Platinum Metals Review - Volume 34, Issue 2, 1990

The powder recovered from the catalyst and catchment systems in a high pressure ammonia oxidation plant has been studied by a variety of analytical means. From this investigation it can be concluded that the powder results from the in-depth degradation of the platinum-rhodium catalyst gauzes and the palladium-copper catchment gauzes, together with impurities arising from the reactor constructional materials. The results indicate two different transport mechanisms, and the study may assist in the development of more stable platinum-based catalysts and catchment packages for nitric acid plants.

The first International Fuel Cell Workshop was held at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, on 16th September 1989. This meeting was supported by The Fuel Cell Committee of the Electrochemical Society of Japan, and the International Society of Electrochemistry. The workshop co-chairmen were Drs. Masahiro Watanabe and Paul Stonehart. Dr. Ken-Ichiro Ota of Yokohama National University, Japan, acted both as workshop secretary and as moderator for the molten carbonate presentations, while the steering group consisted of representatives from various Japanese fuel cell companies.

Recent years have witnessed a very substantial increase in the body of data concerning the effects of various alloying elements on the phase relationships of the palladium-hydrogen system.

The range of iron-based materials known as stainless steels are used throughout the world to manufacture products requiring special resistance to corrosive environments. The corrosion resistance of these materials depends largely upon the chromium content, which is usually between 10 and 30 per cent of the alloy constitution. Of equal significance is the ability to vary the structure of the alloy between ferritic, austenitic and martensitic, by control of the type and level of additional elements. There are, however, many corrosion limiting factors which restrict the use of each type of steel, and the addition of noble metals to the iron-base constitution, to improve this situation, has been considered. This article summarises most of the published work on the effects of platinum group metals on the corrosion and mechanical properties of stainless steels, but excludes investigations of non-stainless steels.