Semi-Finished Platinum Products: Foils, Ribbons, and Sheets
Platinum (Pt) foils, ribbons, and sheets are essential intermediary goods used to fabricate a broad range of end-products. Despite the scarcity of this inert metal, it has been used ubiquitously in scientific equipment manufacturing for almost two centuries. High-temperature crucibles manufactured from pure platinum and various platinum alloys have become fundamental components in chemical research facilities around the world. These platinum products are essential for some of the highest sensitivity processing applications on the planet, including x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) analysis.
Semi-finished platinum products boast far-flung product manufacturing capacities. This is due to the outstanding mechanical properties of platinum and its good affinity with a broad range of alloying elements. In this blog post, we will outline the properties of various semi-finished platinum products and explore some of the potential applications of these novel intermediate goods.
Types of Semi-Finished Platinum Products
Pure platinum (>99%) is incredibly malleable and ductile, with a high density and low reactivity with contaminant elements. This imparts exceptional corrosion-resistant properties at elevated temperatures up to the melting point of 1770°C. These properties combined offer good biocompatibility and electroconductivity, which makes various platinum products suitable for medical device manufacturing. Wires and foils comprising high-purity platinum are routinely used in the construction of medical implants such as pacemakers and catheters.
The comparatively brittle nature of platinum can be offset by alloying the mineral with iridium (Ir) at ratios of roughly 70:30 (Pt:Ir). This can increase the Vickers hardness of platinum products by as much as 100 times, making it a suitable alloy for medical dishes and surgical components. Platinum foils and iridium sheets are used sparingly in the manufacture of medical discs given the material’s high cost.
The unique electrochemistry of pure platinum products has also been broadly explored in the electronics industry. They have proven pivotal in the development of both thick and thin film architectures, and numerous platinum alloys are used to engineer the hardware of computers and the interactive screens of modern smartphones. Platinum ribbons are broadly applied for electrical contacting applications, while pure platinum foils are used in myriad forms of electronic R&D.
Foils and sheets are comparatively delicate platinum products that are employed widely in intricate applications. Platinum sheets are typically employed in more robust sectors, such as industrial-scale thermal processing. Foils rolled into sheets of <0.01-inch have been widely integrated into the glass-making industry, where it is used in the production of synthetic glass fibers for optical applications and polymer manufacture.
Semi-Finished Platinum Products from XRF Scientific
At XRF Scientific, we pride ourselves on delivering unique solutions for a broad range of manufacturing applications. Our semi-finished platinum products are used to produce an array of end-products, with unique alloying arrangements available upon request.
If you would like any more information about our semi-finished platinum products, please do not hesitate to contact us.
