A research team claims to have developed a method of combining organic molecules with palladium to create a new material that is more resistant to corrosion.

Funded by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the team at the Institute of Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem developed the new palladium composite through devising methods in which the metal is prepared at temperatures compatible with the organic molecules that are trapped.

Dr David Avnir, who led the research, told Airforcematerielcommand.com: "The AFOSR-funded research enabled us to develop and offer four different laboratory methods of carrying out just that, and these have been applied to copper, silver, cobalt, gold, and palladium."

This could result in significant cost savings for the both industry and the US military, with corrosion of materials estimated to result in losses of $280 billion annually.

Dr Avnir said: "It's incredibly difficult this day and age to create new materials with dramatically different properties.

"The idea of combining organic molecules with metals really opens the door to some exciting possibilities, and the range of preparation methods means there's a greater chance we can find useful end applications for Air Force missions."

Source:

Researchers create family of composite materials, 31/10/07
http://www.afmc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123073909

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