Method for manufacturing electrolyte membrane for fuel cells and electrolyte membrane manufactured by the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11302950-B2
Application number	US-201816194963-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2018
Priority date	Apr 26, 2018
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing an electrolyte membrane for fuel cells. The method includes preparing an electrolyte layer including one or more ion conductive polymers that form a proton movement channel, and permeating a gas from a first surface of the electrolyte layer to a second surface of the electrolyte layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing an electrolyte membrane for fuel cells comprising:
preparing an electrolyte layer comprising one or more ion conductive polymers, wherein a proton movement channel is formed by the one or more ion conductive polymers; and
permeating a gas from a first surface of the electrolyte layer to a second surface of the electrolyte layer to reduce tortuosity of the proton movement channel,
wherein the gas permeates from the first surface to the second surface by making a concentration of the gas at the first surface greater than that at the second surface in the electrolyte layer,
wherein the first surface and the second surface are opposite surfaces across a thickness direction of the electrolyte layer, and
wherein the gas is permeated by heating to a temperature ranging from a first heating temperature that is about 2° C. higher than a α-transition temperature (Tα) of the ion conductive polymer to 200° C.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, each of the one or more ion conductive polymers comprise a main-chain comprising polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and a side-chain comprising sulfonic acid group (—SO 3 H).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte layer has a thickness of about 5 to 100 μm.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte layer comprises:
a first layer comprising the one or more ion conductive polymers; and
a second layer comprising the one or more ion conductive polymers and a support having a three-dimensional network structure,
wherein the first layer and the second layer are disposed adjacent to each other such that ions are movable between the first layer and the second layer.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the support comprises one or more of selected from expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE), and porous ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE).

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the porous ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene has an atomic weight of about 3.5 to 7.5 Mamu.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of water vapor (H 2 O), ethanol (C 2 H 5 OH), and propanol (C 3 H 7 OH).

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas has a boiling point less than the first heating temperature.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas permeates the electrolyte layer at a saturated vapor pressure of the gas.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the saturated vapor pressure of the gas is of about 0.01 to 1 MPa.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas permeates in an amount of about 0.1 to 10 mg/cm 2 ·min.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas permeates from the first surface to the second surface by making a pressure at the first surface greater than that at the second surface in the electrolyte layer.

13. An electrolyte membrane manufactured by a method of claim 1 .

14. A fuel cell comprising an electrolyte membrane of claim 13 .

15. A vehicle comprising a fuel cell of claim 14 .

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Yun Sukhwan
• Hong Bo Ki

Classifications

• H01M8/1067 Primary

  characterised by their physical properties, e.g. porosity, ionic conductivity or thickness · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

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

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/106

  characterised by the chemical composition of the porous support · CPC title

• H01M8/1086 Primary

  After-treatment of the membrane other than by polymerisation · CPC title