Method of manufacturing niobium and/or tantalum powder
AssigneeSumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
InventorsToshiyuki Osako, Tetsufumi Komukai
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing niobium and/or tantalum powder consisting of: a first-stage reduction process of reducing niobium and/or tantalum oxides with alkali metals and/or alkaline-earth metals to obtain low-grade oxide powder represented by (NbTa) Ox, where x=0.06 to 0.35, a process of removing the oxide of alkali metals and/or alkaline-earth metals generated in the first-stage reduction process, and a second-stage reduction process of reducing the low-grade oxide powder obtained in the first-stage reduction process, with a melt solution of alkali metals and alkaline-earth metals to obtain niobium and/or tantalum powder.
Claims2
Niobium comprising:
- a primary particle which is evenly distributed with a particle diameter of 0.1 to 1.0 μm and wherein the ratio of the oxygen content in ppm to the BET specific surface area expressed in m2/g is up to 3100,
- wherein the niobium powder is manufactured in accordance with the following method steps:
- (1) a first-stage reduction process of reducing niobium with at least one member selected from the group consisting of alkali metals and alkaline-earth metals to obtain low-grade oxide powder represented by Nb Ox, where x=0.06 to 0.35, wherein the at least one member is turned to an oxide,
- (2) a process of removing the oxide of at least one member generated in the first-stage reduction process, and
- (3) a second-stage reduction process of reducing the low-grade oxide powder obtained in the first-stage reduction process, with a melt solution of at least one member selected from the group consisting of alkali metals and alkaline-earth metals in a temperature range of 400 to 1200° C., to obtain said niobium powder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.