JP2001031465A - High-strength thin wall honeycomb structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a high-strength thin wall honeycomb structure capable of improving isostatic strength and thermal shock resistance in excellent balance of the honeycomb structure made into a thin wall and preventing the damage of outer peripheral wall and corner parts of the honeycomb structure. SOLUTION: This honeycomb structure has plural cell paths 3, is made of ceramic and is extrusion molded. The thickness of partition walls 2b of basic cells of the cell particles constituting the honeycomb structure is <=0.11 mm, the thickness of an outer wall is <=0.2 mm, the numerical aperture of the thickness parts of the partitions walls of the basic cells is >=80% and parts in which the partition walls 2a of the outermost peripheral cells of the honeycomb structure are brought into contact with the outer wall 4 are padded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a high-strength thin-walled honeycomb structure that can be suitably used as a carrier for an automobile exhaust gas purifying catalyst or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a honeycomb catalyst for purifying an automobile exhaust gas has a structure in which a honeycomb carrier (honeycomb structure) is held in the axial direction of the honeycomb carrier because the axial strength of the honeycomb carrier is higher than that in a cross-sectional direction. However, in order to prevent breakage near the outer periphery when gripping in the axial direction, the cell partition walls (ribs) at the outer periphery are made thicker than the inside, thereby increasing the axial pressure resistance of the honeycomb carrier.

However, recently, due to the demand for reduction of pressure loss in the honeycomb catalyst due to the trend toward higher output of the engine, and the effective use of the entire catalyst carrier due to the tightening of exhaust gas regulations, the honeycomb catalyst carrier is not gripped in the axial direction. A structure in which the outer peripheral surface of the catalyst carrier is mainly held has begun to be adopted.
This was partly due to the fact that the catalyst volume increased and the catalyst mass increased due to stricter exhaust gas regulations, so that the gripping area in the axial gripping was too small for the engine vibration and the gripping could not be performed sufficiently.

On the other hand, in order to improve the purification performance of the catalyst, the thickness of the cell partition walls of the honeycomb carrier is reduced to reduce the weight of the honeycomb carrier, so that the heat capacity of the catalyst is reduced and the warm-up characteristics of the purification performance are reduced. The movement to improve is starting.

[0005] For this reason, the breaking strength due to external pressure from the outer peripheral surface of the honeycomb carrier tends to further decrease due to the thinning of the cell partition walls. Furthermore, the exhaust gas temperature has been increasing year by year with the aim of improving engine combustion conditions and catalyst purification performance in order to further strengthen the recent exhaust gas regulations, and the thermal shock resistance required for honeycomb carriers has also become severe. Is coming. As described above, the thickness of the outer peripheral wall of the honeycomb carrier has become a serious problem due to the recent thinning of the cell partition walls, the use of the outer peripheral surface of the honeycomb carrier, and an increase in the exhaust gas temperature.

[0006] In view of the above, Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-1101
No. 89 proposes a structure in which the thickness of the helip of the honeycomb carrier in the center direction in the cross section is regularly reduced. However, in this structure, the partition wall cannot be made thinner over the entire honeycomb carrier. This is a problem in characteristics. Further, it is not preferable in terms of pressure loss.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-150406 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-147154, a structure is proposed in which the outer cell partition is thicker than the inner cell partition. Nothing is mentioned about the wall thickness, and nothing is described about the relationship between the outer peripheral wall thickness and the cell partition. Further, in these prior arts, the thickness of the outer peripheral wall was not a problem because the honeycomb structure had a thick internal partition wall thickness of 0.15 mm or more and was gripped in the axial direction. It was merely pointed out that if the outer peripheral wall thickness is too thick, the thermal shock resistance is reduced.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object the isostatic strength and thermal shock resistance of a thinned honeycomb structure. The present invention provides a high-strength thin-walled honeycomb structure capable of improving a well-balanced structure and preventing damage to an outer peripheral wall and a corner of the honeycomb structure.

