Effect of Sintering Time on the Microstructure of Porous Tantalum

Porous tantalum materials were prepared by a vacuum sintering technique using fine tantalum powder (< 0.45 μm) as the starting raw material. Effects of sintering time (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 min) at 1250°C on the microstructures and the porous characteristics of the porous tantalum were investigated. The results show that the porous tantalum materials have the porosity of about 50% with pore size distribution of 0.08 cm3/g