Tantalum carbide (TaC) can be used to make silicon carbide crystals. Chujiang New Materials is a representative enterprise in my country.

Tantalum carbide (TaC) is a family of binary compounds of tantalum and carbon. Its appearance is a light brown metallic cubic crystalline powder. It is soluble in mixed acids of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid, and insoluble in water. Tantalum carbide has the advantages of good chemical stability, high melting point, high hardness, good thermal conductivity, and good electrical conductivity. It is widely used in aerospace, cemented carbide, automobile manufacturing, machining, semiconductor and other fields.

The main preparation methods of tantalum carbide include carbothermal reduction method, mechanical alloying method, sol-gel method, direct synthesis method, etc. The carbothermal reduction method refers to using carbon powder and tantalum oxide as the main raw materials, and carbonizing it under high temperature conditions to obtain finished products. This method is suitable for preparing large particles of tantalum carbide; the direct synthesis method refers to using carbon powder and metallic tantalum as the main raw materials, using The ball milling process is used to produce finished products. This method has the advantages of good finished product quality and high production efficiency, but the operating cost is high. In recent years, Chinese companies have continued to increase research on emerging tantalum carbide preparation methods, and the industry development is expected to further accelerate in the future.

According to the “2023-2028 China Tantalum Carbide (TaC) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report released by the Industrial Research Center It shows that tantalum carbide is widely used in aerospace, cemented carbide, automobile manufacturing, machining, semiconductor and other fields. In the aerospace field, tantalum carbide can be used as surface coating materials for aircraft and rocket engines; in the cemented carbide field, tantalum carbide can be used as cemented carbide growth inhibitors, carbide wear-resistant alloy tools, petroleum geological drilling tools, etc. As its end product; in the semiconductor field, tantalum carbide can be used in the manufacturing process of silicon carbide crystals, which can effectively increase the growth rate of crystals.

The semiconductor field is an emerging demand end for tantalum carbide. In April 2023, Hengpu Technology successfully launched porous tantalum carbide. This material has the advantages of high purity and large porosity. It can replace porous graphite and be used as a thermal field material for silicon carbide crystal growth. In the future, with the growth of downstream demand, the scale of my country’s tantalum carbide market is expected to expand.

Major players in my country’s tantalum carbide market include Ningxia Dongfang Tantalum Co., Ltd., Anhui Chujiang Technology New Materials Co., Ltd., Shandong Fuxin New Materials Co., Ltd., Jiujiang Zhongao Tantalum Niobium Co., Ltd., and Zhuzhou Haokun Hard Materials Co., Ltd. , Jiujiang Jinxin Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd., etc. In July 2022, Dingli Technology, a subsidiary of Chujiang New Materials, planned to invest 29.41 million yuan in the construction of a tantalum carbide industrialization project. In June 2023, the project was completed and put into production.

Industry analysts said that as a transition metal carbide, tantalum carbide has excellent properties and is widely used in many fields, benefiting from semiconductors. The industry’s prosperity has improved, and my country’s tantalum carbide market has strong demand. In the future, as the technology of local enterprises matures, my country’s tantalum carbide output and quality will further increase, and the industry’s development speed will further accelerate.