Morphology of sodium-reduced powders of Ta and Nb produced in a variety of way of reduction
Morphology of tantalum and niobium powders produced by the sodium-reduced process from potassium heptafluotantalate and potassium heptafluoniobate was investigated. There was considered reducing:1) by initiation of reaction in a homogeneous mixture of the reduced metal compound and halogenide in a solid state with a sodium, 2) by feeding of the reduced metal compound in a solid state on a surface of a layer of a liquid sodium above the melt, 3) by feeding of the reduced metal compound in a solid state on a surface of the halogenide melt, in which volume a sodium was dissolved, 4) by feeding of a liquid sodium on a surface of a melt consisting of compound of reduced metal and a halogenide. The influence of reduction conditions on morphology and specific surface of obtained powders of a tantalum and niobium has been shown.