Iridium
Iridium is one of the six platinum group metals, along with platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, and osmium. Iridium is much rarer than gold or platinum. With the energy transition, an increasing demand for iridium in the hydrogen economy is foreseen.
As one of the leading companies in the global precious metals industry, Heraeus utilizes iridium and iridium alloys in a wide range of products and applications.
Due to its hardness and brittleness, iridium is difficult to process and is often used as a component in alloys to provide hardness and/or brittleness, such as in platinum alloys. It finds application in fields like pacemakers, medical probes, and other precision measuring devices. The catalytic properties of iridium are also becoming increasingly important. It is used in anode catalysts for proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, which are required for the production of green hydrogen.
Iridium is also used in the manufacturing of iridium crucibles, which can be used for growing synthetic single crystals for LED and data storage technologies. Platinum-iridium alloys have further product and application areas in jewelry, ballpoint pen tips, electrical contacts, and spark plugs.
As a very rare material, the consistent recycling of iridium is of particular importance. Due to the hydrogen boom, the recovered material is urgently needed to meet the rapidly growing demand for iridium. For this reason, Heraeus is investing in the establishment of recycling capacities to meet the specific requirements of the hydrogen economy.
In addition to the products and applications mentioned above, Heraeus offers further solutions for its customers in the field of iridium. For detailed information on services, products, and applications related to iridium, please refer to the corresponding resources.