[0009]

That is, according to the present invention, there is provided a ceramic extruded honeycomb structure having a plurality of cell passages, and a basic cell partition wall thickness of a cell partition constituting the honeycomb structure. Is 0.11 mm or less, the outer wall thickness is 0.2 mm or more, the opening ratio of the basic cell partition wall thickness portion is 80% or more, and the portion where the outermost peripheral cell partition wall of the honeycomb structure contacts the outer wall is A high-strength thin-walled honeycomb structure characterized by being overlaid is provided.

According to the present invention, there is provided a ceramic extruded honeycomb structure having a plurality of cell passages, wherein a basic cell partition wall thickness of the cell partition walls constituting the honeycomb structure is 0.11 mm or less; The outer wall thickness is 0.2 mm or more, the opening ratio of the basic cell partition wall thickness portion is 80% or more, and the adjacent partition walls are in contact with the outer wall while the space between the partition walls is narrowing. The present invention provides a high-strength thin-walled honeycomb structure characterized by being built up inside an outer wall.

In the present invention, the cell shape of the honeycomb structure is preferably any one of a square, a rectangle, a rhombus, and a hexagon. Also, the honeycomb structure is
It is preferably formed of a ceramic material such as cordierite, alumina, mullite, silicon nitride, and silicon carbide.

Further, the high-strength thin-walled honeycomb structure of the present invention is suitably used as a carrier for an automobile exhaust gas purifying catalyst, and usually, a catalyst component is supported on the surface of a cell partition wall. It is gripped by the outer peripheral surface and incorporated into the catalytic converter.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. The mainstream of the honeycomb carrier is a cordierite ceramic material, and the honeycomb carrier is formed into a honeycomb structure by extrusion using a die having a lattice-shaped slit, dried, and fired to obtain a product. Conventionally, the partition wall thickness is 0.15 m
This was not a problem when it was thicker than m, but when the partition wall thickness was reduced, the partition walls were easily deformed during extrusion molding. Breaks down at low strength. If the partition wall is formed straight, when pressure is applied from the outer peripheral surface, it theoretically becomes a compressive stress field, and the honeycomb structure is destroyed by the buckling of the partition wall or the buckling of the outer wall. If the partition wall is deformed or the thickness of the outer peripheral wall is extremely thin, a bending stress, that is, a tensile stress is generated in the partition wall at that location. In general, the tensile strength is much lower than the compressive strength. In particular, the ratio of the tensile strength to the compressive strength is about 1/10 in the case of a ceramic material, and the tensile strength is extremely lower than the compressive strength in comparison with about 1/3 in the case of a metal material. . Therefore, if the partition is deformed, it will be broken at a considerably lower strength than usual. further,
Due to the thin-walled honeycomb structure, when the honeycomb carrier is gripped and stored in the converter, or when the carrier is handled or transported, corner portions of the honeycomb are lost or the outer wall is separated.

A honeycomb carrier for an automobile exhaust gas purifying catalyst carrier is required to have not only a catalyst carrying performance but also a structure having “isostatic strength”, “thermal shock resistance”, and “outer wall corner strength”. Isostatic strength
Usually, when adopting a structure by gripping the outer peripheral surface of the carrier, the gripping surface pressure is a minimum guaranteed value of 0.5 MPa, preferably 1.0 M
Therefore, the average level of the isostatic strength of the carrier is required to be 3.0 MPa or more, preferably 4.0 MPa or more. As for the thermal shock resistance, the exhaust gas temperature has been increasing year by year, and the thermal shock resistance required for the honeycomb carrier has also become severe.
Thermal shock resistance is practically 750 ° C. or more, desirably 80.
A difference of 0 ° C or more is required.

[0015] In addition, the honeycomb carrier is loaded with a catalyst in the catalyzing step and then is held in the can of the converter. In some cases, the carriers are in contact with each other or are damaged. Therefore, to evaluate the strength of the carrier during transport,
By pressing the end face of the carrier against a thick rubber plate and applying a pressing load, the rubber expands outward, and stress concentration occurs at the outer wall corners of the carrier, thereby evaluating the strength of the outer wall corners. . When the carrier of each strength was applied to the process, it was found that the carrier outer wall corner strength was 3.5 kN or more, the damage during transportation was small, and the carrier outer wall corner strength was hardly generated at 4.0 kN or more.

