Effects of heating in air and chlorine atmosphere on the crystalline structure of pure Ta2O5 or mixed with carbon

Structure changes undergone by pure amorphous hydrated tantalum oxide mixed with different types of carbon when heated in air or chlorine atmospheres were monitored by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Heating in air of pure Ta2O5 causes the appearance of the hexagonal structure delta-Ta2O5 at 973 K and the orthorhombic structure beta-Ta2O5 at 1173 K. Heating in chlorine atmosphere markedly lowers the temperature at which transformation to the orthorhombic phase occurs. This effect is attributed to recrystallization of tantalum oxide from tantalum chloride and oxygen, both in gaseous phase, formed in a previous chlorination step of the amorphous oxide. When the thermal treatment is performed in chlorine atmosphere the presence of carbon permits the detection of the hexagonal form at 753 K; th is temperature varies with the type of carbon and the oxide:carbon ration. (C) 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers.