IP Library Granted Patent US 12,508,579
Granted Patent B2
US 12,508,579 · App. 18/062,349 · Granted Dec 30, 2025

Humic acid assisted metal nanoparticle synthesis for three-way catalysis application

Inventors: Qinghe Zheng (Wayne, PA); Jing Lu (Wayne, PA); Michael Howard (Wayne, PA)
Assignee: JOHNSON MATTHEY PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
B01J31/0244B01J21/04B01J21/066B01J23/464B01J35/45B01J35/56B01J37/0203B01J37/0213B01J37/08
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,508,579
App. No.
18/062,349
Granted
Dec 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of manufacturing a catalyst article, the method comprising: providing a complex of a humic acid or derivative thereof, and a PGM; providing a support material; applying the complex to the support material to form a loaded support material; disposing the loaded support material on a substrate; and heating the loaded support material to form nanoparticles of the PGM on the support material.

Claims (34)

1 . A method of manufacturing a catalyst article, the method comprising:

providing a complex of a humic acid or derivative thereof, and a PGM;

providing a support material;

applying the complex to the support material to form a loaded support material;

disposing the loaded support material on a substrate; and

heating the loaded support material to form nanoparticles of the PGM on the support material.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the PGM comprises one or more of palladium, rhodium and platinum.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the PGM comprises rhodium and/or platinum.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a complex of a humic acid or derivative thereof, and a PGM comprises contacting a PGM with a mixture of a humic acid or derivate thereof and fulvic acid.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a complex of a humic acid or derivative thereof, and a PGM comprises contacting a PGM with a substance of one or more of humic acid, potassium humate, and sodium humate.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the complex has a humic acid to PGM atom mass ratio of from 0.5 to 5.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the support material comprises an oxide.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the support material comprises alumina.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the support material comprises ceria-zirconia.

10 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the alumina and/or ceria-zirconia is doped.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the alumina and/or ceria-zirconia is doped with an oxide of one or more of lanthanum, neodymium, yttrium, niobium, praseodymium, hafnium, molybdenum, titanium, vanadium, zinc, cadmium, manganese, iron, copper, calcium, barium, strontium, caesium, magnesium, potassium and sodium.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the loaded support material is disposed on the substrate in the form of a slurry.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein providing a complex of a humic acid or derivative thereof, and a PGM comprises synthesising the complex in situ in the slurry.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the slurry is prepared by a method comprising:

contacting a PGM salt and a humic acid or derivative thereof in water to form the complex of a humic acid or derivative thereof, and a PGM in an aqueous solution;

applying the complex to the support material to form a loaded support material by contacting the support material with the aqueous solution;

optionally adding one or more of an oxygen storage material; a promoter salt; a binder; an acid or a base; a thickening agent; and a reducing agent to the aqueous solution.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the slurry is prepared by a method comprising:

contacting a PGM salt and a support material in water to form a support material suspension;

contacting the support material suspension with a humic acid or derivative thereof to form a loaded support material, the loaded support material comprising support material having a complex loaded thereon, the complex comprising a complex of a humic acid or derivative thereof, and the PGM;

optionally adding one or more of an oxygen storage material; a promoter salt; a binder; an acid or a base; a thickening agent; and a reducing agent to the support material suspension.

16 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising disposing a further slurry on the substrate, the further slurry comprising one or more of a further support material; an oxygen storage material; a promoter salt; a binder; an acid or a base; a thickening agent; and a reducing agent, wherein disposing the further slurry on the substrate takes place before disposing the support material on the substrate and/or after heating the loaded support material to form nanoparticles of the PGM on the support material.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is in the form of a honeycomb monolith, a wall flow filter or a flow through filter.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the heating is carried out:

at a temperature of from 400° C. to 700° C.; and/or

for from 10 to 360 minutes.

19 . A catalyst article obtainable by the method of claim 1 , the catalyst article for use in an emission treatment system.

20 . The catalyst article of claim 1 comprises a bottom layer of support material having rhodium thereon and a top layer of support material having palladium thereon.

21 . The catalyst article of claim 1 comprising a bottom layer of support material having palladium thereon and a top layer of support material having rhodium thereon.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Jan 14, 2026
From: JOHNSON MATTHEY PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
To: JOHNSON MATTHEY PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
Reel/Frame 074703/0733 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 21, 2023
From: HOWARD, MICHAEL; LU, JING; ZHENG, QINGHE
To: JOHNSON MATTHEY PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
Reel/Frame 064004/0918 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63287611 · Dec 9, 2021
Related Publication 20230234040A1 · Jul 27, 2023
References Cited (12)
US 9687818B2 · Siani · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20120077669A1 · Müller-Stach · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20160175937A1 · Xia · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20190015781A1 · Wei · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200030775A1 · Kitamoto · 2020 [cited by applicant]
WO 2007105052A2 · 2007 [cited by applicant]
WO 2016123523A1 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
WO 2016123534A1 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
WO 2021108736A1 · 2021 [cited by applicant]
Dwivedi Amarendra Dhar et al: “Fate of engineered nanoparticles: Implications in the environment”, Coordination Chemistry Reviews, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, NL, vol. 287, Jan. 7, 2015 (Jan. 7, 2015), pp. 64-78. [cited by applicant]
Kuwahara, Y.; Kango, H.; Yamashita, H. Pd Nanoparticles and Aminopolymers Confined in Hollow Silica Spheres as Efficient and Reusable Heterogeneous Catalysts for Semihydrogenation of Alkynes. ACS Catal. 2019, 9 (3), 199… [cited by applicant]
Long, W.; Brunelli, N. A.; Didas, S. A.; Ping, E. W.; Jones, C. W. Aminopolymer-Silica Composite-Supported Pd Catalysts for Selective Hydrogenation of Alkynes. ACS Catal. 2013, 3 (8), 1700-1708. https://doi.org/10.1021/… [cited by applicant]