Platinum base metal

One factor contributing to the inefficiency of a fuel ceU is poor performance of the positive electrode. This accounts for overpotentials of 300—400 mV in low temperature fuel ceUs. An electrocatalyst that is capable of oxygen reduction at lower overpotentials would benefit the overall efficiency of the fuel ceU. Despite extensive efforts expended on electrocatalysis studies of oxygen reduction in fuel ceU electrolytes, platinum-based metals are stiU the best electrocatalysts for low temperature fuel ceUs. 

Because Pd-based metal membranes, commonly used for hydrogen separation [11] are not resistant towards sulphur, not much research has been performed on the use of such membranes in H2S dehydrogenation reactors. Some success has, however, been reported by Edlund and Pledger [12], They developed a platinum-based layered metal membrane that could resist irreversible attack by H2S at 700°C. At this temperature a conversion of 99.4% was achieved in the membrane reactor. Without hydrogen removal the conversion was only 13%. No permeance data is provided, but platinum-based metal membranes are known for their low hydrogen permeance [14], Johnson-Matthey developed palladium composite membranes with a hydrogen permeance of about 1 10 mol/m sPa [14], but these are most probably not resis-... 

In this chapter the performance of plalinum/base metal fuel additive-filter systems is discussed with studies on a pilot engine as a basis. It will be compared to the performance of cerium, iron, and copper base metal additives, the latter two also in combination with platinum. The background of the difference in performance of the platinum/base metal combinations is discussed with results from flow-reactor experiments as a basis. 

Carbon monoxide is a key molecule in the electro-oxidation of Cl compounds and of many alcohols, since it is always produced by the dissociative chemisorption of the molecule, and since it may block the active catalytic sites. Therefore, its electrooxidation on platinum-based metals dispersed in an electron-conducting polymer, such as PAni, was investigated for a long time in our laboratory [8,28,34]. 

Treatment of impure gold is largely via the Miller process (30) in which chlorine is bubbled through the molten metal and converts the base metals to chlorides, which volatilise. Silver is converted to the chloride, which is molten and can be poured. The remaining gold is less pure (99.6%) than that produced by the WohlwiU process and may require additional treatment such as electrolysis. If platinum-group metals (qv) are present, the chlorine process is unsuitable. 

Under severe conditions and at high temperatures, noble metal films may fail by oxidation of the substrate base metal through pores in the film. Improved life may be achieved by first imposing a harder noble metal film, eg, rhodium or platinum—iridium, on the substrate metal. For maximum adhesion, the metal of the intermediate film should ahoy both with the substrate metal and the soft noble-metal lubricating film. This sometimes requires more than one intermediate layer. For example, silver does not ahoy to steel and tends to lack adhesion. A flash of hard nickel bonds weh to the steel but the nickel tends to oxidize and should be coated with rhodium before applying shver of 1—5 p.m thickness. This triplex film then provides better adhesion and gready increased corrosion protection. 

Commercial metal anodes for the chlorine industry came about after the late 1960s when a series of worldwide patents were awarded (6—8). These were based not on the use of the platinum-group metals (qv) themselves, but on coatings comprised of platinum-group metal oxides or a mixture of these oxides with valve metal oxides, such as titanium oxide (see Platinum-GROUP metals, compounds Titanium compounds). In the case of chlor-alkaH production, the platinum-group metal oxides that proved most appropriate for use as coatings on anodes were those of mthenium and iridium. 

Many competitive programs to perfect a metallic anode for chlorine arose. In one, Dow Chemical concentrated on a coating based on cobalt oxide rather than precious metal oxides. This technology was patented (9,10) and developed to the semicommercial state, but the operating characteristics of the cobalt oxide coatings proved inferior to those of the platinum-group metal oxide. 

Whereas it is no longer an iaterpolation standard of the scale, the thermoelectric principle is one of the most common ways to transduce temperature, although it is challenged ia some disciplines by small iadustrial platinum resistance thermometers (PRTs) and thermistors. Thermocouple junctions can be made very small and ia almost infinite variety, and for base metal thermocouples the component materials are very cheap. Properties of various types of working thermocouple are shown in Table 3 additional properties are given in Reference 5. 

Gold, platinum, palladium, and silver are the principal components of most of the solders used for joining both noble and base metal alloys. Some solders for base metal alloys also contain nickel, chromium, and/or cobalt as primary ingredients. 

