Method for producing fuel cell electrode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10090532-B2
Application number	US-201615095279-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2016
Priority date	Apr 13, 2015
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for producing a fuel cell electrode which is configured to be able to deliver stable electricity generation performance even if the humidity condition of the external environment is changed. Disclosed is a method for producing a fuel cell electrode comprising a catalyst layer that contains a catalyst composite-carried carbon containing platinum, a titanium oxide and an electroconductive carbon, wherein the method comprises: a first step of decreasing an amount of acidic functional groups on a surface of the catalyst composite-carried carbon by firing the catalyst composite-carried carbon at 250° C. or more; a second step of producing a catalyst ink by mixing the catalyst composite-carried carbon obtained in the first step, an ionomer, and a solvent; and a third step of forming the catalyst layer using the catalyst ink obtained in the second step.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a fuel cell electrode comprising a catalyst layer that contains a catalyst composite-carried carbon containing platinum, a titanium oxide and an electroconductive carbon, wherein the method comprises:
a first step of washing the catalyst composite-carried carbon with acid;
a second step of decreasing an amount of acidic functional groups on a surface of the catalyst composite-carried carbon obtained in the first step by firing the catalyst composite-carried carbon at 250° C. or more under an inert gas atmosphere;
a third step of producing a catalyst ink by mixing the catalyst composite-carried carbon obtained in the second step, an ionomer, and a solvent which contains at least water, alcohol and acetic acid and in which the acetic acid accounts for 29 to 63% by mass of a total mass amount of the water, alcohol and acetic acid; and
a fourth step of forming the catalyst layer using the catalyst ink obtained in the third step.

2. The method for producing the fuel cell electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of the acidic functional groups on the surface of the catalyst composite-carried carbon obtained in the second step is 1.20 μmol/m 2 or less.

3. The method for producing the fuel cell electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the water accounts for 3.4 to 9.8% by mass of the total mass amount of the water, alcohol and acetic acid in the solvent used in the third step.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Arai Tatsuya
• Mandokoro Takazumi

Classifications

• H01M4/8814

  Temporary supports, e.g. decal · CPC title

• H01M4/926

  on carbon or graphite · CPC title

• H01M4/8652

  as mixture · CPC title

• H01M4/8828 Primary

  Coating with slurry or ink · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title