Palladium apphcations

Ceramic, Metal, and Liquid Membranes. The discussion so far implies that membrane materials are organic polymers and, in fact, the vast majority of membranes used commercially are polymer based. However, interest in membranes formed from less conventional materials has increased. Ceramic membranes, a special class of microporous membranes, are being used in ultrafHtration and microfiltration appHcations, for which solvent resistance and thermal stabHity are required. Dense metal membranes, particularly palladium membranes, are being considered for the separation of hydrogen from gas mixtures, and supported or emulsified Hquid films are being developed for coupled and facHitated transport processes. 

Each has been recovered and used in various quantities. Rhodium, palladium, and technetium have also been recovered for potential catalytic or precious metal appHcations (34,35). 

Hardness of the aimealed metals covers a wide range. Rhodium (up to 40%), iridium (up to 30%), and mthenium (up to 10%) are often used to harden platinum and palladium whose intrinsic hardness and tensile strength are too low for many intended appHcations. Many of the properties of rhodium and indium. Group 9 metals, are intermediate between those of Group 8 and Group 10. The mechanical and many other properties of the PGMs depend on the physical form, history, and purity of a particular metal sample. For example, electrodeposited platinum is much harder than wrought metal. 

Tables 9—16 show PGM consumption by the Western world and Japan. The figures are broken down by industrial appHcation and, for platinum and palladium, by the region in which they are used. In each case, net demand is shown, ie, total purchases of the metals by customers, minus any sales back to the market.

PGM catalyst technology can also be appHed to the control of emissions from stationary internal combustion engines and gas turbines. Catalysts have been designed to treat carbon monoxide, unbumed hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides in the exhaust, which arise as a result of incomplete combustion. To reduce or prevent the formation of NO in the first place, catalytic combustion technology based on platinum or palladium has been developed, which is particularly suitable for appHcation in gas turbines. Environmental legislation enacted in many parts of the world has promoted, and is expected to continue to promote, the use of PGMs in these appHcations. 

Electronic Applications. The PGMs have a number of important and diverse appHcations in the electronics industry (30). The most widely used are palladium and mthenium. Palladium or palladium—silver thick-film pastes are used in multilayer ceramic capacitors and conductor inks for hybrid integrated circuits (qv). In multilayer ceramic capacitors, the termination electrodes are silver or a silver-rich Pd—Ag alloy. The internal electrodes use a palladium-rich Pd—Ag alloy. Palladium salts are increasingly used to plate edge connectors and lead frames of semiconductors (qv), as a cost-effective alternative to gold. In 1994, 45% of total mthenium demand was for use in mthenium oxide resistor pastes (see Electrical connectors). 

To add surface area, the supports are uniformly coated with a slurry of gamma-alumina and recalcined under moderate conditions. The wash coat acts to accept the active metals, typically low levels of platinum and palladium, in a conventional impregnation process. In the United States in passenger car apphcations the spherical catalyst is used almost exclusively, and methods have been developed to replace the catalyst without removing the converter shell when vehicle inspection reveals that emission standards are not met. 

Hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is one of the oldest and most widely used appHcations for supported catalysts, and much has been written in this field (55—57). Metals useflil in hydrogenation include cobalt, copper, nickel, palladium, platinum, rhenium, rhodium, mthenium, and silver, and there are numerous catalysts available for various specific appHcations. Most hydrogenation catalysts rely on extremely fine dispersions of the active metal on activated carbon, alumina, siHca-alumina, 2eoHtes, kieselguhr, or inert salts, such as barium sulfate. 

Hydrogenation of Acetylenes. Complete hydrogenation of acetylenes to the corresponding alkanes, which maybe requited to remove acetylenic species from a mixture, or as a part of a multistep synthesis, may be accompHshed using <5 wt % palladium or platinum on alumina in a nonreactive solvent under very mild conditions, ie, <100°C, <1 MPa (10 atm). Platinum is preferred in those cases where it is desired to avoid isomeri2ation of the intermediate olefin. Silver on alumina also can be used in this appHcation as can unsupported platinum metal. 

Another appHcation for this type catalyst is ia the purification of styrene. Trace amounts (200—300 ppmw) of phenylacetylene can inhibit styrene polymerization and caimot easily be removed from styrene produced by dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene using the high activity catalysts introduced in the 1980s. Treatment of styrene with hydrogen over an inhibited supported palladium catalyst in a small post reactor lowers phenylacetylene concentrations to a tolerable level of <50 ppmw without significant loss of styrene. 

