Platinum Metals Review - Volume 21, Issue 4, 1977

Increasing concern at the waste caused by corrosion has focused attention on the need to utilise the most advanced methods for preventing, or controlling, this expensive phenomenon. The use of platinum for the cathodic protection of ships and marine structures is by no means new but the high cost of such structures, the aggressive environmental conditions to which they are subjected in service, and the need for maximum reliability over long periods of time all tend to make platinum cathodic protection an economic alternative to other methods. This review, which will appear in two parts, describes how cathodic protection is provided, outlines the many factors that have to be considered when utilising this method and describes some of the most recent applications.

Fused salt platinum electroplating has been successfully applied to the continous cladding of molybdenum wire. The deposit obtained is ductile and has many other attractive features when compared to aqueous platinum plating, such as good adhesion and high purity. The process is equally suitable for thin coatings of a few microns or for electroforming components more than a millimetre thick.

Activity in the field of study of hydrogen in metals continues to increase, and there has been a complementary sustained interest in both practical and theoretical aspects of the high solubility and diffusivity of hydrogen in palladium and certain of its alloys. This article reviews some of the relevant papers presented at the conference on “Hydrogen in Metals” held in Paris in June.