A new mineral with significant application value in state-of-the-art capacitors and aerospace materials has been discovered in China.
The mineral, discovered in a rare metal deposit in Jiangxi province, has been named “tantalaeschynite-Ce” (Taes-Ce) by the International Mineralogical Association, according to information released today by the China Geological Survey Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources.
Taes-Ce, which is brown-black or completely black, has a symbiotic relationship with minerals such as feldspar and fluorite. Unlike the common elements niobium and titanium found in Aeskinite, this newly discovered mineral contains extremely high amounts of tantalum.
Tantalum is considered an important rare metal element, especially in the field of cutting-edge capacitors and aerospace materials. The discovery of this new mineral is also expected to stimulate tantalum ore exploration and related research.