Reactor with advanced architecture for the electrochemical reaction of CO2, CO, and other chemical compounds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11124886-B2
Application number	US-202016842659-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2020
Priority date	May 3, 2016
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

A platform technology that uses a novel membrane electrode assembly including a cathode layer comprising a reduction catalyst and a first anion-and-cation-conducting polymer, an anode layer comprising an oxidation catalyst and a cation-conducting polymer, a membrane layer comprising a cation-conducting polymer, the membrane layer arranged between the cathode layer and the anode layer and conductively connecting the cathode layer and the anode layer, in a COx reduction reactor has been developed. The reactor can be used to synthesize a broad range of carbon-based compounds from carbon dioxide.

First claim

We claim:

1. A membrane electrode assembly comprising:
a cathode layer comprising a reduction catalyst and a first ion-conducting polymer;
an anode layer comprising an oxidation catalyst and a second ion-conducting polymer;
a membrane layer comprising a third ion-conducting polymer, the membrane layer arranged between the cathode layer and the anode layer and conductively connecting the cathode layer and the anode layer; and
a cathode buffer layer comprising a fourth ion-conducting polymer, the cathode buffer layer arranged between the cathode layer and the membrane layer and conductively connecting the cathode layer and the membrane layer, wherein at least one of the first ion-conducting polymer and the fourth ion-conducting polymer comprises an anion-and-cation conducting polymer.

2. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first ion-conducting polymer and the fourth ion-conducting polymer comprises a first anion-conducting polymer.

3. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 2 , wherein the first anion-conducting polymer is FumaSep FAA-3.

4. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the third ion-conducting polymer comprises a cation-conducting polymer selected from a group consisting of Nafion 115, Nafion 117, and Nafion 211.

5. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the anion-and-cation-conducting polymer comprises polyethylene glycol.

6. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second ion-conducting polymer comprises tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoro-3,6-dioxa-4methyl-7-octenesulfonic acid copolymer.

7. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the third ion-conducting polymer comprises tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoro-3,6-dioxa-4-methyl-7-octenesulfonic acid copolymer.

8. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the third ion-conducting polymer comprises an anion-conducting polymer.

9. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first ion-conducting polymer comprises an anion-conducting polymer.

10. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 8 , wherein the fourth ion-conducting polymer comprises an anion-conducting polymer.

11. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 8 , wherein the second ion-conducting polymer comprises a cation-conducting polymer.

12. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an anode buffer layer arranged between the anode layer and the membrane layer and conductively connecting the anode layer and the membrane layer, the anode buffer layer comprising a fifth ion-conducting polymer.

13. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the third ion-conducting polymer comprises a cation-conducting polymer.

14. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second ion-conducting polymer and the third ion-conducting polymer comprise the same polymer.

15. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first ion-conducting polymer and the fourth ion-conducting polymer comprise the same polymer.

16. A membrane electrode assembly comprising:
a cathode layer comprising a reduction catalyst and a first ion-conducting polymer, wherein the first ion-conducting polymer comprises an anion-and-cation-conducting polymer;
an anode layer comprising an oxidation catalyst and a second ion-conducting polymer; and
a membrane layer comprising a third ion-conducting polymer, the membrane layer-arranged between the cathode layer and the anode layer and conductively connecting the cathode layer and the anode layer.

17. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 16 , further comprising a cathode buffer layer, comprising a first anion-conducting polymer, arranged between the cathode layer and the membrane layer and conductively connecting the cathode layer and the membrane layer.

18. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 17 , wherein the first anion-conducting polymer comprises FumaSep FAA-3.

19. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 16 , wherein the third ion-conducting polymer comprises a cation-conducting polymer selected from a group consisting of Nafion 115, Nafion 117, and Nafion 211.

20. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 19 , further comprising a cathode buffer layer, comprising a first anion-conducting polymer, arranged between the cathode layer and the membrane layer and conductively connecting the cathode layer and the membrane layer.

21. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 20 , wherein the first anion-conducting polymer comprises FumaSep FAA-3.

22. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 16 , wherein the third ion-conducting polymer comprises an anion-conducting polymer.

23. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 22 , wherein the second ion-conducting polymer comprises a cation-conducting polymer.

24. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 23 , further comprising an anode buffer layer arranged between the anode layer and the membrane layer and conductively connecting the anode layer and the membrane layer.

25. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 16 , wherein the second ion-conducting polymer and the third ion-conducting polymer comprise the same polymer.

Assignees

• Opus 12 Incorporated
• Univ California

Inventors

• Kuhl Kendra P
• Cave Etosha R
• Leonard George

Classifications

• C25B13/02

  characterised by shape or form · CPC title

• C25B3/26

  of carbon dioxide · CPC title

• C25B9/23 Primary

  comprising ion-exchange membranes in or on which electrode material is embedded · CPC title

• C25B13/08 Primary

  based on organic materials · CPC title

• C25B11/095

  at least one of the compounds being organic · CPC title