Uses & Applications

Applications and End-Uses for Ruthenium

Ruthenium (Ru) is a high-criticality platinum group metal with annual global production of approximately 35 tonnes. Ruthenium is a platinum group metal used in electronics, particularly as a thin coating in perpendicular magnetic recording hard disk drives to increase data storage density. It is also used in electrical contacts, thick film resistors, and as a catalyst in various chemical processes. Emerging applications in hydrogen production via water electrolysis could significantly increase demand.

Key Applications

The primary end-uses of Ruthenium span multiple sectors. The following applications represent the most significant sources of global demand:

• Hard disk drive coatings - Ruthenium is valued in hard disk drive coatings for its unique physical and chemical properties that are difficult to replicate with alternative materials.
• Electrical contacts and resistors - Ruthenium is valued in electrical contacts and resistors for its unique physical and chemical properties that are difficult to replicate with alternative materials.
• Chemical catalysts - Ruthenium is valued in chemical catalysts for its unique physical and chemical properties that are difficult to replicate with alternative materials.
• Electrochemistry for hydrogen - Ruthenium is valued in electrochemistry for hydrogen for its unique physical and chemical properties that are difficult to replicate with alternative materials.

Product Forms and Specifications

Ruthenium is commercially available in 3 primary product forms, each serving different industrial requirements:

Demand Outlook

Ruthenium appears on both the USGS Critical Minerals List and the EU Critical Raw Materials List, underscoring its strategic importance across Western economies. Growing demand from electrification, digitalization, and defense modernization is expected to place additional pressure on the Ruthenium supply chain through the end of this decade.