Platinum catalysis was discovered two centuries ago, but now scientists continue to explore this application.

In the early 19th century, the scientist Sir Humphrey Davy accidentally discovered the phenomenon of heterogeneous catalytic oxidation when developing the first miner's safety lamp. David found that inserting a platinum wire near the lighted wick would catalyze the continuous oxidation of gas.

This important discovery is a precursor of platinum as an industrial catalyst. Platinum has been used in this production process for more than 100 years and still plays a vital role: in the production of nitric acid.

Nitric acid is the main raw material for the production of chemical fertilizer. In its production process, ammonia reacts with air to produce nitric oxide. In order to obtain high conversion efficiency, production must be carried out with platinum rhodium catalyst under certain pressure.

Today, new applications of platinum catalysts are constantly discovered. Tanaka, a precious metals company in Japan, recently won a technical award from the Japan catalyst Manufacturers Association for its participation in the development of a "hydrophobic" platinum based catalyst that prevents moisture accumulation and maintains the catalytic reaction even at room temperature.

Tanaka's catalyst is developed in cooperation with the National Institute of quantum and radiation science and technology of Japan. It can be used for controllable oxidation of hydrogen and combustible gases in nuclear fusion facilities and other aspects without heater and other equipment. It can also assist in response in outdoor environments without power supply or in case of power failure in disaster areas. Due to the hydrophobicity of the catalyst, it has potential application prospects in safety equipment and can prevent accidents such as explosion.

In Australia, researchers from Swinburne University and Shaanxi Normal University in China have developed a powerful monatomic platinum catalyst that can produce high-performance solar triggered hydrogen from seawater. The invention helped researchers develop a prototype device that can float on the ocean surface and produce hydrogen from seawater.

In traditional photocatalysts, electrons and holes (without electrons) are separated under solar radiation, resulting in the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen. However, the separated electrons and holes are easy to compound, which greatly reduces the photocatalytic activity and the efficiency of hydrogen production. The newly discovered monatomic platinum based catalyst can effectively extract photogenerated electrons, so as to avoid unnecessary recombination.

The importance of platinum catalyst remains the same. The demand of the automotive industry is the largest demand for platinum, accounting for about 40% of the annual demand for platinum. Platinum is mainly used for automobile catalysts or "catalytic converters" mainly used for diesel vehicles, which can reduce harmful emissions from diesel vehicles.

However, platinum is also an effective catalyst in gasoline vehicles. It can replace its sister metal palladium in a ratio of one to one. Palladium has been widely used in automotive catalysts for gasoline vehicles for the past 20 years, but this trend is being reversed due to the huge price difference between platinum and palladium, which is currently more expensive. Interestingly, a similar, price driven reversal occurred between 2000 and 2003, resulting in more than 1 million ounces of platinum per year replacing palladium in gasoline vehicle catalysts.

Today, platinum's share in the automotive catalyst market is growing. As a substitute for palladium in gasoline engine vehicles, it is expected that the annual demand for platinum will increase significantly in the next few years.