Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), and specifically platinum has an important role to play in our everyday lives way beyond the obvious that we all know about like engines and jewellery.
Within platinum there are five Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) present in the same ore including palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium and iridium – all with different compositions and applications.
Here are some examples of the many areas where platinum plays a role:
Saving lives
Cancer treatments
In certain chemical forms, platinum has the ability to slow or stop the division of living cells, and platinum-based drugs have been developed to treat a wide range of cancers, with notable successes in testicular, ovarian, head and neck cancers.
Airbags
Silicones treated with platinum are used to coat and protect nylon automotive airbags from explosive systems. Thanks to the platinum treatment, these airbags are very stable and can be kept folded and packed for many years without deteriorating.
Wound treatment
Platinum-treated silicones are also used in a medical material used to treat wounds. The platinum treatment allows the silicones to adhere to dry skin, while not sticking to and damaging the wet wounds. In addition, air and moisture can pass through these silicones, which aids in improving the healing process.
Dental restorations
Platinum and palladium are usually mixed with gold, silver, copper or zinc to provide strength, stiffness and toughness in dental work like crowns and bridges. Small amounts of ruthenium or iridium are also added sometimes.
Platinum is also used in: Hearing aids, pacemakers and various other medical scanners and devices
Going green
Autocatalysts (Car exhaust)In order to minimise harmful gasses being emitted by our cars, autocatalysts are installed inside a canister called the catalytic converter. This cleans the fumes through a solution of chemicals and PGMs.
Keeping food fresh
Ethylene is a substance that causes fresh produce to ripen quicker, and controlling the amounts of it around fresh foods and flowers helps control spoilage, quality and shelf-life of fresh fruit and vegetables – which in turn helps to reduce wastage. Johnson Matthey, is a leader in sustainable technologies, has developed an innovative technology that collects ethylene using palladium as a key active ingredient.
Fuel cells
Fuel cells, like batteries, generate electricity silently by means of an electro-chemical reaction. Unlike batteries, however, fuel cells need no recharging and will run indefinitely when supplied with fuel. They work by combining hydrogen, which is the fuel, and oxygen from the air, over a catalyst such as platinum. Read more on how we are providing an entirerural community in Kroonstad with platinum fuel cells (link to rural electrification blog)
Fertiliser
The nitric acid that is a key component of nitrogen fertilisers is made with a platinum-rhodium catalyst.
Platinum is also used in: Wind turbines, home insulations, light-weight car parts, and the generation of clean water
Keeping you connected
Petrol
Platinum is used in the processes in which the higher octane components for petrol are made.
Hard drives
The platinum and ruthenium in the magnetic layers of computer hard disks improves the density of data storage and disks, enabling manufacturers to achieve massive increases in storage density on smaller disks.
Electronic components
Palladium is a very durable electrical conductor and is used as a component in virtually every type of electronic device, from basic consumer products to complex military hardware.
Liquid crystal displays (LCD)
LCD glass, which must be free of defects, and often needs to be as thin as half a millimetre, is manufactured at very high temperatures. Platinum is therefore frequently used to make the vessels that hold, channel and form it, with the glass itself being used in devices ranging from smart phones and digital watches to laptop computers.
Commercial aircraft
Platinum is used both in the manufacture of turbine engines and in the coating that increases their lifespans. The platinum in the coating allows the blades to operate continuously for as long as 20,000 hours before needing repair or replacement.
Looking good
Paints and adhesives
Palladium, a PGM metal, is used to manufacture the binders in paints and nail varnishes which enable them to stick to surfaces.
Lipstick and contact lenses
Platinum compounds added to silicone mixtures are used to make water-repellent coatings, as well as high-consistency and liquid rubbers. These products have a vast number of applications which include personal care products from lipsticks and shampoos to contact lenses.
Polyester clothing
Palladium is used in the production of a substance called PTA which is a component of the polyester fabrics which are used extensively in clothing and the upholstery in home furnishings.
Jewellery
Jewellery is the second largest sector of PGM demand with 85% of the platinum jewellery made and sold in China, Japan and the USA.