Conventionally, it was thought that increasing the thickness of the outer peripheral wall could increase the strength against the outer peripheral surface pressure. However, the outer diameter is actually 90 mm, the length is 110 mm, the cell shape is square, and the partition wall thickness is actually larger. An isostatic strength test was performed using a cordierite-based thin-walled honeycomb structure having 0.11 mm and a cell number of 600 cpsi (partition spacing 1.04 mm) with the outer wall thickness varied from 0.1 to 0.9 mm. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, even when the outer wall thickness was larger than 0.4 mm, the strength did not improve and the strength tended to decrease. Here, the cell number of 600 cpsi is 60 per square inch.
This means that there are 0 cells, and cpsi is an abbreviation for cells per square inch. On the other hand, if the outer wall thickness is too thin, the outer wall may be broken from the outer peripheral wall due to insufficient rigidity.

Therefore, the inventors investigated the reason why the isostatic strength was not improved simply by increasing the thickness of the outer peripheral wall. As the outer wall thickness was increased, the molded body immediately after extrusion molding was used to form the partition walls (ribs) of the outer peripheral cell. It was found that the deformation was large and the amount of the deformed partition wall also tended to increase. This is because when the raw material passes through the slit of the die at the time of extrusion molding, if the outer wall thickness is increased, the flow rate of the raw material through the slit forming the outer peripheral wall increases, so that the ribs of the outer peripheral cell are dragged toward the outer wall. This was due to the remarkable imbalance between the raw material flow on the outer wall and the raw material flow on the partition walls. Another major factor is that the partition walls themselves tend to be buckled and deformed as they become thinner. After extrusion molding, the honeycomb structure is received on the outer peripheral surface with a jig,
At that time, the outer wall and the outer peripheral partition may be deformed by the weight of the honeycomb structure.

According to the material mechanics, the buckling strength is basically given by the following equation, and the buckling strength is proportional to the square of the partition wall thickness. It can be seen that thinning of the partition walls has a very large effect on the strength of the honeycomb carrier. Buckling strength ^{P = (kπ 2 E) ×} (t / L) 2 (k: factor, E: Young's modulus, L: partition length, t: wall thickness)

In the related art, since the partition wall thickness was large, the partition wall itself was not easily buckled and deformed, and the thickness was close to the outer wall thickness, so that imbalance during molding did not cause much problem. . When extruding with ceramic materials such as alumina, mullite, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, zirconia, etc. as well as cordierite, since the raw material water and binder are mixed and kneaded, the honeycomb structure in the extrusion molding process is used. The same theory holds for the deformation of the bulkhead of the body. As described above, the deformation of the partition wall is mainly caused by buckling due to the compression load. Therefore, the same problem occurs not only in the case of a square cell but also in a case of a rectangle, a triangle, and a hexagon. Also, as seen in the prior art, when the strength of a carrier whose outer peripheral wall was made thicker than the inner wall was measured, the strength was certainly improved, but when the thickness was too large, the strength tended to decrease. Was done. Examination of a carrier having a considerably increased outermost partition wall thickness revealed that the outermost partition wall was deformed. This is considered to be due to the same reasoning as increasing the thickness of the outer wall.

Further, after a carrier having a partition wall thickness of 0.11 mm was heated in an electric furnace for a predetermined time to obtain a uniform temperature, a supercooling thermal shock resistance test was taken out from the furnace, and as a result, as shown in FIG. It was confirmed that the thermal shock resistance was reduced as the outer wall thickness was increased, but the thermal shock resistance was more likely to be reduced at an outer wall thickness of 0.7 mm or more. This is presumably because the thickness of the outer wall increases the influence of the heat capacity of the outer wall itself, and the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the outer wall increases. As seen in the above-mentioned JP-A-54-150406,
The idea of providing notches in the outer wall to reduce the heat capacity of the outer wall is effective if the outer wall is sufficiently thick. However, for an extremely thin partition wall with a partition wall thickness of 0.11 mm or less, the outer wall can be made too thick. And the effect of notch cannot be expected. Conversely, there is a danger of reducing the rigidity of the outer wall.

