Hydrogen-generating compositions for a fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10074862-B2
Application number	US-201615132798-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2016
Priority date	Apr 19, 2016
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

Various embodiments disclosed related to hydrogen-generating compositions for a fuel cell. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a hydrogen-generating composition comprising a hydride and a Lewis acid. Various embodiments provide methods of using a hydrogen fuel cell including generating hydrogen gas using the composition, fuel cell systems including the composition, and methods of making the composition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydrogen-generating composition for a fuel cell, wherein the hydrogen-generating composition consisting essentially of:
a hydride, wherein the hydride is lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH 4 ) and is about 50 wt % to about 99.999 wt % of the hydrogen-generating composition, and wherein the hydrogen-generating composition is free of other hydrides; and
a Lewis acid chosen from aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 ), aluminum bromide (AlBr 3 ), aluminum fluoride (AlF 3 ), stannous (II) chloride (SnCl 2 ), stannous (II) bromide (SnBr 2 ), stannous (II) fluoride (SnF 2 ), zirconium (IV) chloride (ZrCl 4 ), zirconium (IV) bromide (ZrBr 4 ), zirconium (IV) fluoride (ZrF 4 ), tungsten (VI) chloride (WCl 6 ), tungsten (VI) bromide (WBr 6 ), tungsten (VI) fluoride (WF 6 ), zinc bromide (ZnBr 2 ), zinc fluoride (ZnF 2 ), ferric (III) chloride (FeCl 3 ), ferric (III) bromide (FeBr 3 ), ferric (III) fluoride (FeF 3 ), vanadium (III) chloride, vanadium (III) bromide, vanadium (III) fluoride, and combinations thereof; and
optionally a metal oxide.

2. The hydrogen-generating composition of claim 1 , wherein the Lewis acid is about 0.001 wt % to about 50 wt % of the hydrogen-generating composition.

3. The hydrogen-generating composition of claim 1 , wherein the Lewis acid is chosen from aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 ), zirconium (IV) chloride (ZrCl 4 ), and a combination thereof.

4. The hydrogen-generating composition of claim 1 , wherein the Lewis acid is zirconium (IV) chloride (ZrCl 4 ).

5. The hydrogen-generating composition of claim 1 , further comprising a metal oxide.

6. The hydrogen-generating composition of claim 5 , wherein the metal oxide is about 0.001 wt % to about 20 wt % of the hydrogen-generating composition.

7. The hydrogen-generating composition of claim 5 , wherein the metal oxide is zirconium (IV) oxide, hafnium (IV) oxide, titanium (IV) oxide, or a combination thereof.

8. A fuel cell system comprising:
the hydrogen-generating composition of claim 1 ; and
a hydrogen fuel cell fluidly connected to the hydrogen-generating composition.

9. A method of making the hydrogen-generating composition of claim 1 , the method comprising:
forming a starting composition comprising the hydride and the Lewis acid; and
mixing the starting composition, to form the hydrogen-generating composition of claim 1 .

10. A hydrogen-generating composition for a fuel cell, the hydrogen-generating composition consisting essentially of:
a hydride that is lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH 4 ), wherein the hydride is about 70 wt % to about 99.9 wt % of the hydrogen-generating composition, wherein the hydrogen-generating composition is free of other hydrides;
a Lewis acid chosen from aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 ), zirconium (IV) chloride (ZrCl 4 ), and a combination thereof, wherein the Lewis acid is about 0.1 wt % to about 30 wt % of the hydrogen-generating composition; and
optionally a metal oxide.

11. A method of using a hydrogen fuel cell, the method comprising:
contacting a hydrogen-generating composition with water vapor produced by the hydrogen fuel cell, to form hydrogen gas, the hydrogen-generating composition consisting essentially of:
a hydride, wherein the hydride is lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH 4 ) and wherein the hydrogen-generating composition is free of other hydrides, and
a Lewis acid chosen from aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 ), aluminum bromide (AlBr 3 ), aluminum fluoride (AlF 3 ), stannous (II) chloride (SnCl 2 ), stannous (II) bromide (SnBr 2 ), stannous (II) fluoride (SnF 2 ), zirconium (IV) chloride (ZrCl 4 ), zirconium (IV) bromide (ZrBr 4 ), zirconium (IV) fluoride (ZrF 4 ), tungsten (VI) chloride (WCl 6 ), tungsten (VI) bromide (WBr 6 ), tungsten (VI) fluoride (WF 6 ), zinc bromide (ZnBr 2 ), zinc fluoride (ZnF 2 ), ferric (III) chloride (FeCl 3 ), ferric (III) bromide (FeBr 3 ), ferric (III) fluoride (FeF 3 ), vanadium (III) chloride, vanadium (III) bromide, vanadium (III) fluoride, and combinations thereof; and
optionally a metal oxide; and

supplying the hydrogen gas to an electrode of the hydrogen fuel cell.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the Lewis acid chosen from aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 ), zirconium (IV) chloride (ZrCl 4 ), and a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the metal oxide is zirconium (IV) oxide, hafnium (IV) oxide, titanium (IV) oxide, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the metal oxide is titanium (IV) oxide.

15. The hydrogen-generating composition of claim 5 , wherein the metal oxide is titanium (IV) oxide.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc
• Intelligent Energy Ltd

Inventors

• Eickhoff Steven J
• Knight Douglas
• Huang Hao
• Stimits Jason

Classifications

• H01M8/065

  by dissolution of metals or alloys; by dehydriding metallic substances · CPC title

• C01B6/04

  Hydrides of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, beryllium or magnesium; Addition complexes thereof · CPC title

• C01B6/02

  Hydrides of transition elements; Addition complexes thereof · CPC title

• C01B6/243

  containing only hydrogen, aluminium and alkali metals, e.g. Li(AlH4) · CPC title

• C01B6/15

  Metal borohydrides; Addition complexes thereof · CPC title