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Photovoltaic and solar thermal: the cornerstone of corrosion resistance and efficient energy conversion

In the field of photovoltaic and solar thermal power generation, tantalum materials have become the core components of key equipment due to their strong corrosion resistance and high temperature stability:
• Photovoltaic polysilicon production: In the synthesis of trichlorosilane and cold hydrogenation of silicon tetrachloride, tantalum heat exchangers can withstand 150℃ and 70% concentration of hydrofluoric acid corrosion, and the heat transfer coefficient reaches 2180W/(㎡・K), gradually replacing titanium equipment. The gradient porous tantalum heat exchange plate developed by a Jiangsu company has passed ASME certification and has been applied to polysilicon production lines, helping to reduce the production cost of high-purity silicon.

• Solar thermal power generation system: In the molten salt energy storage circuit, tantalum alloy pipes and valves can withstand long-term erosion of 565℃ nitrate molten salt, avoiding medium leakage and efficiency loss caused by corrosion. 3D printing technology can customize tantalum heat exchange tubes with complex flow channels, and achieve gradient pore structure through topological optimization, taking into account mechanical properties and heat exchange efficiency, which has been verified in solar thermal power stations.

• Perovskite stacked cells: The transmittance of tantalum-titanium co-doped indium oxide (MDO) transparent electrodes in the 800-1300 nm band is more than 10% higher than that of traditional ITO, reducing carrier concentration (~10¹⁹ cm⁻³) and defect states, optimizing near-infrared light absorption of perovskite/silicon four-terminal stacked cells, and the power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeds 26%, providing material support for the next generation of high-efficiency photovoltaic technology.

Circular economy practice: With the large-scale application of tantalum-doped LLZO electrolytes, tantalum capacitors in electronic waste are recycled through hydrometallurgy, with a cost 40% lower than mining, and a purity increase of 2 levels, promoting closed-loop resource utilization.