To subscribe, advertise or contribute articles to www.asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com contact publisher@xtra.co.nz
  • Home
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
Asia Manufacturing News
The official site for the Asia Manufacturing News magazine
  • Home
  • AI
  • Analysis
  • Aviation
  • Big Data
  • Business News
  • Calendar
  • Case Studies
  • Change the Conversation
  • Climate Change
  • Covid-19
  • Developments
  • Energy
  • Engineering
  • Events
  • Manufacturing Technology
  • Innovators
  • IoT
  • Manufacturing Technology
  • News
  • Product News
  • Smart Manufacturing
  • The Creative Class
  • The Interview
  • Webinars

News Ticker

$2.3b AI-Focused data center for Jakarta
Building Momentum with Hyster: Koh Kock Leong’s Journey Toward Efficiency and Growth
Time for ASEAN to rethink a single currency amid global trade tensions
Secutech 2025 concludes with optimism and strong affirmation of growth
Zoomlion’s grand debut at 2025 Changsha International Construction Equipment Exhibition
CeMAT Southeast Asia returns to Singapore 
HRS Heat Exchangers, Stand AJ51, ProPak Asia 2025, Bangkok, Thailand
Embracing Automation: Addressing ASEAN’s Manufacturing Challenges

Controlling car pollution at the quantum level

Toyota Central R&D Labs. Inc. in Japan have reviewed research that might be leading the way towards a new generation of automotive catalytic converters.

Catalytic converters that change the toxic fumes of automobile exhaust to less toxic pollutants only reached the market in the mid-1970s. They are formed of a catalyst – usually in the form of a precious metal such as platinum, palladium, or rhodium – a catalyst support material, and a wash-coat designed to disperse the catalytic materials over a wide surface area.

catalyctic PICToyota Central R&D Labs. Inc. in Japan are involved in research to develop catalysts that are controlled at the quantum-level. With this level of control, “we can expect an extreme reduction of precious metal usage in automotive exhaust catalysts and/or fuel cells,” says Dr. Yoshihide Watanabe, chief researcher at the Toyota Central R&D Labs in Japan.

He reviewed research on different types of catalytic reactions involving metal clusters whose sizes were atomically controlled.

Metal cluster chemistry has been developing rapidly since the mid-20th century. A cluster is a group of atoms or molecules formed by interactions varying in strength from very weak to strong. Some naturally occurring clusters are known to be involved in catalytic reactions. The study of metal clusters is inspiring great interest, partially for the potential use of synthetic clusters in industrial applications, such as catalysts in catalytic converters.

He pointed out that not much research has been done in the area of atomically controlled cluster catalysis, with the exception of studies on carbon monoxide oxidation reaction.

His research indicates that catalytic activity is strongly affected by the electronic structure of clusters, their geometry on a support material, and the interaction between the cluster and the material. Thus, the catalytic activity of clusters can be enhanced by controlling cluster size and the interaction between the clusters and the support material.

This is important, because enhancing the catalytic activity of some clusters may greatly reduce the utilisation of precious metals as catalytic agents. A few studies that try to understand how the catalytic properties of size-controlled clusters are affected at the quantum level. Although several mechanisms for these effects are suggested, the field is still in progress, he says.

As a result of his review, Watanabe recommends further studies that investigate how catalytic reaction rates are affected by temperature. He says that applying computer simulations, known as computational chemistry, can lead the way towards developing quantum-controlled catalysts formed from atomically precise clusters.

Share this:

Related Posts

Alpha Herbal building

Developments /

Alpha Group partners with Flight Digital and Impact PR to strengthen global presence

Solar Panel Image Sidel

Energy /

Sidel’s Beijing Plant unveils large-scale installation advancing green factory initiative

Topcast PIC

Developments /

Topcast authorised distributor of Druck in China and the APAC region

‹ NGOs allowed to sue polluters in China › MTA2015: Robotics Market Set to Grow at 12% Annually Over Next Two Years

28th August 2025

Recent Posts

  • Alpha Group partners with Flight Digital and Impact PR to strengthen global presence
  • Topcast authorised distributor of Druck in China and the APAC region
  • Accelerating Robotic Sensing: BLT and Haptron Scientific Co-Engineer Next-Gen Optical Force Sensors
  • Solving tapping challenges with smart tooling
  • Reshaping global lubricant supply chains: Trump-Era tariffs driving industry pivot towards Asia
  • India gains trade momentum amid tariff and global supply chain shakeup
  • Sidel’s Beijing Plant unveils large-scale installation advancing green factory initiative
  • $2.3b AI-Focused data center for Jakarta
  • Hexagon brings automated quality inspection to with  PRESTO Quality Stations
  • Building Momentum with Hyster: Koh Kock Leong’s Journey Toward Efficiency and Growth

Categories

  • AI
  • Analysis
  • Aviation
  • Big Data
  • Business News
  • Calendar
  • Case Studies
  • Change the Conversation
  • Climate Change
  • Covid-19
  • Developments
  • Energy
  • Engineering
  • Events
  • Innovators
  • IoT
  • Manufacturing Technology
  • Manufacturing Technology
  • News
  • Product News
  • Smart Manufacturing
  • The Creative Class
  • The Interview
  • Uncategorized
  • Webinars

Archives

Back to Top

  • Home
  • AI
  • Analysis
  • Aviation
  • Big Data
  • Business News
  • Calendar
  • Case Studies
  • Change the Conversation
  • Climate Change
  • Covid-19
  • Developments
  • Energy
  • Engineering
  • Events
  • Manufacturing Technology
  • Innovators
  • IoT
  • Manufacturing Technology
  • News
  • Product News
  • Smart Manufacturing
  • The Creative Class
  • The Interview
  • Webinars

To subscribe, advertise or contribute articles to asiamanufacturingnewstoday.com contact publisher@xtra.co.nz

(c) Asia Manufacturing News, 2025