Lithium tantalate

Lithium tantalate

__ Li^+     __ Ta^5+     __ O^2−
Names
IUPAC name Lithium tantalate
Other names Lithium metatantalate
Identifiers
CAS Number	12031-66-2^Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.031.584
PubChem CID	159405
RTECS number	WW55470000
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID60923322
Properties
Chemical formula	LiTaO3
Molar mass	235.887 g/mol
Density	7.46 g/cm^3, solid
Melting point	1,650 °C (3,000 °F; 1,920 K)
Solubility in water	Insoluble in water
Structure
Crystal structure	Space group R3c
Lattice constant	a = 515.43 pm, c = 1378.35 pm[1]
Hazards
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH):
Main hazards	Acute Toxicity: Oral, Inhalation, Dermal
Safety data sheet (SDS)	http://www.samaterials.com/pdf/Lithium-Tantalate-Wafers-(LiTaO3-Wafers)-sds.pdf
Related compounds
Other anions	LiNbO3
Supplementary data page
Lithium tantalate (data page)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Y verify (what is ^YN ?) Infobox references

Lithium tantalate is the inorganic compound with the formula LiTaO₃. It is a white, diamagnetic, water-insoluble solid. The compound has the perovskite structure. It has optical, piezoelectric, and pyroelectric properties. Considerable information is available from commercial sources about this material.[2]

Synthesis and processing

Lithium tantalate is produced by treating tantalum(V) oxide with lithium oxide. The use of excess alkali gives water-soluble polyoxotantalates. Single crystals of Lithium tantalate are pulled from the melt using the Czochralski method.[2]

Applications

Lithium tantalate is used for nonlinear optics, passive infrared sensors such as motion detectors, terahertz generation and detection, surface acoustic wave applications, cell phones. Lithium tantalate is a standard detector element in infrared spectrophotometers.[3]

Research

The phenomenon of pyroelectric fusion has been demonstrated using a lithium tantalate crystal producing a large enough charge to generate and accelerate a beam of deuterium nuclei into a deuterated target resulting in the production of a small flux of helium-3 and neutrons through nuclear fusion without extreme heat or pressure.[4]

A difference between positively and negatively charged parts of pyroelectric LiTaO₃ crystals was observed when water freezes to them.[5]

See also

• Lithium tantalate (data page)

References

1. Abrahams, S.C; Bernstein, J.L (1967). "Ferroelectric lithium tantalate—1. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study at 24°C". Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids. 28 (9): 1685. Bibcode:1967JPCS...28.1685A. doi:10.1016/0022-3697(67)90142-4.
2. Andersson, Klaus; Reichert, Karlheinz; Wolf, Rüdiger (2000). "Tantalum and Tantalum Compounds". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. doi:10.1002/14356007.a26_071. ISBN 3-527-30673-0.
3. "Application note: Infrared Spectroscopy" (PDF).
4. B. Naranjo, J.K. Gimzewski & S. Putterman (2005). "Observation of nuclear fusion driven by a pyroelectric crystal". Nature. 434 (7037): 1115–1117. Bibcode:2005Natur.434.1115N. doi:10.1038/nature03575. PMID 15858570. S2CID 4407334.
5. D. Ehre; E. Lavert; M. Lahav; I. Lubomirsky (2010). "Water Freezes Differently on Positively and Negatively Charged Surfaces of Pyroelectric Materials". Science. 327 (5966): 672–675. Bibcode:2010Sci...327..672E. doi:10.1126/science.1178085. PMID 20133568. S2CID 206522004.