Bipolar membranes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11268200-B2
Application number	US-202016817502-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2020
Priority date	May 20, 2019
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A bipolar membrane comprising a first member comprising at least one anion exchange material; a second member comprising at least one cation exchange material, wherein the first member and the second member together form an interface junction; and disposed within the interface junction a first layer comprising a first water dissociation catalyst and a second layer comprising a second water dissociation catalyst, wherein the first water dissociation catalyst is different than the second water dissociation catalyst.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bipolar membrane comprising a first member comprising at least one anion exchange material; a second member comprising at least one cation exchange material, wherein the first member and the second member together form an interface junction; and disposed within the interface junction a first layer comprising a first water dissociation catalyst and a second layer comprising a second water dissociation catalyst, wherein the first water dissociation catalyst is different than the second water dissociation catalyst.

2. The bipolar membrane of claim 1 , wherein the first water dissociation catalyst and the second water dissociation catalyst are each in the form of nanoparticles.

3. The bipolar membrane of claim 2 , wherein the first water dissociation catalyst contacting a surface of the anion exchange material is selected from NiO, Pd, PtIr or Ir, and the second water dissociation catalyst contacting a surface of the cation exchange material is selected from Fe(OH) 3 , RuO 2 , or IrO 2 .

4. The bipolar membrane of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first water dissociation catalyst contacts a surface of the anion exchange material, and at least a portion of the second water dissociation catalyst contacts a surface of the cation exchange material.

5. The bipolar membrane of claim 1 , wherein the first member is an anion exchange membrane, and the second member is a cation exchange membrane.

6. The bipolar membrane of claim 5 , wherein the first water dissociation catalyst contacting a surface of the anion exchange material is selected from Pd, PtRu, PtIr, Ir, Rh, NiO, MnO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , anatase TiO 2 , rutile TiO 2 , or Co 2 O 3 .

7. The bipolar membrane of claim 5 , wherein the second water dissociation catalyst contacting a surface of the cation exchange material is selected from RuO 2 , IrO 2 , anatase TiO 2 , rutile TiO 2 , Fe(OH) 3 , MnO 2 , Pt, SiO 2 , Sb:SnO 2 , SnO 2 , Co 2 O 3 , ZrO 2 , In 2 O 3 , Rh.

8. The bipolar membrane of claim 1 , wherein the first layer comprising the water dissociation catalyst and the second layer comprising the second water dissociation catalyst together have a total thickness of 0.02 to 1 μm.

9. The bipolar membrane of claim 1 , further comprising at least one additional layer comprising a different water dissociation catalyst disposed within the interface junction.

10. The bipolar membrane of claim 1 , wherein the first water dissociation catalyst is an inorganic water dissociation catalyst and the second water dissociation catalyst is an inorganic water dissociation catalyst.

11. The bipolar membrane of claim 1 , wherein the first water dissociation catalyst and the second water dissociation catalyst are independently selected from a metal, a metal oxide, a metal phosphide, or a metal sulfide.

12. The bipolar membrane of claim 1 , wherein the first water dissociation catalyst and the second water dissociation catalyst are independently selected from rutile TiO 2 , anatase TiO 2 , In 2 O 3 , indium tin oxide, Sb:SnO 2 , Sn 2 O 3 , Ir, IrO 2 , Pt, Ru, RuO 2 , Pd, Rh, MnO 2 , NiO, Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , ZnO 2 , ZrO 2 , Co 2 O 3 , Co:Fe 2 O 3 , Fe(OH) 3 , Pt—Ir(1:1), or Pt—Ru(1:1).

13. The bipolar membrane of claim 1 , wherein the first water dissociation catalyst contacting a surface of the anion exchange material is selected from NiO, Pd, PtIr or Ir, and the second water dissociation catalyst contacting a surface of the cation exchange material is selected from Fe(OH) 3 , RuO 2 , or IrO 2 .

14. The bipolar membrane of claim 1 , wherein the first water dissociation catalyst contacting a surface of the anion exchange material comprises NiO nanoparticles, and the second water dissociation catalyst contacting a surface of the cation exchange material comprises IrO 2 nanoparticles.

15. An electrochemical device comprising the bipolar membrane of claim 1 .

16. The electrochemical device of claim 15 , wherein the bipolar membrane is configured to promote dissociation of water.

17. A bipolar membrane comprising a first member comprising at least one anion exchange material having a first surface; a second member comprising at least one cation exchange material having a second surface, wherein the first member first surface and the second member second surface face each other to form an interface junction; and disposed within the interface junction is a plurality of individual layers, each individual layer comprising a different water dissociation catalyst wherein each individual layer of water dissociation catalyst functions within a predetermined pH range interval within a pH gradient extending between the first material first surface and the second material second surface.

18. The bipolar membrane of claim 17 , wherein the pH interval is 1 pH, 2 pH or 3 pH.

19. The bipolar membrane of claim 17 , wherein the first member is an anion exchange membrane, and the second member is a cation exchange membrane.

20. The bipolar membrane of claim 19 , wherein the different water dissociation catalysts are each in the form of nanoparticles are each independently selected from rutile TiO 2 , anatase TiO 2 , In 2 O 3 , indium tin oxide, Sb:SnO 2 , Sn 2 O 3 , Ir, IrO 2 , Pt, Ru, RuO 2 , Pd, Rh, MnO 2 , NiO, Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , ZnO 2 , ZrO 2 , Co 2 O 3 , Co:Fe 2 O 3 , Fe(OH) 3 , Pt—Ir(1:1), or Pt—Ru(1:1).

Assignees

• Univ Oregon

Inventors

• Oener Sebastian
• Boettcher Shannon W
• Foster Marc

Classifications

• C25B1/04

  by electrolysis of water · CPC title

• Y02E60/36

  Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis · CPC title

• C25B9/73

  of the filter-press type · CPC title

• C25B13/04 Primary

  characterised by the material · CPC title

• B01D61/445

  with bipolar membranes; Water splitting · CPC title