For more selective hydrogenations, supported 5—10 wt % palladium on activated carbon is preferred for reductions in which ring hydrogenation is not wanted. Mild conditions, a neutral solvent, and a stoichiometric amount of hydrogen are used to avoid ring hydrogenation. There are also appHcations for 35—40 wt % cobalt on kieselguhr, copper chromite (nonpromoted or promoted with barium), 5—10 wt % platinum on activated carbon, platinum (IV) oxide (Adams catalyst), and rhenium heptasulfide. Alcohol yields can sometimes be increased by the use of nonpolar (nonacidic) solvents and small amounts of bases, such as tertiary amines, which act as catalyst inhibitors. 

In addition to the metals Hsted above, many alloys ate commercially electroplated brass, bronze, many gold alloys, lead—tin, nickel—iron, nickel—cobalt, nickel—phosphoms, tin—nickel, tin—zinc, ziac-nickel, ziac-cobalt, and ziac-iron. Electroplated alloys ia lesser use iaclude lead—iadium, nickel—manganese, nickel-tuagstea, palladium alloys, silver alloys, and zinc—manganese. Whereas tertiary and many other alloys can feasibly be electroplated, these have not found commercial appHcations. 

Palladium and Palladium Alloys. Palladium is used in telephone equipment and in electronics appHcations as a substitute for gold in specific areas. Palladium is plated from ammoniacal and acid baths available along with chelated variations as proprietary processes. One typical alkaline bath uses 8 g/L diammine-dinitropalladium, 100 g/L ammonium nitrate, and 10 g/L sodium nitrite. The pH is adjusted to 9—10 using ammonium hydroxide, and the bath is operated at 100 A/m at 50° C. If ammonium sulfamate, 100 g/L, is used in some baths to replace the nitrate and sodium nitrite salts, the bath is mn at lower temperature, 25—35°C, and a pH of 7.5—8.5. A palladium—nickel alloy, 75% Pd, is plated from a bath having 6 g/L palladium from the same salt, 3 g/L nickel from nickel sulfamate concentrate, and 90 g/L ammonium hydroxide. The bath is operated at 20—40°C with 50-100 A/m/... 

Nonselective catalytic reduction systems are often referred to as three-way conversions. These systems reduce NO, unbumed hydrocarbon, and CO simultaneously. In the presence of the catalyst, the NO are reduced by the CO resulting in N2 and CO2 (37). A mixture of platinum and rhodium has been generally used to promote this reaction (37). It has also been reported that a catalyst using palladium has been used in this appHcation (1). The catalyst operation temperature limits are 350 to 800°C, and 425 to 650°C are the most desirable. Temperatures above 800°C result in catalyst sintering (37). Automotive exhaust control systems are generally NSCR systems, often shortened to NCR. 

Metallic Palladium films pass H9 readily, especially above 300°C. Ot for this separation is extremely high, and H9 produced by purification through certain Pd alloy membranes is uniquely pure. Pd alloys are used to overcome the ciystalline instability of pure Pd during heat-ing-coohng cycles. Economics limit this membrane to high-purity apphcations. 

Indirect electroreduction with Ni, Co, and Fe complexes has been well studied, and will be discussed first. Furthermore, the synthetic use of palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium complexes as mediators in the electroreduction of organic compounds are finding increasing apphcations. Metallic complexes derived from chromium, manganese, molybdenum, tungsten, and rhenium have also been used as mediators for special conversions. Recently, tin, zinc, and mercury... 

One of the most important apphcations of palladium is to catalyze hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and petroleum cracking. Such reactions are widely employed in organic syntheses and petroleum refining. Palladium and platinum are installed in catalytic converters in automobiles to cut down the emission of unsaturated hydrocarbon gasses. 

Ruthenium alloyed to platinum, palladium, titanium and molybdenum have many apphcations. It is an effective hardening element for platinum and palladium. Such alloys have high resistance to corrosion and oxidation and are used to make electrical contacts for resistance to severe wear. Ruthenium-palladium alloys are used in jewelry, decorations, and dental work. Addition of 0.1% ruthenium markedly improves corrosion resistance of titanium. Ruthenium alloys make tips for fountain pen nibs, instrument pivots, and electrical goods. Ruthenium catalysts are used in selective hydrogenation of carbonyl groups to convert aldehydes and ketones to alcohols. 

Richardson JM, Jones CW (2006) Poly(4-vinylpyridine) and quadrapure TU as selective poisons for soluble catalytic species in palladium-catalyzed couphng reachons - apphcation to leaching from polymer-entrapped palladium. Adv Synth Catal 348 1207... 

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