Polymer electrolyte membrane, membrane electrode assembly comprising polymer electrolyte membrane, and fuel cell comprising membrane electrode assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017005355-A1
Application number	US-201415038951-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 26, 2014
Priority date	Nov 26, 2013
Publication date	Jan 5, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present specification provides a polymer electrolyte membrane, a membrane electrode assembly including the polymer electrolyte membrane, and a fuel cell including the membrane electrode assembly.

First claim

1 . A polymer electrolyte membrane comprising a mixed layer including an ion migration region and a support having a 3-dimensional network structure, wherein the ion migration region has a structure in which two or more cells including a first ion-conducting polymer adjoin 3 dimensionally, and the first ion-conducting polymer has ion exchange capacity (IEC) of greater than or equal to 1.7 meq/g and less than or equal to 2.5 meq/g.

2 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 comprising a pure layer including a second ion-conducting polymer provided on an upper surface, or a lower surface, or an upper surface and a lower surface of the mixed layer, wherein the second ion-conducting polymer has ion exchange capacity (IEC) lower than the ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the first ion-conducting polymer.

3 . (canceled)

4 . (canceled)

5 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 2 , wherein the pure layer further includes an additional pure layer including the first ion-conducting polymer provided adjoining the mixed layer.

6 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the mixed layer has a thickness of greater than or equal to 1 μm and less than or equal to 30 μm.

7 . (canceled)

8 . (canceled)

9 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 2 , wherein a thickness difference between the pure layers each provided on an upper surface and a lower surface of the mixed layer is 50% or less of a thickness of the mixed layer.

10 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 2 , wherein a thickness ratio of the mixed layer and the whole pure layer is from 1:0 to 1:4.

11 . (canceled)

12 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the ion migration region is greater than or equal to 40% by volume and less than or equal to 85% by volume with respect to the total volume of the mixed layer.

13 . (canceled)

14 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the support has a sponge structure in which two or more of the cells are distributed.

15 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 comprising sections of two or more of the cells in both a vertical section and a horizontal section of the polymer electrolyte membrane.

16 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the support is formed with two or more nodes, and each node includes three or more branches.

17 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the ion migration region includes 3 or more inflection points per 1 μm during ion migration.

18 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the support includes a hydrocarbon-based or a fluorine-based material.

19 . (canceled)

20 . (canceled)

21 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the first ion-conducting polymer and the second ion-conducting polymer each include one, two or more types selected from the group consisting of sulfonated benzimidazole-based polymers, sulfonated polyimide-based polymers, sulfonated polyetherimide-based polymers, sulfonated polyphenylene sulfide-based polymers, sulfonated polysulfone-based polymers, sulfonated polyethersulfone-based polymers, sulfonated polyetherketone-based polymers, sulfonated polyether-ether ketone-based polymers, sulfonated polyphenyl quinoxaline-based polymers, polymers in which a sulfonated partial fluorine-based is introduced, and sulfonated fluorine-based polymers.

22 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , which has air permeability of 6 sec/100 ml or greater.

23 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the ion migration region includes the first ion-conducting polymer in greater than or equal to 70% by volume and less than or equal to 100% by volume.

24 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , which has tensile strength of greater than or equal to 200 kgf/cm2 and less than or equal to 2000 kgf/cm2.

25 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , which has elongation of greater than or equal to 50% and less than or equal to 300%.

26 . The polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , which has an RH cycle of 20,000 cycles or higher.

27 . A membrane electrode assembly comprising the polymer electrolyte membrane of claim 1 .

28 . A fuel cell comprising the membrane electrode assembly of Claim 27 .

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Min Minkyu
• Park Young Sun
• Kim Hyuk
• Choi Seong Ho
• Lee Sangwoo
• Kim Doyoung

Classifications

• H01M2300/0082

  Organic polymers · CPC title

• H01M8/1058

  characterised by a porous support having no ion-conducting properties · CPC title

• H01M8/1053 Primary

  consisting of layers of polymers with at least one layer being ionically conductive · CPC title

• H01M8/1065

  characterised by the form, e.g. perforated or wave-shaped · CPC title

• H01M8/1032

  having sulfur, e.g. sulfonated-polyethersulfones [S-PES] · CPC title