PGMs: A cornucopia of possible applications

Abstract

South Africa has been mining PGMs for many years and has a vested interest in the usefulness of these metals, although originally, there was little thought about downstream beneficiation and some of the products were later purchased, in effect repurchasing the raw materials. However, for about 20 years, it has been realised that in order to build wealth sustainably, at least some of the beneficiation and development has to be done in South Africa. This is because for each stage of beneficiation, the value of the commodity increases and so to buy the PGMs back in a later state is uneconomical. Also, the industries need to be established here in South Africa, so that South Africans can work in them and become part of the workforce and generate their own wealth and sustainability for their families. This is part of the rationale of the AMI.In order to drive this, as well as a viable commercial strategy, with viable and wanted products, there has to be something different in the production mixture, for example, the product has to be better, new or cheaper. This is where research is used to try and develop new capabilities, or to improve them. PGMs, application, product development. PGMs: A cornucopia of possible applications and thermal conductivity of Pt are important (Fischer, 1992). Mechanically, Pt alloyed with rhodium or iridium combine high ductility with adequate creep strength and these properties give the alloys potential for applications in the chemical, space technology and glass industries (Fischer, 2001;Whalen, 1988; Lupton, 1990). In the spacecraft industry, PGMs are used to increase the heat resistance of rocket engine nozzles. A very important application is the manufacture of high-purity optical glasses and glass fibres by using platinum-containing tank furnaces, stirrers and feeders to withstand the high temperatures, mechanical loads and corrosive attack under the glass manufacturing and shaping conditions. In glasses, outstanding purity, homogeneity and the absence of bubble inclusions can be achieved only by using platinum alloys. If ceramic melting vessels were used, ceramic particles would be loosened by erosion, which would contaminate the glass melts and so compromise the desired optical properties such as transmittance. The alloys are expensive, but there are very few other materials that could replace platinum without risk of compromising the product. Thus, this is a valuable and safe use for platinum and some of its alloys. * DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Strong MaterialsAnother 'standard use' of PGMs is in thermocouples and this arises because of their high electrical and thermal conductivity, as well as stability due to their high corrosion resistance. Typical alloys are Pt-Rh and Pt-Ru. The thermocouples do eventually degrade in aggressive environments and become brittle, but usually without much impairment of the electrical and conductive properties.A long-standing use of PGMs is in catalysts and South Africa has established an autocatalyst manufacturing and refurbishment plant for...

First-principles study to explore the possibility of inducing martensitic transformation in ordered B2 TiRu phase by alloying with Pd

“…[9][10][11] If added in Ti and other super alloys such as those applied in aerospace industry, Ru improved the corrosion resistance as well as chemical and electrical stability at higher temperatures. 12,13 Common to all PGMs is that they form a B2 (austenite) phase with Ti at high temperature and at compositions closer to 50:50 atomic percent (at.%). For most PGMs, the B2 phase transforms in a diffusionless manner (martensitically) on cooling to orthorhombic or tetragonal intermetallic phases.…”