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Tantalum Foil
Available Configurations
Properties common to all products in this list
| Purity | Thickness | Length | Width | Temper Options | Surface Finish Options | Special Variants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.9% to 99.999% | 0.0005mm to 6mm | 5mm to 500mm | 5mm to 500mm | As Rolled, Annealed, Unannealed | Polished on both sides | Light Tight; ASTM 560 standard available |
Need custom configurations? Please contact our Technical Solutions team.
Key Features
Tantalum foil possesses a combination of material characteristics that make it particularly well suited for chemical processing, semiconductor fabrication, vacuum systems, medical devices, and aerospace applications:
Exceptional Corrosion Resistance
Tantalum is highly resistant to aggressive acids such as hydrochloric, sulfuric, and nitric acid, outperforming stainless steel, titanium, and even platinum in many corrosive settings. This makes it indispensable in chemical processing equipment, semiconductor fabrication, and acid-resistant linings.
High Melting Point (3,017 °C)
Tantalum is stable at extreme temperatures, making it ideal for high-temperature furnace components, aerospace thermal shielding, and environments where refractory metals are required.
High Density (16.65 g/cm³)
Tantalum's high density provides strong protection from high-energy particles and radiation, making it valuable in spacecraft electronics shielding. It is also used in medical and industrial imaging, where reliable protection is needed in confined spaces.
Strong Dielectric Performance
Tantalum forms a thin, stable oxide layer with high dielectric strength and low leakage current, enabling its use in electrolytic capacitors. This property is critical in compact, reliable electronics such as medical implants, aerospace systems, and defence electronics.
High Ductility & Malleability
Tantalum foil can be cold-worked into ultra-thin, complex shapes without cracking, owing to its exceptional ductility and malleability. This allows for precision fabrication of components such as evaporator boats, furnace linings, and corrosion-resistant reactor liners in chemical processing and vacuum systems.
Excellent Thermal Conductivity (57 W/m·K)
Tantalum has a stable thermal conductivity across a wide temperature range, making it ideal for heat-transfer components in high-temperature vacuum furnaces, thermal shields in corrosive gas environments, and acid-resistant heat exchangers used in chemical processing.
Biocompatibility
Tantalum is bioinert and non-toxic, making it suitable for long-term implantation in medical devices. It does not trigger immune responses and is used in surgical tools, bone repair meshes, and implantable electronics.
Industrial Applications
High-purity tantalum foil's unique combination of corrosion resistance, thermal stability, ductility, and dielectric properties makes it indispensable across several high-value industries:
- ✦ Chemical Processing & Corrosive-Service Equipment
- Used in thin liners, gaskets, and reactor baffles to protect vessels and piping from hot acids, through its high corrosion resistance and excellent formability.
- ✦ Vacuum Systems & Semiconductor Manufacturing
- Used in evaporator boats, sputtering targets, beam-line shields, and furnace liners to maintain ultra-high vacuum conditions and contamination-free environments — owing to its high purity and ductility.
- ✦ High-Temperature Furnaces & Laboratory Apparatus
- Used in crucible supports, trays, and furnace linings to withstand elevated temperatures and adapt to furnace contours — owing to its high melting point and malleability.
- ✦ Electronics & Energy-Storage Devices
- Used as anode foil in electrolytic capacitors and sputter targets for dielectric coatings, due to its stable oxide offering high capacitance, low leakage, and reliable dielectric performance.
- ✦ Aerospace & Radiation Shielding
- Used in spacecraft electronics vaults and small satellites, tantalum foil can be laminated with aluminium into lightweight, multi-layer shields. This protects sensitive circuits from space radiation, ensuring reliability on long-duration missions.
- ✦ Nuclear & Refractory Applications
- Used in reactor internals, thermowells, and linings to withstand corrosion and radiation — delivering long service life by retaining strength at high temperatures.
Mentions in Scientific Literature
Goodfellow's tantalum foil features prominently in research including but not exclusive to domains such as:
Surface Coating Experiments, used as anodes in plasma-based setups to form ceramic coatings from aqueous solutions, improving durability and performance of surfaces
[1]
.
Nanoparticle Production, acting as a container for high-temperature evaporation processes to produce ultra-fine powders used in nanotechnology and advanced materials
[1–2]
.
Material Strength Testing, employed as rippled metal targets fabricated via microcoining for investigating material strength under high-pressure loading at laser facilities
[3]
.
Neutron Detection, utilised as high-purity foils in neutron activation analysis to measure neutron levels in high-radiation environments
[4]
.
Atomic Beam Experiments, selected as filament substrates for evaporating elements in spectroscopy and ion-chemical reaction studies
[5]
.
Biological & Developmental Research, commonly used to create impermeable barriers that prevent tissue contact during embryo development
[6–10]
.
