Composite platinum group metals: A new structural material for glass handling equipment and laboratory apparatus

Abstract

The cost of platinum and platinum-rich alloys inevitably leads to attempts to find cheaper alternative materials, particularly for applications where they are used for structural purposes. Previous work has generally been centred on coating base metals with platinum or on the development of palladium-rich alloys. However, both of these approaches have limitations particularly with regard to strength, corrosion resistance and reliability. The application of zirconia grain stablised technology to this problem has now resulted in the production of a composite trimetallic material, designated ZGS Platinum “TriM”. This largely overcomes the problems associated with earlier materials and dramatically reduces material costs.