Full Text for April 2009, Volume 53, Number 2

 

This issue contains the following:

Alternative Fuels for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells
Annukka Santasalo, Tanja Kallio and Kyösti Kontturi (Department of Chemistry, Helsinki University of Technology, Finland) studied crossover and performance of different organic fuels with a platinum-ruthenium (60:40) catalyst in a unit fuel cell. They found that large, negatively charged or complicated molecules had the lowest crossover rates through the Nafion^® 115 membrane. In a PtRu-catalysed fuel cell, compounds with only one carbon atom exhibit superior performance compared to molecules having a carbon chain; with methanol and formaldehyde producing power densities up to five times higher than those achieved with molecules having a longer carbon chain.

 

Synthesis and Applications of Palladium Compounds
Palladium compounds containing chelating ligands with at least one palladium–carbon bond are known as palladacycles. Chris Barnard (Johnson Matthey Technology Centre, Sonning Common, U.K.) reviews the book “Palladacycles: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications”, edited by Jairton Dupont and Michel Pfeffer, which provides an overview of this topic. Although palladacycles show excellent thermal stability with respect to decomposition to palladium metal, they are far from inert. This has led to their exploitation as catalysts for cross-coupling reactions.

 

Studies on Platinum-Aluminium-Based Alloys
This issue includes Part II of a series of papers by Lesley Cornish and colleagues at the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Strong Materials, the University of the Witwatersrand, and Mintek, South Africa, together with the National Institute for Materials Science, Japan, on the development of platinum-based alloys under the Platinum Development Initiative. Work on ternary alloys had previously identified that the best for both mechanical properties and oxidation resistance were Pt-Al-Cr and Pt-Al-Ru. Now the authors present transmission electron microscopy studies on a range of ternary alloys to understand the strengthening mechanisms of the alloys, ascertain the nature of the ~ Pt₃Al precipitates and deduce the misfits between the precipitates and the matrix.

 

Low Carbon Future with Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
Bruno G. Pollet (Fuel Cells Group, University of Birmingham, U.K.) presents highlights from the Fourth Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Conference held in Birmingham, U.K., on 2nd April 2008. There has been a surge of interest in clean and efficient energy generated locally through fuel cells and hydrogen. They are likely to be one answer to the consumer’s demand for energy replacement and increased power, along with current environmental issues. Furthermore, it is evident that fuel cells are currently playing an important role in moving towards a low carbon future and are gradually being accepted for other applications.

 

PGM-Catalysed Processes for Organic Synthesis
On 15th October 2008, the University of Bath, U.K., hosted a half-day symposium entitled “Metals in Synthesis 2008 (MIS-08)”. Wenbo Chen and John S. Fossey (School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, U.K.) review the event. Platinum group metals (pgms) are playing an increasingly important role in organic synthesis, especially in the asymmetric synthesis field. Synthetic methodologies based on pgm-catalysed reactions that form new chemical bonds under progressively milder conditions, with greater ease and increasing power, will continue to be at the heart of intriguing and useful discoveries.

 

Ultrasonic Properties of Osmium and Ruthenium
D. K. Pandey, Devraj Singh and P. K. Yadawa (Department of Applied Physics, AMITY School of Engineering and Technology, India) present a study of the ultrasonic properties of osmium and ruthenium for use in characterisation of their materials. They computed the angle-dependent ultrasonic velocity for the determination of anisotropic behaviour of the metals. For the evaluation of ultrasonic velocity, attenuation and acoustic coupling constants, they calculated the higher-order elastic constants using the Lennard-Jones potential. They discuss the results of this investigation in correlation with other known thermophysical properties.

 

Johnson Matthey Establishes Autocatalyst Facility in Russia
Between 2000 and 2008, the Russian automotive market saw year on year double-digit growth. By 2008 it showed the potential to become one of the world’s leading markets. Johnson Matthey made the strategic decision to invest in Russia and build a new facility, the 12th Emission Control Technologies plant, to support local market requirements. Andrey Kossov (Commercial Manager Russia, Johnson Matthey ECT, Moscow, Russia) describes the background to the opening of the plant in August 2008.

 

Refining and Processing of PGMs and Gold
David J. Robinson (CSIRO, Australia) reviews the 18th International Solvent Extraction Conference (ISEC 2008): “Solvent Extraction: Fundamentals to Industrial Applications”, held in Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A., between 15th and 19th September 2008. The interesting and potentially exploitable aspects of the chemistry of the pgms in solvent extraction-based refining circuits continue to be of significant interest. Comments on selected oral and poster presentations most relevant to the furthering of fundamental chemistry, refining and processing of both the pgms and gold are given.

 

Fuel Cell Review for 2009
The Fuel Cell Today Industry Review 2009, titled “Fuel Cells: Emerging Markets”, was published on 28th January 2009. According to the Review, fuel cell shipments will exceed 5 million units per year by 2013. 2008 saw shipments of 18,000 units mainly in the portable and stationary sectors, an increase of 50% over the number shipped in 2007. Over 80% of new units shipped were fuel cells with platinum-based catalysts. The Fuel Cell Today analysts further anticipate considerable uptake of fuel cells in key ‘emerging market’ regions such as India, Latin America and the Middle East. The 2009 Industry Review also publishes a forecast for the five-year period 2009 to 2013 for transport, stationary and portable applications and breaks this information down by electrolyte and region of adoption.

 

Abstracts and New Patents
A selection of abstracts from the recent scientific and patent literature is presented.

 

Surface Characterisation of PGM Catalyst Materials
A surface scientist can find chemical information about the outermost atoms of a surface by X-ray (excited) photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). This Final Analysis by Richard Smith (Johnson Matthey Technology Centre, Sonning Common, U.K.) is Part II of two and shows the region of the platinum and gold 4f signals, their most useful photoemission lines, in much more detail than the survey spectrum shown in the previous Final Analysis article. The signals before and after reduction of the material are shown.

 

Contact
The Editor, Platinum Metals Review, Johnson Matthey PLC, Orchard Road, Royston, Hertfordshire SG8 5HE, United Kingdom; Fax +44 (0) 1763 256359; Email jmpmr@matthey.com

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