FIG. 8 shows the results of evaluation of the outer wall corner strength. As the outer wall thickness becomes thinner, the corner strength tends to decrease. In particular, when the outer wall thickness is smaller than 0.3 mm, the strength is reduced. In order to enhance the outer wall corner strength, simply increasing the thickness of the outer wall is effective. However, in the case of the above-mentioned isostatic strength, excessively thick outer wall tends to cause a reduction in strength. The same applies to the impact property, and it is not preferable to simply make the outer wall thick.

The present inventor has determined from the above various test results
In recent wall thinning of the partition walls of the honeycomb carrier, as seen in the prior art, it is not only necessary to thicken the partition walls constituting the outer peripheral cells simply considering the problem in use of the honeycomb carrier. In addition, the extrudability of the honeycomb structure must be taken into consideration. For this purpose, not only the relationship between the outermost peripheral cell partition wall thickness and the inner basic cell partition wall thickness, but also the outer wall thickness while considering the basic cell partition wall thickness. The inventors have thought that it is necessary to design the honeycomb structure while paying attention to the relationship between the honeycomb structure and the outermost cell partition wall thickness, and have completed the present invention. The relationship between the outermost cell partition wall thickness, outer wall thickness and strength, and thermal shock resistance is schematically shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, in the present invention, the basic cell partition wall thickness, the outer wall thickness, and the outermost peripheral cell partition wall thickness constituting the honeycomb structure will be described in detail. As described above, in the present invention, the basic partition wall thickness of the cell partition walls constituting the honeycomb structure is 0.11 mm or less, the outer wall thickness is 0.2 mm or more, and the opening ratio of the basic cell partition thickness portion is It is 80% or more, and a portion where the outermost peripheral cell partition wall of the honeycomb structure contacts the outer wall is overlaid, or an adjacent partition wall is a portion where the partition wall contacts the outer wall while the space between the partition walls is narrowed, and at least the space between those partition walls is reduced. Is constructed so as to be built up inside the outer wall.

With the above configuration, the “isostatic strength” of the thinned honeycomb structure,
"Thermal shock resistance" and "outer wall corner strength" can be satisfied in a well-balanced manner.

Hereinafter, the high-strength thin-walled honeycomb structure of the present invention will be described in more detail. FIG. 1 (a) (b)
Shows an example of a honeycomb structure. The honeycomb structure 1 has a large number of through holes (cell passages) 3 partitioned by cell partition walls 2. 4 is an outer wall. FIG.
Is a partially enlarged view of the honeycomb structure, showing a portion represented by a term used in the present invention. An outermost peripheral cell 8 is closest to the outer wall 4, and 9 is a second cell from the outermost peripheral.
Reference numeral 10 denotes a partition wall of the outer peripheral cell.

In the present invention, the basic cell partition wall thickness is set to 0.11 mm or less, the outer wall thickness is set to 0.2 mm or more, and the opening ratio of the basic cell partition thickness portion is set to 80% or more. The portion where the outermost peripheral cell partition wall and the outer wall are in contact with each other is overlaid (contact buildup), or the adjacent partition wall is in contact with the outer wall while the space between the partition walls is narrowing. V-shaped connection overlay)
By doing so, the “isostatic strength”, “thermal shock resistance”,
In addition, the characteristics of “outer wall corner strength” can be improved.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view showing one embodiment in which a honeycomb structure is provided with a contact overlay, and FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another embodiment in which a honeycomb structure is provided with a contact overlay. It is a figure and the outermost peripheral cell partition wall 2a of a honeycomb structure
An example is shown in which a portion where the outer wall 4 and the outer wall 4 are in contact is overlaid.
With such a configuration, it is possible to avoid an excessive increase in the thickness of the outer wall and suppress deformation of the cell partition. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view showing an embodiment in which a V-shaped connection padding is applied to the honeycomb structure, and a portion (V) contacting the outer wall 4 while narrowing the space between adjacent partitions at the outermost peripheral cell partition 2a.
In the U-shaped connection portion 7), the outer wall 4 was thickened inward by forming a buildup 6 on the inner side of the outer wall at least between the partition walls 2a. By employing such means, deformation of the partition wall (rib) can be suppressed, and the isostatic strength can be improved.

