Fuel cell electrode and fuel cell system including zirconium-based dopants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12525619-B2
Application number	US-202318191936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2023
Priority date	Mar 29, 2023
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

Abstract

An electrode for a fuel cell system is provided. The electrode includes a carbon support. Platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles are dispersed on the carbon support. Zirconium-based dopants are disposed on the carbon support. In one example, a fuel cell system includes the electrode as a first electrode and further includes a second electrode and a fuel cell membrane. The fuel cell membrane is disposed between the first and second electrodes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electrode for a fuel cell system, the electrode comprising:
a carbon support; platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles dispersed on the carbon support; and zirconium-based dopants disposed on the carbon support; wherein the zirconium-based dopants comprise a first plurality of zirconium-based dopants that are dispersed on the carbon support between the platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles; and wherein the zirconium-based dopants further comprise a second plurality of zirconium-based dopants that are dispersed on the platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles.

2 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the carbon support is a mesoporous carbon support having a plurality of pores formed therein with an average pore diameter of from about 2 to about 100 nm.

3 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the carbon support comprises carbon particles having an average particle size of from about 50 to about 800 nm.

4 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles comprise platinum metal or a platinum alloy.

5 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of zirconium-based dopants is chosen from zirconium atoms, zirconium oxide, zirconium carbide, or combinations thereof.

6 . The electrode of claim 5 , wherein the first plurality of zirconium-based dopants is chosen from zirconium oxide, zirconium carbide, or combinations thereof and has an average particle size of from about 1 to about 3 nm.

7 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the second plurality of zirconium-based dopants comprises zirconium oxide.

8 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the second plurality of zirconium-based dopants has an average particle size of from about 0.1 to about 1 nm.

9 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the carbon support, the platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles, and the zirconium-based dopants together define a catalyst layer, and wherein the zirconium-based dopants are present in the catalyst layer in an amount of from about 0.50 to about 3.0 wt. %, based on the weight of the carbon support.

10 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the carbon support, the platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles, and the zirconium-based dopants together define a catalyst layer, and wherein the platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles are present in the catalyst layer in an amount of from about 30 to about 50 wt. %, based on the weight of the carbon support.

11 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles have an average particle size of from about 1.5 to about 4.0 nm.

12 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the carbon support is free of nitrogen.

13 . A fuel cell system comprising:
a first electrode; a second electrode comprising:
a carbon support;
platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles dispersed on the carbon support; and
zirconium-based dopants disposed on the carbon support;
wherein the zirconium-based dopants comprise a first plurality of zirconium-based dopants that are dispersed on the carbon support between the platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles; and
wherein the zirconium-based dopants further comprise a second plurality of zirconium-based dopants that are dispersed on the platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles; and
a fuel cell membrane disposed between the first and second electrodes.

14 . The fuel cell system of claim 13 , wherein the first plurality of zirconium-based dopants is chosen from zirconium atoms, zirconium oxide, zirconium carbide, or combinations thereof.

15 . The fuel cell system of claim 13 , wherein the second plurality of zirconium-based dopants comprises zirconium oxide.

16 . A method for making an electrode for a fuel cell system, the method comprising:
combining an organic carbon-forming precursor, a zirconium salt dopant-forming precursor, and a pore-forming agent to form a precursor mixture; converting the precursor mixture to a zirconium-doped carbon support; and dispersing platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles on the zirconium-doped carbon support.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein converting comprises:
heat treating the precursor mixture at first processing conditions to pyrolyze the organic carbon-forming precursor and the zirconium salt dopant-forming precursor to form the zirconium-doped carbon support that includes zirconium-based dopants and that has pores formed therein defined by the pore-forming agent; and removing the pore-forming agent from the pores of the zirconium-doped carbon support.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein heat treating the precursor mixture at the first processing conditions includes exposing the precursor mixture to a temperature of from about 800 to about 1500° C. for a time of from about 30 seconds to about 4 hours.

19 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
optionally depositing additional zirconium-based dopants on the zirconium-doped carbon support; and heat treating the zirconium-doped carbon support at second processing conditions to arrange a portion of the zirconium-based dopants on the platinum-based catalyst nanoparticles after removing the pore-forming agent from the pores of the zirconium-doped carbon support.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein heat treating the zirconium-doped carbon support at the second processing conditions includes exposing the zirconium-doped carbon support to a temperature of from about 300 to about 1000° C. for a time of from about 30 seconds to about 4 hours.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc
• Univ Cornell
• Pajarito Powder Llc
• Pajarito Powder

Inventors

• Ramaswamy Nagappan
• Kongkanand Anusorn
• Kumaraguru Swaminatha P
• Zulevi Barr
• Mccool Geoff
• Shi Zixiao
• Muller David A

Classifications

• H01M4/926 Primary

  on carbon or graphite · CPC title

• H01M4/8882

  Heat treatment, e.g. drying, baking · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M8/1004

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