Electrochemical cell with bilayer electrocatalyst structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12199291-B2
Application number	US-202217842029-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2022
Priority date	Jun 16, 2022
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

An electrochemical cell (e.g., a fuel cell) includes an anode layer, a cathode layer, and an electrolyte membrane layer disposed between and spacing apart the anode layer and the cathode layer. The electrochemical cell further includes a functional layer disposed at an interface between the cathode layer and the electrode membrane layer. The functional layer includes a composition including a carbon material, an ionomer material, and optionally an amount of catalyst material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrochemical cell comprising:
an anode layer;
a cathode layer;
an electrolyte membrane layer disposed between and spacing apart the anode layer and the cathode layer; and
a functional layer disposed at an interface between the cathode layer and the electrolyte membrane layer, the functional layer including a composition including a carbon material and an ionomer material, the functional layer has a thickness of 6 to 10 μm.

2. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the carbon material includes a high surface area in a range of 500 to 3,500 m 2 g −1 .

3. The electrochemical cell of claim 2 , wherein the carbon material is graphitized carbon, porous carbon, or a combination thereof.

4. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the ionomer material to the carbon material in the functional layer is in a range of 0.2 to 1.4.

5. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the ionomer material includes a high equivalent weight (EW) structure having an EW of 800 to 1,100 g/mol.

6. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the functional layer has a thickness of 8 to 10 μm.

7. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the functional layer has a porosity of 0 to 30% porosity.

8. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the cathode layer includes a cathode ionomer material, and the ionomer material of the functional layer has a similar chain length or shorter-chain length than the cathode ionomer material.

9. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical cell is a fuel cell.

10. An electrochemical cell comprising:
an anode layer;
a cathode layer;
an electrolyte membrane layer disposed between and spacing apart the anode layer and the cathode layer; and
a functional layer disposed at an interface between the cathode layer and the electrolyte membrane layer, the functional layer including a composition including a carbon material, an ionomer material, and a filler material, the functional layer has a thickness of 6 to 10 μm.

11. The electrochemical cell of claim 10 , wherein the ionomer material is a first polymeric material and the filler material is a second polymeric material.

12. The electrochemical cell of claim 11 , wherein the first and second polymeric materials are the same polymeric material.

13. The electrochemical cell of claim 11 , wherein the first and second polymeric materials are different polymeric materials.

14. The electrochemical cell of claim 10 , wherein the filler material is configured to decompose after a threshold number of hours of operation of the electrochemical cell to form pathways for oxygen transport.

15. A method of fabricating an electrochemical cell, the method comprising:
providing a functional layer on an electrolyte membrane layer, the functional layer having a first surface and an opposing second surface, the first surface of the functional layer contacting the electrolyte membrane layer, the functional layer including a carbon material, and an ionomer material, the functional layer has a thickness of 6 to 10 μm; and
providing a cathode material on the opposing second surface of the functional layer to form a cathode layer, and the electrolyte membrane layer, the functional layer, and the cathode layer forming a portion of the electrochemical cell.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first providing step includes depositing a film material on the electrolyte membrane layer to form a film layer, and curing the film layer to form the functional layer.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first providing step includes transferring a first decal onto the electrolyte membrane layer to form the functional layer.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second providing step includes transferring a second decal onto the opposing second surface of the functional layer to form the cathode layer.

19. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the functional layer is separate and discrete from the cathode layer.

20. The electrochemical cell of claim 19 , wherein the functional layer does not commingle with contents of the cathode layer upon fabrication of the cathode layer.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Cheng Lei
• Rezaei Talarposhti Morteza
• Braaten Jonathan
• Kitchaev Daniil
• Craig Nathan
• Johnston Christina

Classifications

• H01M4/8825

  Methods for deposition of the catalytic active composition · CPC title

• H01M4/8657 Primary

  layered · CPC title

• H01M8/1004

  characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] (H01M8/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M4/8605

  Porous electrodes · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title