Across these disciplines researchers have utilised our tantalum foils as
anodic substrates for plasma-based ceramic coating processes
[1]
,
high-temperature evaporation vessels for nanoparticle synthesis
[2]
,
microcoined rippled targets for high-pressure laser physics experiments
[3]
,
neutron activation dosimetry foils for spent fuel characterisation
[4]
, and
impermeable tissue barriers in embryological and developmental biology experiments
[6–10]
— applications that all benefit from tantalum's exceptional purity, high melting point, and oxidation resistance.
References & Citations
Click to expand
- F. Schlottig, J. Schreckenbach, & Marx, G. (1999). Preparation and characterisation of chromium and sodium tantalate layers by anodic spark deposition. Fresenius Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 363(2), 209–211. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002160051174
- Sevilla, D., Carlos Sánchez, J., & Sevilla, L. (1998). Estudio de metales y sulfuros nanocristalinos preparados por evaporación en atmósfera de gas inerte. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales. https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/164911/1/Tesis%20JC%20Sanchez-Lopez_1998-final.pdf
- Randall, G. C., Vecchio, J., Knipping, J., Wall, D., Remington, T., Fitzsimmons, P., Vu, M., Giraldez, E. M., Blue, B. E., Farrell, M., & Nikroo, A. (2013). Developments in Microcoining Rippled Metal Foils. Fusion Science and Technology, 63(2), 274–281. https://doi.org/10.13182/fst63-2-274
- Perrey, H., Ros, L., Elfman, M., Bäckström, U., Kristiansson, P., & Sjöland, A. (2021). Evaluation of the in-situ performance of neutron detectors based on EJ-426 scintillator screens for spent fuel characterization. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 1020, 165886. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2021.165886
- Untersuchungen zu ionenchemischen Reaktionen und Mobilitätsmessungen an schweren Elementen in einer Puffergaszelle. (2025). Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek. https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/5IGSI2S2HDDIOWC4KKHDKPO45PDUBIIP
- Altabef, M., & Tickle, C. (2002). Initiation of dorso-ventral axis during chick limb development. Mechanisms of Development, 116(1–2), 19–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0925-4773(02)00125-9
- Kulesa, P. M., Lu, C. C., & Fraser, S. E. (2005). Time-Lapse Analysis Reveals a Series of Events by Which Cranial Neural Crest Cells Reroute around Physical Barriers. Brain Behavior and Evolution, 66(4), 255–265. https://doi.org/10.1159/000088129
- Lu, C. C.-C. (2020). Cranial Neural Crest Cell Migration in the Avian Embryo and the Roles of Eph-A4 and Ephrin-A5 (Doctoral dissertation, California Institute of Technology). https://thesis.library.caltech.edu/4073/1/carole_lu.pdf
- Lassiter, R. N. T., Dude, C. M., Reynolds, S. B., Winters, N. I., Baker, C. V. H., & Stark, M. R. (2007). Canonical Wnt signaling is required for ophthalmic trigeminal placode cell fate determination and maintenance. Developmental Biology, 308(2), 392–406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2007.05.032
- Stark, M., Sechrist, J., Bronner-Fraser, M., & Marcelle, C. (1997). Neural tube-ectoderm interactions are required for trigeminal placode formation. Development, 124(21), 4287–4295. https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.124.21.4287
Synonyms
Material Properties
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | 73 |
| Crystal structure | Body centred cubic |
| Electronic structure | Xe 4f¹⁴ 5d³ 6s² |
| Valences shown | 2,3,4,5 |
| Atomic weight( amu ) | 180.9479 |
| Thermal neutron absorption cross-section( Barns ) | 22 |
| Photo-electric work function( eV ) | 4.1 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 180/ 0.012 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 181/ 99.988 |
| Atomic radius - Goldschmidt( nm ) | 0.147 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 1/ 7.88 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 2/ 16.2 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Material condition | Hard |
| Material condition | Soft |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.342 |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.342 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 196.3 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 196.3 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 185.7 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 185.7 |
| Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² ) | 200 |
| Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² ) | 90 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 760 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 172-207 |
| Yield strength( MPa ) | 705 |
| Yield strength( MPa ) | 310-380 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Electrical resistivity( µOhmcm ) | 13.5@20°C |
| Superconductivity critical temperature( K ) | 4.47 |
| Temperature coefficient( K⁻¹ ) | 0.0035@0-100°C |
| Thermal emf against Pt (cold 0C - hot 100C)( mV ) | 0.33 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Boiling point( C ) | 5425 |
| Density( gcm⁻³ ) | 16.6@20°C |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Melting point( C ) | 2996 |
| Latent heat of evaporation( J g⁻¹ ) | 4165 |
| Latent heat of fusion( J g⁻¹ ) | 174 |
| Specific heat( J K⁻¹ kg⁻¹ ) | 140@25°C |
| Thermal conductivity( W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ ) | 57.5@0-100 |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion( x10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ ) | 6.5@0-100°C |
Tolerances
| Thickness | <0.01mm | ±25% |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.01mm - 0.05mm | ±15% |
| Thickness | >0.05mm | ±10% |