Polymer electrolyte membrane, a method for fabricating the same, and a membrane-electrode assembly including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10854904-B2
Application number	US-201314387899-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2013
Priority date	Mar 29, 2012
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed are a polymer electrolyte membrane, a method for manufacturing the same and a membrane-electrode assembly comprising the same, the polymer electrolyte membrane includes a hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer; and a fluorine-containing ion conductor discontinuously dispersed on the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A polymer electrolyte membrane comprising:
a hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer; and
fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors which are dispersed on the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer in such a way that the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer is revealed between the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors, the fiber-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors having an average diameter ranging from 0.005 μm to 5 μm and a ratio of an average length to the average diameter of 100% or greater, the spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors having an average diameter ranging from 0.005 μm to 10 μm, wherein the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors are included in the polymer electrolyte membrane in an amount of 0.1 to 10 wt % based on the total weight of the polymer electrolyte membrane.

2. The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors are formed of a perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) resin.

3. The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer comprises any one selected form the group consisting of a sulfonated polyimide, a sulfonated polyarylethersulfone, a sulfonated polyether ether ketone, a sulfonated polybenzimidazole, a sulfonated polysulfone, a sulfonated polystyrene, a sulfonated polyphosphazene, and a combination thereof.

4. The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , further comprising:
a porous substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; and
a plurality of hydrocarbon-containing ion conductors filled in pores of the porous substrate;
wherein the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer with the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors dispersed thereon is disposed on the first or second surface of the porous substrate.

5. The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 4 , wherein the porous substrate is formed of any one selected from the group consisting of a nylon, a polyimide, a polybenzoxazole, a polyethylene terephthalate, a polyethylene, a polypropylene, a polytetrafluoroethylene, a polyarylene ether sulfone, a polyether ether ketone, copolymers thereof, and a combination thereof.

6. A method for producing a polymer electrolyte membrane, the method comprising:
forming a hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer; and
dispersing fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors on the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer in such a way that the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer is revealed between the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors, the fiber-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors having an average diameter ranging from 0.005 to 5 μm and a ratio of an average length to the average diameter of 100% or greater, the spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors having an average diameter ranging from 0.005 to 10 μm,
wherein the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors are included in the polymer electrolyte membrane in an amount of 0.1 to 10 wt % based on the total weight of the polymer electrolyte membrane.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
preparing a porous substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; and
filling a plurality of hydrocarbon-containing ion conductors in the pores of the porous substrate,
wherein the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer is formed on the first or second surface of the porous substrate.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors are dispersed on the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer by electrospinning or spraying a solution for forming the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the solution comprises an organic solvent capable of dissolving a surface of the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the solution further comprises an alcohol dispersion of the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the organic solvent is any one selected from the group consisting of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidine, dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, dimethylsulfoxide, and a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein the dispersing the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors includes:
preparing a solution comprising an alcohol dispersion of the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors and an organic solvent capable of dissolving the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer; and
coating the solution on the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer.

13. A membrane-electrode assembly comprising:
an anode and a cathode facing each other; and
a polymer electrolyte membrane disposed between the anode and the cathode,
wherein the polymer electrolyte membrane comprises
a hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer, and
fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors which are dispersed on the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer in such a way that the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer is revealed between the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors, the fiber-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors having an average diameter ranging from 0.005 μm to 5 μm and a ratio of an average length to the average diameter of 100% or greater, the spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors having an average diameter ranging from 0.005 μm to 10 μm,

wherein the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors are included in the polymer electrolyte membrane in an amount of 0.1 to 10 wt % based on the total weight of the polymer electrolyte membrane.

14. The membrane-electrode assembly of claim 13 , wherein the anode or the cathode includes a fluorine-containing binder.

15. The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the fiber-shaped or spot-shaped fluorine-containing ion conductors are bonded to the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer after dissolving a surface of the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer by an organic solvent capable of dissolving the hydrocarbon-containing ion conductive layer.

Assignees

• Kolon Inc

Inventors

• Lee Moo Seok
• Shin Yong Cheol
• Kim Na Young
• Lee Dong Hoon

Classifications

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• H01M8/1081

  starting from solutions, dispersions or slurries exclusively of polymers · CPC title

• H01M8/102 Primary

  characterised by the chemical structure of the main chain of the ion-conducting polymer · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title