August 2, 2007 -- Nissan said it has developed a new catalyst for petrol-powered cars that uses half the amount of precious metals used in existing products. This new technology, developed as part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, results in no changes in the performance despite using a significantly less amount of precious metal.
Exhaust-cleaning automotive catalysts comprise a mix of platinum, rhodium, and palladium. Within the catalyst, the chemical reaction between the metals and exhaust gases turns nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons into non-toxic compounds. In conventional catalysts, high temperatures cause the precious metals to cluster-up, leading to less-effective cleaning of the gases. To compensate for this, existing converters contain a higher amount of precious metals. Now, Nissan says advanced nanotechnology succeeds in keeping the fine metal particles separated.
Source: Birmingham Post
Source: Factiva
