What is a precious metal catalyst?

Precious metal catalysts, as the name suggests, use precious metals as the active ingredient and monolithic ceramics such as alumina as the support. They are catalysts developed to alter the rate of chemical reactions without participating in the reaction itself.

A precious metal catalyst is a precious metal material that can alter the rate of a chemical reaction without participating in the final products. Almost all precious metals can be used as catalysts, but platinum, palladium, rhodium, silver, and ruthenium are commonly used, with platinum and rhodium being the most widely applied. Their d-electron orbitals are not fully filled, making their surfaces prone to adsorbing reactants. The moderate strength of these orbitals facilitates the formation of intermediate "active compounds," resulting in high catalytic activity. Furthermore, they possess excellent comprehensive properties such as high-temperature resistance, oxidation resistance, and corrosion resistance, making them the most important catalyst materials.