Two classes of metals have been examined for potential use as catalytic materials for automobile exhaust control. These consist of some of the transitional base metal series, for instance, cobalt, copper, chromium, nickel, manganese, and vanadium and the precious metal series consisting of platinum [7440-06-4], Pt palladium [7440-05-3], Pd rhodium [7440-16-6], Rh iridium, [7439-88-5], Ir and mthenium [7440-18-8], Ru. Specific catalyst activities are shown in Table 3. 

The same volume of metal tantalum is 30 times more expensive than titanium, but it has the range of corrosion resistance more comparable with the precious, rather than the base, metals. It is only 3% of the cost of platinum and 8% of the cost of gold. 

Thermocouples are primarily based on the Seebeck effect In an open circuit, consisting of two wires of different materials joined together at one end, an electromotive force (voltage) is generated between the free wire ends when subject to a temperature gradient. Because the voltage is dependent on the temperature difference between the wires (measurement) junction and the free (reference) ends, the system can be used for temperature measurement. Before modern electronic developments, a real reference temperature, for example, a water-ice bath, was used for the reference end of the thermocouple circuit. This is not necessary today, as the reference can be obtained electronically. Thermocouple material pairs, their temperature-electromotive forces, and tolerances are standardized. The standards are close to each other but not identical. The most common base-metal pairs are iron-constantan (type J), chomel-alumel (type K), and copper-constantan (type T). Noble-metal thermocouples (types S, R, and B) are made of platinum and rhodium in different mixing ratios. 

Platinum, palladium, and rhodium will function well under milder conditions and are especially useful when other reducible functions are present. Freifelder (23) considers rhodium-ammonia the system of choice when reducing -amino nitriles and certain )5-cyano ethers, compounds that undergo extensive hydrogenolysis under conditions necessary for base-metal catalysis. 

Anilines have been reduced successfully over a variety of supported and unsupported metals, including palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, (54), cobalt, and nickel. Base metals require high temperatures and pressures (7d), whereas noble metals can be used under much milder conditions. Currently, preferred catalysts in both laboratory or industrial practice are rhodium at lower pressures and ruthenium at higher pressures, for both display high activity and relatively little tendency toward either coupling or hydrogenolysis,... 

Platinum and rhodium-platinum and iridium-platinum alloys are frequently employed to line and sheath autoclaves, reactor vessels and tubes, and a wide range of equipment. Linings are generally 0-13 mm to 0- 38 mm thick, and for certain applications co-extruded platinum-lined Inconel or other metal reactor or cooling tubes are fabricated. In such cases the platinum is bonded to the base metal, but in all other instances platinum linings are of the loose type. 

Platinum in the forms detailed above and in its more usual alloys with other noble metals is available as sheet, foil down to 0-0064 mm thick, tube, rod, wire down to 0-0064 mm diameter, Wollaston wire down to 0-001 mm diameter, and clad on thin sections of base metals, e.g. copper, nickel. Inconel, etc. 

When platinum or its alloys are being joined, properties of the weld or solder must be such that it is no less corrosion or oxidation-resistant for the application in question than the parent metal. Platinum and its alloys are readily Joined to themselves and to certain base metals, e.g. iron, nickel, copper. The principal methods for Joining platinum are as follows ... 

The most widely used methods for the application of coatings of gold, silver and the platinum group metals (platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, osmium) to base metals are mechanical cladding and electroplating. 

In the galvanic detector, the electrochemical detector consists of a noble metal like silver (Ag) or platinum (Pt), and a base metal such as lead (Pb) or tin (Sn), which acts as anode. The well-defined galvanic detector is immersed in the electrolyte solution. Various electrolyte solutions can be used, but commonly they may be a buffered lead acetate, sodium acetate and acetic acid mixture. The chemical reaction in the cathode with electrons generated in the anode may generate a measurable electrical voltage, which is a detectable signal for measurements of DO. The lead is the anode in the electrolyte solution, which is oxidised. Therefore the probe life is dependent on the surface area of the anode. The series of chemical reactions occurring in the cathode and anode is ... 

The advantage is an oxidation temperature of 500°F compared to non-catalytic combustion of 1500°F. The active ingredients used were platinum, as well as the base metal oxides of cobalt, nickel, manganese, chromium, and iron. The support material included nickel-chromium ribbons, ceramics rods, beads, and pellets (13-17). 

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