Polymer electrolyte membrane for fuel cell and membrane-electrode assembly for fuel cell including same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016301092-A1
Application number	US-201615077944-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 23, 2016
Priority date	Apr 7, 2015
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A polymer electrolyte membrane for a fuel cell, a fuel cell, and a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell, the polymer electrolyte membrane including a hydrocarbon-based membrane having at least one surface-treated side; and an ionomer layer on the at least one surface-treated side of the hydrocarbon-based membrane, the ionomer layer including a fluorine-based ionomer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A polymer electrolyte membrane for a fuel cell, the polymer electrolyte membrane comprising:
a hydrocarbon-based membrane having at least one surface-treated side; and an ionomer layer on the at least one surface-treated side of the hydrocarbon-based membrane, the ionomer layer including a fluorine-based ionomer.

2 . The polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one surface-treated side of the hydrocarbon-based membrane is surface-treated by plasma treating the side of the hydrocarbon-based membrane.

3 . The polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the hydrocarbon-based membrane having at least one surface-treated side is about 3 μm to about 50 μm.

4 . The polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the hydrocarbon-based membrane having at least one surface-treated side is about 1.0 meq/g to about 3.5 meq/g.

5 . The polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an equivalent weight of the fluorine-based ionomer is about 500 to about 1,100.

6 . The polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ionomer layer further includes a nanoparticle.

7 . The polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 6 , wherein a size of the nanoparticle is greater than or equal to about 1 nm and less than about 100 nm.

8 . The polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the nanoparticle is included in the ionomer layer in an amount of about 0.1 wt % to about 30 wt %, based on a total weight of the ionomer layer.

9 . The polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the nanoparticle includes SiO 2 , TiO 2 , CeO 2 , CsO 2 , MnO 2 , ZrO 2 , or a combination thereof.

10 . The polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ionomer layer has a thickness of about 10 nm to about 10 μm.

11 . The polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a loading level of the ionomer layer is about 0.01 mg/cm 2 to about 2.0 mg/cm 2 .

12 . The polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the hydrocarbon-based membrane has two opposite-facing surface-treated sides, and the ionomer layer is on the two surface-treated sides.

13 . A fuel cell, comprising the polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell is drivable under a low humidity condition of a relative humidity of less than or equal to about 50%.

14 . A membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell, the membrane electrode assembly comprising:
the polymer electrolyte membrane as claimed in claim 1 ; a cathode on one side of the polymer electrolyte membrane; and an anode on another side of the polymer electrolyte membrane.

Assignees

• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Jun-Young
• Song Kah-Young
• Lee Jin-Hwa
• Yun Bok-Chun
• Kim Tae-Yoon

Classifications

• H01M8/1051 Primary

  Non-ion-conducting additives, e.g. stabilisers, SiO2 or ZrO2 · CPC title

• H01M8/1039

  halogenated, e.g. sulfonated polyvinylidene fluorides · CPC title

• H01M8/1067

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

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M2300/0082

  Organic polymers · CPC title