{"id":3308,"date":"2015-01-20T08:00:16","date_gmt":"2015-01-20T13:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.acceleratingscience.com\/?p=3308"},"modified":"2026-01-27T20:57:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T20:57:25","slug":"platinum-group-metals-connect-electronics-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thermofisher.com\/blog\/metals\/platinum-group-metals-connect-electronics-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"Platinum Group Metals Connect: Electronics Applications"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"electronics\"Editor’s Note: \u00a0This is Part 2 of a 6-Part Series on PGMs that runs on Tuesdays.<\/em><\/p>\n

The versatile platinum group metals (PGMs)\u2014platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium\u2014can be found in products we use every day, such as catalytic converters, drugs and medical devices, and many, many electronic devices.<\/p>\n

Platinum and ruthenium are in your computer and in the glass of your computer screen. If you\u2019re grateful for the huge amount of data storage capacity you now have in your modern-day computer, you can thank platinum. Each hard drive contains one or more platters or disks where data is stored on the magnetic surfaces. The strength of the magnetic field generated by the surface layer determines how much data can be recorded on a given surface. Adding platinum to the cobalt magnetic alloy enhances the magnetic properties of the surface and therefore its storage capacity. More and more platinum is being used in the manufacture of hard disks to keep up with the increasing demand for more storage, such that the proportion of platinum in the magnetic alloy<\/a> has gone from less than 10% in 2002 to 35% in 2007.<\/p>\n

Palladium is also a major player in the electronics industry; it is used in virtually every kind of electronic device, from basic consumer products to complex military hardware. \u00a0Although individual electronic components contain only a minute amount of the metal, palladium is in great demand due to the sheer volume of products made with it. According to the International Platinum Group Metals Association<\/a>, in the electronics sector, most palladium is used for multi-layer ceramic (chip) capacitors (MLCC). MLCCs store energy in electronic devices such as broadcasting equipment, mobile telephones, computers, electronic lighting and high voltage circuits. Smaller amounts of palladium are used in conductive tracks in hybrid integrated circuits (HIC) and for plating connectors and lead frames.<\/p>\n

There are many other examples of PGMs in the electronics industry. Here are a few of them:<\/p>\n