Advanced catalyst substrates and coatings for reduced PGM usage in after-treatment

The average platinum group metals loading on gasoline light duty vehicles needs to be reduced. However modern engine designs and engine operation strategies for maximizing engine efficiency create an added burden on the emissions control system. Consequently, reducing precious metal catalyst loading for improved emissions is becoming problematic. This has resulted in higher emissions control costs and is a barrier for implementing high efficiency solutions. Statement of how this Problem or Situation is Being Addressed – The proposal builds upon prior work to demonstrate significantly reduced platinum group metal usage for exhaust after-treatment by utilizing its patented Microlith catalytic substrates and low loading catalyst formulations. These are catalytically coated metal meshes with extremely high geometric and specific surface areas and order of magnitude higher mass and heat transfer coefficients compared to conventional monolithic ceramic or metal substrates in use today. Demonstration of lower catalyst loading in a simulated test rig and via vehicle emissions testing will be completed in Phase I. Extensive durability testing, vehicle controls integration and optimization will be done in Phase II. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits – The primary public benefit is to ease economic barriers to increasing fuel economy and air quality requirements by providing a design breakthrough that can lead to new solutions across the automotive map of efficiency, emissions and performance. Collaboration with a Tier 1 automotive supplier and an emissions control expert has been proposed to facilitate transition. Key Words – Microlith, Catalyst, PGM, emissions, after-treatment, coatings, surface area, mass transfer.