TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K., a core company of the TANAKA Precious Metals Group, has developed a high-entropy alloy powder composed entirely of precious metals with a fine particle size of 10um or less, high crystallinity and excellent composition uniformity. This high-entropy alloy powder is composed entirely from five precious metals: platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), and rhodium (Rh).
TANAKA established the five precious metal alloy powders and their production methods used in this product and obtained a basic patent in June 2023. The product’s precious metal alloy powder comprises only five elements that maintain the corrosion resistance, electrical conductivity and other excellent properties of precious metals. They are micro-order alloy powders that are easy to use in industrial applications.
Unlike conventional nano-order precious metal high-entropy alloys, the new alloy is stable due to its large crystallite size, and it satisfies the inherent requirements of alloys, such as improved mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and controlled thermal expansion. The new alloy powder is expected to improve the functions and properties of precious metal alloys, whose properties vary greatly depending on the composition ratio of the alloy.
The press release stated that the precious metal alloy of the product is in powder form, though it can also be utilised in paste form, which is often used in various circuits and sensors, in addition to modelling using a 3D printer and rod forming (forming rod-shaped material by solidifying powder). Furthermore, high-entropy alloys’ high strength and high heat resistance properties of high-entropy alloys are expected to be utilized in catalysts and conductive films that require high durability, among other applications.
