Sodium Tantalate powder is a useful lead-free ferroelectric compound. Sodium Tantalate has potential applications as either a photoluminescent material or photocatalyst. As a photocatalyst, Sodium Tantalate can be be optimized for photocatalytic activity because it is an incipient ferroelectric with a room-temperature crystalline structure that is amenable to change based on preparation method. Sodium Tantalate doped with Nickel(II) Oxide (NiO) and nano-sized Gold (Au) or Lanthanum (La) has also shown promise as a relatively efficient photocatalytic water splitter, splitting H2 and O2, under ultraviolet radiation. Because of Sodium Tantalate's low toxicity and high stability, doped Sodium Tantalate (with Samarium or Lanthanum) has been used to aid and accelerate in the oxidative decomposition of otherwise non-biodegradable organic pollutants such as certain dyes.
