Unseparated Rare Earth Cobalt Oxides as Auto Exhaust Catalysts

Abstract

SINCE MEADOWCRAFT REPORTED THAT STRONTIUM-DOPED LACO03 WAS COMPARABLE TO PLATINUM AS AN OXYGEN ELECTRODE, THE TESTING OF THE CATALYTIC ACTIVITY OF LACO03 ON CERTAIN GAS SYSTEMS HAS BEEN PURSUED. THIS PARTICULAR RARE EARTH COBALT OXIDE AGAIN HAD ACTIVITY WHICH RIVALED PLATINUM. THE COMPOUND WAS SUGGESTED AS A CANDIDATE FOR AUTO EXHAUST CATALYSIS. AS A NEXT STEP, COBALT OXIDES WITH OTHER RARE EARTHS HAVE BEEN PREPARED, AND THEIR CATALYTIC ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN DETERMINED. LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM HAS BEEN FOUND. THIS RESULT SUGGESTED THAT A CATALYST, JUST AS EFFECTIVE, COULD BE MADE FROM THE UNSEPARATED RARE EARTHS WITH SUBSTANTIAL COST SAVINGS. TESTS WITH THE RARE EARTH MIXTURE AS MINED DID GIVE EQUALLY SATISFACTORY RESULTS. /AUTHOR/