The amount of the build-up is preferably at least ４ of the length of the outermost cell partition 2 a,
/ 3 or more is more preferable. The cell shape of the honeycomb structure of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably one of a square, a rectangle, a rhombus, and a hexagon. Further, the honeycomb structure of the present invention is preferably formed of a ceramic material such as cordierite, alumina, mullite, silicon nitride, and silicon carbide.

Further, the high-strength thin-walled honeycomb structure of the present invention is suitably used as a carrier for an automobile exhaust gas purifying catalyst, and generally, a catalyst component is supported on the surface of the cell partition walls.
It is gripped on the outer peripheral surface of the carrier and incorporated into the catalytic converter. FIGS. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing an example in which a honeycomb carrier is incorporated in a converter container. A honeycomb carrier 13 is incorporated in a converter container 11 by being held by a ring 12 on the outer peripheral surface thereof.
The ring 12 is usually made of a metal mesh, but is not limited to this. Reference numeral 14 denotes a buffer member such as a mat or cloth interposed between the converter container 11 and the outer peripheral surface of the honeycomb carrier 13.

[0030]

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be described in more detail based on examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. Incidentally, the honeycomb structure obtained in the example,
The performance was evaluated by the following method.

(Isostatic strength test) This test is a test in which a carrier is put in a rubber cylindrical container, covered with an aluminum plate, and subjected to isostatic pressurization in water. This is a test that simulates a compressive load when the outer peripheral surface is gripped. The isostatic strength is indicated by a pressurized pressure value at the time when the carrier is broken, and is specified in the automotive standard JASO standard M505-87 issued by the Japan Society of Automotive Engineers.

(Thermal shock resistance test) In this test, a honeycomb carrier at room temperature was placed in an electric furnace maintained at a temperature higher than room temperature by a predetermined temperature, held for 20 minutes, then the carrier was taken out on a firebrick, and the appearance was observed. This is a test in which the outer periphery of the carrier is lightly tapped with a metal rod. If no cracks were observed on the carrier and the tapping sound was a metallic sound and there was no dull sound, the result was acceptable and the temperature in the electric furnace was set to 5
Each time the temperature is raised in steps of 0 ° C., the same inspection is repeated until a failure occurs. If the test is rejected at a temperature 950 ° C. higher than room temperature, the thermal shock resistance is 900 ° C. different.

(External wall corner strength test)
mm in neoprene (registered trademark) rubber, a test was conducted by applying a load downward from the upper part of the carrier through an aluminum plate on which a urethane sheet was stuck, and the strength was broken at the outer wall of the carrier in contact with the neoprene rubber. This is indicated by the load value when

(Examples 1 to 5, Comparative Example 1) In a cordierite-based honeycomb structure (honeycomb carrier), the number of cells, basic cell partition wall thickness, outermost peripheral cell partition wall thickness, and outer wall thickness shown in Table 1 were determined. Various honeycomb carriers having the same were prepared, and the contact and / or V-shaped connection were built up. The aperture ratio was 83%. Table 1 shows the results.

The samples used in the examples were talc,
A cordierite honeycomb structure (carrier) having a diameter of 106 mm and a length of 155 mm obtained by extruding and firing a kneaded raw material such as kaolin or alumina. The number of cells, the basic cell partition wall thickness, Various honeycomb carriers having a peripheral cell partition wall thickness and an outer wall thickness were prepared.

