A tantalum electrolytic capacitor is an electrolytic capacitor, a passive component of electronic circuits. It consists of a pellet of porous tantalum metal as an anode, covered by an insulating oxide layer that forms the dielectric, surrounded by liquid or solid electrolyte as a cathode. The tantalum capacitor, because of its very thin and relatively high permittivity dielectric layer, distinguishes itself from other conventional and electrolytic capacitors in having high capacitance per volume (high volumetric efficiency) and lower weight.

Tantalum is a conflict resource. Tantalum electrolytic capacitors are considerably more expensive than comparable aluminum electrolytic capacitors.

Tantalum capacitors are inherently polarized components. Applying a reverse voltage can destroy the capacitor. Non-polar or bipolar tantalum capacitors are made by effectively connecting two polarized capacitors in series, with the anodes oriented in opposite directions.

Tantalum electrolytic capacitors are extensively used in electronic devices that require stable capacitance, low leakage current, and where reliability is crucial. Due to its reliability, durability and performance under extreme conditions, it is used in medical equipment, aerospace and military applications. Other applications include power supply units, measuring instruments, telecommunications equipment, and computer peripherals.

Electrolytic capacitors use a chemical feature of some special metals, historically called valve metals, which can form an insulating oxide layer. Applying a positive voltage to the tantalum anode material in an electrolytic bath forms an oxide barrier layer with a thickness proportional to the applied voltage. This oxide layer serves as the dielectric in an electrolytic capacitor. The properties of this oxide layer are compared with those of a niobium electrolytic capacitor oxide layer in the following table:

After forming a dielectric oxide on the rough anode structures, a cathode is needed. An electrolyte acts as the cathode of electrolytic capacitors. There are many different electrolytes in use. Generally, the electrolytes will be distinguished into two species, non-solid and solid electrolytes. Non-solid electrolytes are a liquid medium whose conductivity is ionic. The oxide layer may be destroyed if the polarity of the applied voltage is reversed.

Every electrolytic capacitor in principle forms a plate capacitor whose capacitance is greater the larger the electrode area, A, and the permittivity, ε, are and the thinner the thickness, d, of the dielectric is.

The dielectric thickness of electrolytic capacitors is very thin, in the range of nanometers per volt. Despite this, the dielectric strengths of these oxide layers are quite high. Thus, tantalum capacitors can achieve a high volumetric capacitance compared to other capacitor types.