Welcome to the 53rd Year of Publication of Platinum Metals Review

The quarterly E-journal supporting research on the science and technology of the platinum group metals and developments in their application in industry

Platinum Metals Review Printed Archive Available

A set of Platinum Metals Review (1957, Volume 1 to 2004, Volume 48, Issue 2) has become available. If you are interested in acquiring this set, then please email the Editorial Office: editorpmr@matthey.com. Shipping from Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A., would have to be arranged by the recipient of these issues. Please note July 1987, Volume 31, Issue 3 and October 2001, Volume 45, Issue 4, are missing.

The Journal: Volume 53, Issue 2

The April part of the 2009 journal is now live, as both webpages and PDF files.

Articles in This Issue

Alternative Fuels for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells

Annukka Santasalo, Tanja Kallio and Kyöti Kontturi (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.

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.

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.

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.

Other Items in This Issue

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.

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.

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.

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”, 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.

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.

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.

Highlights from the scientific and patent literature are presented.

The Eleventh Grove Fuel Cell Symposium

The Eleventh Grove Fuel Cell Symposium: "Building on Fuel Cells", will take place from 22th to 24th September 2009, at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London, UK. Themes this time will include the changing environment for fuel cells in buildings; hydrogen and fuel technology; vehicles; electronic and portable systems; and electricity generation and transmission. The PMR team will be in attendance and we expect that the event will be of interest to many of our readers. To view the conference programme, or to register, please visit the Grove Fuel Cell Symposium website at: http://www.grovefuelcell.com/.

PMR Brochure

A four-page, A5-sized brochure describing the scope and services of Platinum Metals Review is available. View the brochure here.

Journal Archive

The Journal Archive provides access to every issue of Platinum Metals Review (Volume 1 to date). It is available at: http://www.platinummetalsreview.com/dynamic/volume/archive

For articles in issues from Volume 1, Issue 1 to Volume 47, Issue 3, article details and PDF files (including entire issue PDF files) are presented. XHTML full text is not available for these earlier issues.

Articles in issues from Volume 47, Issue 4, onwards are available in both PDF and XHTML full text formats.

Rapid location of articles can be achieved using the Advanced Search

Highlight articles include:

'The Manufacture of Nitric Acid', H. Connor, Platinum Metals Rev., 1967, 11, (1), 2

'Some Biological Effects of Platinum Compounds', B. Rosenberg, Platinum Metals Rev., 1971, 15, (2), 42

'Automobile Emission Control Systems', G. K. Acres and B. J. Cooper, Platinum Metals Rev., 1972, 16, (3), 74

'Fuel Cell Energy Generators', D. S. Cameron, Platinum Metals Rev., 1978, 22, (2), 38

'The Palladium-Hydrogen System', F. A. Lewis, Platinum Metals Rev., 1982, 26, (1), 20 and references cited therein

'Twenty-Five Years of Autocatalysts', M. V. Twigg, Platinum Metals Rev., 1999, 43, (4), 168

'The Cativa^TM Process for the Manufacture of Acetic Acid', J. H. Jones, Platinum Metals Rev., 2000, 44, (3), 94

Electronic issues of Platinum Metals Review from April 1998 onwards are also freely available on the IngentaConnect website.

The PGM Science Mine

• Events Calendar – a comprehensive list of scientific meetings on all the disciplines involving the platinum group metals. Events can be filtered by category.


• The People Directory – for you and your interests in the pgms.


• The Organisation Directory – for your departmental or company interests in the pgms.


• Links – the ones we find useful.

A History of Platinum and its Allied Metals

A comprehensive and frequently cited book on the history of platinum and its associated metals. It covers important discoveries and scientific work on the pgms up to the early twentieth century. Increasing knowledge of the six metals is interwoven with the growth in science since the eighteenth century. The book contains twenty-four chapters, 450 pages, over 600 references and 235 illustrations (20 in colour) including 100 portraits.

To order a copy, price U.K.£20, Europe €30 or U.S.$45 to include postage and packing, please complete the contact us form, selecting the category “A History of Platinum and its Allied Metals”.

The PGM Database

The PGM Database contains referenced collections of pgm data. Click on the logo to the right.

The database gives access to information on over 400 alloys, with more than 1000 diagrams and graphs having over 9000 referenced numerical data points. This free database contains properties on the six platinum group metals, their alloy systems and phase diagrams. You are invited to contribute your own published results for inclusion in the database.

Platinum Metals Review is published here by Johnson Matthey PLC, refiner and fabricator of the precious metals and sole marketing agent for the six platinum group metals produced by Anglo Platinum Limited, South Africa.