Technology

MPC^® Technology

We invented and own a fundamentally unique and patented material technology for the development of catalysts. Our technology significantly improves catalytic performance, is highly durable and cost-effective. We have developed unique nanostructures that are extremely thermally stable and resistant to sintering. This enables superior catalytic performance over time and at extreme temperatures. Our catalysts involve mixtures of chemical compounds, or phases, each with its own functionality. These Mixed Phase Catalyst ("MPC^®") systems are multi-functional because of their unique nanostructures, which enables us to develop a wide range of applications for our catalytic coatings, including automotive, diesel, energy and other uses. We have also developed an innovative and sophisticated manufacturing process for coating substrates using our catalytic coating.

Fresh Aged @ 1,000°C

Catalytic Solutions MPC^® family of ceramic oxide catalytic substrate coatings, and the process by which they are applied, are the result of the development and application of advanced material science by our dedicated product development team. The coatings contain patented mixed-metal oxides, produced from combinations of low-cost materials that form active and stable ceramic oxides when fired at high temperatures. In certain applications, the coatings use small amounts of PGMs together with inexpensive transition metals and lanthanides. When compounded in our coatings, their atomic structure uniquely enables the reactions necessary for high-performance catalytic converters. In addition, this material science approach provides tremendous flexibility in tailoring the performance characteristics to meet specific customer application requirements.

Other companies have experimented with these materials with uncompetitive results due to the "sintering" and loss of surface area that occurs at high temperatures. The development of our patented MPC^® nano technology approach to catalyst manufacture has provided critical breakthrough for the stabilization of mixed-metal oxides under the most severe conditions encountered in automotive and other catalyst applications. Further, our compounds actually stabilize the small quantity of PGMS used, prolonging their durability and requiring less PGM investment. In contract, conventional catalytic converters must use far greater amounts of PGMs because the effectiveness declines with aging. The end benefit of MPC^® is durable catalytic converter performance, dramatic cost savings and easily customizable formulations for specific applications.

MPC^® Advantages

Although our technology has broad applicability, we have focused our commercialization efforts on environmental applications, namely automotive, diesel and energy applications. We are currently manufacturing products for the automotive and diesel markets and our technology has undergone extensive lab and field testing by customers in each of these markets. In addition, we are developing energy-related products in conjunction with strategic partners. This testing and product history have demonstrated the following competitive advantages over existing technology:

Superior Catalytic Performance
Our MPC^® technology enables us to produce catalytic coatings capable of significantly better catalytic performance. We have achieved this demonstrated performance advantage by creating a catalyst using unique nanostructures with superior stability under prolonged exposure to high temperatures. This nanostructure technology enables the oxide catalysts in our compounds to resist sintering, or fusing, thereby maintaining a high catalytic surface area. As a result, in automotive applications, for example, our catalyst formulations are able to maintain high levels of performance over time using substantially lower PGMs.

Significant Cost Savings
In the automotive market in particular, where PGM costs represent a large portion of manufacturers' costs, a significant benefit of our MPC^® technology is that it offers performance equal to or exceeding that of competing catalytic coatings with a significant reduction in PGM loadings.

Wide Range of Applications
Our MPC^® technology is a design approach, as opposed to a single chemical formulation. We have developed our technology from its inception as a platform, which can be tailored for a range of different industrial applications. Specifically, our coating formulations can be tailored in two distinct ways. First, the oxide compounds used in our formulations can be adapted for specific applications by adding to them, or doping them with, a wide range of chemical elements, a process known as tuning. Second, we are able to vary the mixtures of our compounds to create customized solutions for specific applications. These two independent design mechanisms allow for customization and optimization for different vehicle platforms within the auto industry and for completely different applications such as SCR NOx control for gas turbines.

Proven Durability
Our coated substrates have undergone substantial lab and field testing by our existing and prospective customers and have demonstrated their durability and reliability in a wide range of applications. In addition, our coated substrates have satisfied numerous certifications and match or exceed the durability of conventional coated substrates.

Compatibility with Existing Manufacturing Infrastructure and Operating Specifications Catalytic converters using our coated substrates are compatible with existing automotive manufacturing processes as well as specific vehicle operating specifications. There is no need for our customers to change their manufacturing operations, or how their products or processes operate, in order to utilize our technology.

Manufacturing
We currently manufacture our coated substrates at our facility in Oxnard, California. Our manufacturing process consists of mixing specially formulated catalytic coatings, applying the coatings to ceramic substrates, then firing the coated substrates in a long, conveyor furnace. The process of mixing and applying the various types of coatings onto high cell density substrates is complex and requires sophisticated manufacturing technology.

We have been manufacturing automotive catalysts at our Oxnard facility for over three years. Our first generation manufacturing line, currently producing coated substrates for several vehicles, has satisfied all requirements for process control, accountability and quality required by our automotive customers. Our recently installed second generation line has process control up to three times better than our first generation line and operates at significantly higher throughput. These attributes position us at the forefront of advanced manufacturing process technology.