Disclosed in the present invention is an integrated catalyst system for stoichiometric-burn natural gas vehicles, the catalyst system consisting of a three-way catalyst, a molecular sieve catalyst, and a base body, the three-way catalyst and the molecular sieve catalyst being coated on a surface of the base body. In the integrated three-way catalyst and molecular sieve catalyst system of the present invention, at the same time that pollutants such as CO, HC, and NO.sub.x in the exhaust of stoichiometric-burn natural gas vehicles are processed, the produced byproduct NH.sub.3 can also be processed, and the conversion rates of CO, HC, NO.sub.x, and NH.sub.3 are high.

An electrically heated catalytic device is provided. The electrically heated catalytic device includes a cylindrical catalyst carrier. Two electrode units are attached to a side surface of the catalyst carrier. The side surface of the catalyst carrier includes slits each extending in an axial direction of the catalyst carrier. Each slit is filled with a filler that has a lower Young's modulus than the catalyst carrier. An average Young's modulus is a value obtained by averaging the Young's modulus of the filler at different portions of the slit over an entire length of the slit in the axial direction. The slits include a first slit and a second slit. The average Young's modulus of the first slit is a first value. The average Young's modulus of the second slit is a second value that is smaller than the first value.

An energy recovery converter for exhaust gases or waste heat is provided. The converter includes a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), an exhaust gas having a first molecular oxygen content, and an external electrical load. The MEA includes a first electrode, a second electrode and an oxygen ion conductive membrane sandwiched between the first and second electrodes. Each of the first and second electrodes includes at least one oxidation catalyst configured to promote an electrochemical reaction. The second electrode of the MEA is exposed to the exhaust gas and the first electrode of the MEA is exposed to a gas having a second molecular oxygen content. The second molecular oxygen content is higher than the first molecular oxygen content. The external electrical load is connected between the first and second electrodes of the MEA.

A three-way catalyst having low NH.sub.3 formation is disclosed. The catalyst includes a carrier and a coating material. The coating material includes a precious metal active component and a catalytic material. The precious metal active component includes a first precious metal active component and a second precious metal active component. The first precious metal active component is a composition containing Ru. The second precious metal active component is a composition containing Pt, Pd and Rh. Alternatively, the second precious metal active component is a composition containing Pd and Rh.

A supported catalyst particles include oxide carrier particles and noble metal particles supported on the oxide carrier particles, wherein the mass of the noble metal particles is less than or equal to 5 mass % based on the mass of the oxide carrier particles, and the average particle size of the noble metal particles measured by transmission electron microscopy is 1.0-2.0 nm, with the standard deviation σ less than or equal to 0.8 nm.

A three-way catalyst article, and its use in an exhaust system for internal combustion engines, is disclosed. The catalyst article for treating exhaust gas comprising: a substrate comprising an inlet end and an outlet end with an axial length L; a first catalytic region comprising a first platinum group metal (PGM) component supported on a first PGM support material, wherein the first PGM component comprises rhodium (Rh) and platinum (Pt); and wherein Pt and Rh has a weight ratio of at least 1:10.

A three-way catalyst article, and its use in an exhaust system for internal combustion engines, is disclosed. The catalyst article for treating exhaust gas comprising: a substrate comprising an inlet end and an outlet end with an axial length L; a first catalytic region comprising a first platinum group metal (PGM) component, wherein the first PGM component comprises Rh and Pt; a second catalytic region comprising a second PGM component, wherein the second PGM component comprises Pd; and wherein the first PGM component has a Pt to Rh ratio of at least 1:20.

An exhaust gas purification catalyst showing resistance to peeling and high purification performance is provided. The present invention is an exhaust gas purification catalyst including a base material and a catalyst layer disposed on the base material. The catalyst layer includes a catalytic metal, a first metal oxide, and a second metal oxide having a higher heat resistance than that of the first metal oxide. When Dx is an area-based average particle diameter of the first metal oxide determined from an arbitrary cross section of the catalyst layer and Dy is an area-based particle diameter of the second metal oxide 22 measured from the cross section of the catalyst layer, a ratio of the Dy to the Dx (Dy/Dx) is 5 or more, and the Dy is 7 μm or more. In the catalyst layer, pore volume of pores having pore diameters 30 nm or more measured by a nitrogen adsorption method is 0.28 cm.sup.3/g or more.

A catalytic converter system having oxygen storage materials is disclosed and methods for determining whether to reactivate oxygen storage materials and monitoring failure events of the oxygen storage materials are also disclosed.

A three-way catalyst article, and its use in an exhaust system for internal combustion engines, is disclosed. The catalyst article for treating exhaust gas comprising: a substrate comprising an inlet end and an outlet end with an axial length L; a first catalytic region comprising a first platinum group metal (PGM) component supported on a first PGM support material, wherein the first PGM component comprises platinum and rhodium; and wherein the first PGM support material comprises ZrO.sub.2—Al.sub.2O.sub.3.