Scientists at the European Space Agency are using techniques inspired by their experience with outer space to make new and better products here on Earth. Certain compounds and alloys which are not normally viable can be made in different ways once forces such as gravity are removed from the equation. From BBC News: "The near absence of gravity (microgravity) has a profound influence on the way molten metals come together to form intermetallics and 'standard' alloys. With no 'up' and 'down' in the space environment, a melt doesn't rise and sink as it would at the planet's surface and that means solidification can turn out very differently. 'Gravity induces a lot of segregation of the elements,' explains IMPRESS scientist Dr Guillaume Reinhart. 'For instance, tantalum and niobium are heavy atoms and in doing the solidification process on the ground, they will segregate in different places and produce a very heterogeneous material. If you do this in microgravity, you obtain a very homogenous material because you prevent separation; and you have a much more efficient material, mechanically.'"

SillyConCarbide writes "Every six months, the Materials Research Society holds a science as art competition. The winners from their most recent meeting are particularly breathtaking. Materials researchers may struggle for years with stubborn instruments, fragile crystals or difficult chemical reactions before obtaining a bit of precious data from the exotic substances they study. Now, the scrutiny of samples not only yields potentially important data, but also artistic inspiration. Polymer films, cerium oxide membranes, and tantalum oxide crystals can look beautiful in the right light — especially if that light is an electron beam."

TheMatt writes "In a story that makes you say "Cool!", Nicholas Kotov and co-workers have created a nanotube composite material six times stronger than carbon-fiber composites. Their final product is a crosslinked material which appears to be just as strong as silicon carbide and tantalum carbide!"

Logic Bomb writes: "The New York Times Magazine takes a look at the mining of a muddy substance called coltan. Once refined, it becomes tantalum, the crucial ingredient in capacitors. To put it simply, the modern high-tech world depends on this stuff. And while most of us have images of squeaky-clean chip factories and such -- in marked contrast to sleazy textile sweatshops -- it turns out that this industry has a dark side that takes a major toll on human lives. Definitely worth a read."

Tantalum (pronounced /ˈtæntələm/) (formerly tantalium /tænˈtæliəm/) is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73. A rare, hard, blue-grey, lustrous ...

History, production, properties, and uses.

Infomation on Tantalum general properties, states, energies, appearance and characteristics.

Steaks and seafood with an Asian soul in a waterfront bar with bay views. With menus, events calendar and directions to location.

Cabot is the leading producer and supplier of tantalum alloys and oxides for sputtering targets, capacitors and thin films.

This WebElements periodic table page contains Essential information for the element tantalum ... Brief description: tantalum is a greyish silver, heavy, and very hard metal.

InfoMine: Tantalum Mining Information - comprehensive and current data on Tantalum prices, Tantalum exploration, Tantalum mines and Tantalum markets.

Tantalum ores are found primarily in Australia, Canada, Brazil, and central Africa, with some additional quantities originating in southeast Asia and in China.

T97 Series: Tantamount® Hi-Rel COTS, Ultra-Low-ESR, Conformal-Coated Tantalum Capacitor. Hi-Rel version of Vishay's popular 597D series of dual-anode, commercial capacitors; Wide ...

Hutchinson encyclopedia article about tantalum. tantalum. Information about tantalum in the Hutchinson encyclopedia. tantalum capacitors, tantalum capacitor, tantalum oxide ...

Tantalum (pronounced /ˈtæntələm/) (formerly tantalium /tænˈtæliəm/) is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73. A rare, hard, blue-grey, lustrous ...

History, production, properties, and uses.

Infomation on Tantalum general properties, states, energies, appearance and characteristics.

Steaks and seafood with an Asian soul in a waterfront bar with bay views. With menus, events calendar and directions to location.

Cabot is the leading producer and supplier of tantalum alloys and oxides for sputtering targets, capacitors and thin films.

This WebElements periodic table page contains Essential information for the element tantalum ... Brief description: tantalum is a greyish silver, heavy, and very hard metal.

InfoMine: Tantalum Mining Information - comprehensive and current data on Tantalum prices, Tantalum exploration, Tantalum mines and Tantalum markets.

Tantalum ores are found primarily in Australia, Canada, Brazil, and central Africa, with some additional quantities originating in southeast Asia and in China.

T97 Series: Tantamount® Hi-Rel COTS, Ultra-Low-ESR, Conformal-Coated Tantalum Capacitor. Hi-Rel version of Vishay's popular 597D series of dual-anode, commercial capacitors; Wide ...

Hutchinson encyclopedia article about tantalum. tantalum. Information about tantalum in the Hutchinson encyclopedia. tantalum capacitors, tantalum capacitor, tantalum oxide ...