TANAKA
We are surrounded by a variety of alloys in our everyday lives. Brass for example, is made from copper and zinc, while stainless steel is a mixture of iron and chromium. The majority of these alloys are made by mixing a small number of additive elements in with a main element. However, increasing research and development is creating advancements in the world of cutting-edge alloys, allowing for more elements to be mixed together.
Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo KK, a member of the TANAKA Precious Metals Group (hereinafter referred to as TANAKA), has become the first manufacturing company in the world to succeed in developing a high-entropy alloy powder, a fusion of five precious metal elements – platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), and rhodium (Rh) – in equal proportions of atomic weight.
Using micro-order uniform powder alloys with unprecedented chemical properties opens up new possibilities for manufacturing that have never been seen before, such as in 3D printing and the use of paste-like inks.
Contributing to society with unprecedented alloys
TANAKA is a group of professionals who have been conducting research and development involving precious metals since the company's founding 138 years ago. A high-entropy alloy powder of precious metals can potentially be used as a raw material for automotive exhaust gas sensors, resistors, and water electrolysis catalysts.
TANAKA
To produce a high-entropy alloy, it is not enough to simply mix multiple elements together. Having alloyed them, it is necessary to then form the alloy into a uniform powder. And while this technology would theoretically take a while to develop, the team at TANAKA were able to achieve success within a month of working on a prototype.
"We were able to succeed at an early stage because of the know-how that our engineers have accumulated through various experiments in the past," Takuya Hosoi, the manager of automotive sensor materials in the chemical recovery company at TANAKA, said.
During the development of this alloy powder, they were naturally able to accumulate a large quantity of data. They plan to continue to make full use of this data to inform their work going forward.
"Our company is also involved in precious metal recycling, so the fact that we had a wealth of precious metals available for use as experimental materials at our plants across Japan was a big help," he added. "It was because we could procure the raw materials in-house that we were able to persevere our trial and error."
Creating new value through exhaustive study
TANAKA began working on high-entropy alloy powders in response to the world's rapid development. "These days, the world is changing at a dizzying pace. Under such circumstances, it is essential that we quickly obtain accurate information and use it to develop products that have new value," Hosoi said, adding that the company's mission as a precious metal manufacturer is to contribute to society.
TANAKA
Hosoi noticed that high-entropy alloys have recently been attracting international attention, largely due to their potential for unprecedented properties. But, they have only been used for research purposes, and have not been mass-producible. "We thought we should release a product with sufficient productivity and quality ahead of other companies, and then see how the world reacted," Hosai said.
As the company has used the technology to manufacture a high-entropy alloy powder, it should also be possible to produce powders synthesized with not only five metal elements, but also from three or four elements. Going forward, TANAKA intends to find partners who will be able to effectively utilize this technology, to create new value.
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This post was created by TANAKA with Insider Studios.