27 May
2003
27 May
'03
7:05 a.m.
Steve Leach said:
If you could humor my electronic ignorance, what
exactly
is a tantalum cap and how does it differ from a normal
capacitor? I was never before aware that there could be
more to a capacitor than plates (or foil) and an
electrolyte. How can a capacitor have a polarity?
Not an electrolyte, an insulator. It is the inability to
conduct electrons which gives the capacitor its ability to
collect electrons. Electrolytes, in general, are ionic
compounds. Consider the electrolytes of sports drinks. A
good number of salts constitute the valuable components of
sports drinks. When dissolved in water, these salts become
the electrolytes. Now, by being ionic, these electrolytes
are well suited to the conduction of electron flow. This
is most definately not the kind of behavior which you wish
to obtain from a capacitor.
William R. Buckley