4 Material und Umwelt
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- 2018 (2) (entfernen)
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- 4 Material und Umwelt (2) (entfernen)
Tantalum and niobium are essential for the development of electronics towards a more and more compact design, but without reducing their performance today. Especially in smart phones and tablets, tantalum and niobium capacitors with high charge densities have already become almost indispensable. However, tantalum as a critical raw material is still a problem for the sustainable production of electronics. Due to this fact, the existence of efficient recycling processes especially in Europe is becoming even more important nowadays.
The Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) is currently working on the optimisation of an existing pyrometallurgical tantalum recycling process. Optimisation of this industrial process is carried out in a small-scale electric arc furnace (480 kVA, capacity approx. 150 kg/h) at BAM using a new and innovative equipment for on-line analysis of high temperature processes.
The aim of this project is to identify the best timing for an optimum slag tapping, when the slag is lower than minimum targeted tantalum concentration. Hence, LIBS (Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy) is used to identify the chemical composition of the slag layer and during slag tapping. The on-line-LIBS prototype of BAM enables an in-situ measurement of the element distribution in the melt after calibration on the slag system.
First results of this joint research project will be presented including LIBS-measurements and thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the process.
The present study shows the potential of high-resolution imaging and nano-Fourier-transform infrared (nano-FTIR) spectroscopy for corrosion science. The protective oxidation layers of different chlorine-gas treated silicon
carbides (SiCs) were characterized with these techniques. A nitrified SiC showed the highest resistant strength against chlorine corrosion at 1000 °C compared to the other SiCs. Nano-FTIR spectroscopy with a lateral resolution below 40 nm detected differences in the crystallinity of the bulk-SiC and in the transitional region to the protective layer. Furthermore, high-resolution imaging provides deep insight in the interfacial layer between bulk-SiC and the protective oxidation layer on sub-micrometer scale.