Atomically dispersed precursor for preparing a non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11728492-B2
Application number	US-201916720518-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2019
Priority date	Dec 21, 2018
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

An atomically dispersed precursor (ADP) for preparing a non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst includes: sacrificial metal centers comprising a sacrificial metal selected from Cd and Zn; metal active sites comprising a transition metal; and first and second ligands linking the sacrificial metal centers and the metal active sites into a network. The ADP may be immobilized on a carbon support. The first and second ligands may comprise N-containing ligands of different carbon chain lengths. Alternatively, the first and second ligands may comprise N-containing ligands and O-containing ligands, respectively.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst precursor comprising:
an atomically dispersed precursor (ADP) consisting of:
sacrificial metal centers comprising a sacrificial metal selected from the group consisting of: Cd and Zn;
metal active sites comprising a transition metal; and
first and second ligands linking the sacrificial metal centers and the metal active sites into a network; and

a carbon support, the ADP being immobilized on the carbon support.

2. The non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst precursor of claim 1 , wherein the carbon support comprises crystalline carbon, graphite, graphene, graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, atom-doped carbon, N-doped carbon, amorphous carbon, and/or mesoporous carbon.

3. The non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst precursor of claim 1 , wherein the first ligands comprise N-containing ligands.

4. The non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst precursor of claim 3 , wherein the first ligands comprise 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) or 1,10-phenanthroline.

5. The non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst precursor of claim 1 , wherein the second ligands have a different carbon chain length than the first ligands.

6. The non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst precursor of claim 1 , wherein the second ligands comprise O-containing ligands.

7. The non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst precursor of claim 6 , wherein the O-containing ligands comprise terephthalic acid (TPA).

8. The non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst precursor of claim 1 , wherein the transition metal is selected from the group consisting of Fe, Co, Ni, and Mn.

9. The non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst precursor of claim 1 fabricated from a mixture of N-containing ligands, O-containing ligands, an Fe or Co salt, and a Cd salt.

10. The non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst precursor of claim 1 fabricated from a mixture of N-containing ligands, the second ligands, an Fe or Co salt, and a Zn salt.

11. The non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst precursor of claim 1 , wherein the carbon support comprises carbon particles.

12. The non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst precursor of claim 11 , wherein the ADP is mixed with the carbon particles.

Assignees

• Univ Illinois

Inventors

• Yang Hong
• Al-Zoubi Talha
• Zhou Yu

Classifications

• H01M4/9083 Primary

  on carbon or graphite · CPC title

• H01M4/8652

  as mixture · CPC title

• H01M4/8807 Primary

  Gas diffusion layers · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M4/886

  Powder spraying, e.g. wet or dry powder spraying, plasma spraying · CPC title