[0036]

[Table 1]

As is evident from the results in Table 1, the thermal shock resistance is slightly inferior to that of Comparative Example 1 having no overlay,
It was found that both the isostatic strength and the corner strength were improved. Further, by combining such a buildup with an increase in the thickness of the outermost peripheral cell partition wall, it was possible to further increase the corner portion strength. In order to investigate the reason for this, when the isotropic pressure is applied to the outer periphery of the honeycomb structure, F
EM analysis showed that the maximum compressive stress occurred inside the outer wall of the V-shaped connection. Therefore, it is considered that the outer wall is easily buckled and broken at the V-shaped connection portion. Also, V
At the point where the ribs are connected to each other, the contact points between the adjacent ribs and the outer wall are close to each other. It is considered to be advantageous.

[0038]

As described above, according to the high-strength thin-walled honeycomb structure of the present invention, the isostatic strength and the thermal shock resistance of the thinned honeycomb structure are improved in a well-balanced manner, and the honeycomb structure is improved. Can prevent the outer peripheral wall and the corners from being damaged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an example of a honeycomb structure, and FIG.
Is a perspective view, and (b) is a plan view.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a honeycomb structure.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory partial cross-sectional view showing an embodiment in which a contact structure is provided on a honeycomb structure.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view showing another embodiment in which a contact structure is applied to a honeycomb structure.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view showing one embodiment in which a V-shaped connection buildup is applied to a honeycomb structure.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the outer wall thickness of the honeycomb structure and the isostatic strength.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the thickness of the outer wall of the honeycomb structure and the thermal shock resistance.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the outer wall thickness of the honeycomb structure and the outer wall corner strength.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between outermost cell partition wall thickness and outer wall thickness.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which a honeycomb carrier is incorporated in a converter container.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Honeycomb structure, 2 ... Cell partition, 2a ... Outermost cell partition, 2b ... Basic cell partition, 3 ... Cell passage, 4 ... Outer wall,
5: border line between outermost cell partition and basic cell partition, 6: build-up, 7: V-shaped connection part, 8: outermost cell, 9: second cell from outermost cell, 10: partition of outer cell , 11 ... Converter container, 12 ... Ring, 13 ... Honeycomb carrier, 1
4: Buffer member.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B01J 32/00 ZAB B01J 35/04 301B 35/04 301 301C 301K 301N 301P F01N 3/28 301P F01N 3/28 301 B01D 53/36 C

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An extruded honeycomb structure made of ceramic having a plurality of cell passages, wherein a cell partition wall constituting the honeycomb structure has a basic cell partition wall thickness of 0.11 mm or less and an outer wall thickness of 0.1 mm or less. A high-strength thin wall characterized in that the opening ratio of the basic cell partition wall thickness portion is 80% or more and a portion where the outermost peripheral cell partition wall of the honeycomb structure contacts the outer wall is overlaid. Honeycomb structure. 2. A ceramic extruded honeycomb structure having a plurality of cell passages, wherein a basic cell partition wall thickness of a cell partition wall constituting the honeycomb structure is 0.11 mm or less, and an outer wall thickness is 0.1 mm or less. 2 mm or more, and the opening ratio of the basic cell partition wall thickness portion is 80% or more, and adjacent partition walls are in contact with the outer wall while narrowing the space between the partition walls,
A high-strength thin-walled honeycomb structure characterized by being built up on the inside of an outer wall at least between the partition walls. 3. The honeycomb structure has a square cell shape.
The high-strength thin-walled honeycomb structure according to claim 1, wherein the honeycomb structure is one of a rectangle, a rhombus, and a hexagon. 4. The honeycomb structure according to claim 1, wherein the honeycomb structure is formed of at least one ceramic material selected from the group consisting of cordierite, alumina, mullite, silicon nitride, and silicon carbide. Item 7. The high-strength thin-walled honeycomb structure according to item 1. 5. The high-strength thin-walled honeycomb structure according to claim 1, which is used for a carrier for an automobile exhaust gas purification catalyst. 6. The high-strength thin-walled honeycomb according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a catalyst component is carried on the surface of the cell partition wall, and is held by the outer peripheral surface of the structure and incorporated into a catalytic converter. Structure.