New platinum-nickel core-shell catalyst shows stability for oxygen reduction reactions
"We can enhance the performance of platinum by tuning its surface structure, which helps it react more efficiently," says Di Zhang, a specially appointed assistant professor at Tohoku University's Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR).

The average grain size of a typical bulk metal is about 10 μm at the smallest. In this new technology, the average crystal grain size can be controlled in the nano scale. As a result, the developed pure platinum, with 99.9% or higher purity, has 10 times the hardness and 4 times the strength of typical platinum materials.

The Silver Institute and Metals Focus says global silver demand in 2024 will largely grow due to gains from green economy applications, especially the PV sector. It expects the global silver market to show a physical deficit of around 182 million ounces in 2024, marking the fourth consecutive year of shortfall.