary compound with the highest known melting point, at 4150 K (3880°C) [2]. The substoichiometric compound TaC0.89 has a higher melting point, near 4270 K (4000°C)[3].
When used as a mould coating, it produces a low friction surface.
Tantalum carbide-graphite composite material, developed in Los Alamos National Laboratory, is one of the hardest materials ever synthesized.
Dusts from grinding can be flammable.
Substances to avoid are: flammable gases (dust may form explosive mixtures with gases)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Nature's Building Blocks ANA-Z guide to the elements, ' J. Emsley, 2001, ISBN 0-19-850340-7, p. 421
- ^ CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 85th Edition, 2004, ISBN 0-8493-0485-7
- ^ The Inorganic Chemistry of Materials: How to Make Things Out Of Elements, P.J. van der Put, 1998, ISBN 0306457318, p. 129
