Ruthenium
Ruthenium is a hard, silvery platinum group metal used as a catalyst promoter, electrode coating and alloying addition. In automotive and mobility contexts it supports exhaust aftertreatment, electrochemical devices and specialised electronic contacts.
Overview
Ruthenium (symbol Ru, atomic number 44) is a brittle PGM with density around 12.45 g/cm³ and a melting point near 2334°C. Like other PGMs it is recovered mainly as a byproduct of platinum and nickel mining. Automotive interest centres on catalysis and electrochemistry: ruthenium oxides and mixed-metal oxides improve activity and durability of oxygen and chlorine evolution electrodes, and ruthenium is used as a promoter or co-catalyst in selected exhaust and reforming formulations. In electronics, thin ruthenium films and alloys provide wear-resistant contacts and barrier layers for advanced interconnects relevant to automotive semiconductors. Ruthenium also appears in thick-film resistor pastes and specialty coatings. Supply is tightly coupled to PGM mining economics; price volatility and concentration risk drive thrifting and recycling programmes similar to those for platinum, palladium and iridium.
Automotive Applications
Similar Materials
Iridium
Platinum Group Metal (PGM)
Iridium is an extremely rare, corrosion-resistant platinum group metal (PGM) with exceptional hardness and a melting point above 2400°C. In automotive and clean-energy systems it is used in spark-plug electrodes, catalytic and electrocatalytic coatings, and proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser anodes.
Tin
Post-transition Metal
Tin is a soft, corrosion-resistant post-transition metal used as the base metal for solders, tinplate coatings and bronze alloys. This entry covers elemental and primary tin feedstock, separate from specialised tin-silver solder alloy grades.
Zirconia / YSZ
Technical Ceramic / Oxygen Sensor
Yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) is a technical ceramic that conducts oxygen ions at elevated temperature, making it the standard solid electrolyte for automotive oxygen (lambda) sensors and related exhaust sensing.
Praseodymium
Rare Earth Element
A light rare-earth metal co-produced with neodymium and used primarily in NdPr (didymium) feedstock for NdFeB permanent magnets that power EV traction motors and automotive actuators.
Properties
Category
Type
Platinum Group Metal (PGM)
Available Colors
Available Forms
Key Properties
- High hardness and wear resistance among PGMs
- Melting point ~2334°C
- Density ~12.45 g/cm³
- Strong catalytic activity in oxide and mixed-metal forms
- Useful as thin-film barrier/contact metal in electronics
- Byproduct supply linked to platinum/nickel mining
Technical Specifications
Density
12.45 g/cm³
Tensile Strength
High hardness; structural tensile use limited (brittle PGM) — typically specified as coatings, powders or alloy additions
Temperature Resistance
Melts ~2334°C; oxide catalysts and films rated for continuous high-temperature oxidative service
Sustainability
Sustainability Rating
Ruthenium share of PGM refining is small and geographically concentrated. Recycling from spent catalysts, electronics scrap and electrochemical electrodes is the main circular pathway; primary mining impacts track the broader PGM industry footprint.