Researchers work to reduce the amount of precious metals in catalytic converters

The precious metals, such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, in catalytic converters make the vehicle devices attractive to thieves, but researchers are working to reduce the amount of precious metals needed in them — down to single atoms — while still maximizing their effectiveness. In recent studies researchers showed that they could, respectively, use atomic platinum to control pollutants and operate the system at lower temperatures, which is crucial to removing harmful chemicals when a vehicle first starts.