Membrane/electrode assembly comprising a highly capacitive catalytic anode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019280321-A1
Application number	US-201716315041-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 3, 2017
Priority date	Jul 6, 2016
Publication date	Sep 12, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

The membrane/electrode assembly (14) has a first active region (21) that is covered by the anode (31), and a first joining region (22) that is not covered by the anode (31).

First claim

1 . A fuel cell, comprising:
a membrane/electrode assembly, comprising:
a proton exchange membrane;
an anode in contact with a first face of the membrane and comprising a mixture comprising a proton conducting polymer and platinum supported on carbon powder;
said mixture further comprising additional carbon not supporting a catalyst and having a BET specific surface area at least equal to 200 m 2 /g;
wherein the membrane/electrode assembly comprises a first active zone covered by the anode, and a first linking zone not covered by said anode;
the fuel cell further comprising flow guiding plates, between which the membrane/electrode assembly is arranged, said flow guiding plates being traversed by at least one first flow collector in communication with said anode, said first linking zone being arranged between said first flow collector and the first active zone; wherein the membrane/electrode assembly further comprises a first capacitive layer comprising another mixture comprising carbon having a BET specific surface area at least equal to 200 m 2 /g and a proton-conducting material, said first capacitive layer being arranged on said first linking zone.

2 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said additional carbon has a BET specific surface area at least equal to 600 m 2 /g.

3 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said additional carbon comprises a carbon black powder.

4 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said mixture comprises said additional carbon with a proportion by weight at least equal to 15%.

5 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said mixture comprises said additional carbon with a proportion by weight at most equal to 45%.

6 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said anode has a BET specific surface area at least equal to 35 m 2 /g.

7 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a cathode, the capacitance of the anode being at least equal to 65% of the capacitance of the cathode.

8 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the anode comprises a weight per surface area of platinum at most equal to 0.15 mg·cm −2 .

9 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the anode comprises a weight per surface area of additional carbon in the mixture at least equal to 0.1 mg·cm −2 .

10 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a gas diffusion layer positioned between said anode and one of said flow guiding plates, said gas diffusion layer comprising a portion covering said first linking zone, said portion of the gas diffusion layer comprising said other mixture of proton-conducting material and of carbon.

11 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said gas diffusion layer does not cover said first linking zone, said other mixture of proton-conducting material and of carbon extending continuously between said membrane and one of said flow guiding plates.

12 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 1 said first capacitive layer comprises a proportion by weight of said proton-conducting material of between 20 and 60%, and a proportion by weight of said carbon of between 40 and 80%.

13 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 1 said first capacitive layer lacks catalyst.

14 . The fuel cell as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the membrane/electrode assembly comprises a reinforcing layer integral with the membrane and surrounding said first capacitive layer.

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Bolloli Marco
• Decoopman Benjamin
• Rosini Sebastien
• Vincent Remi

Classifications

• H01M4/8657

  layered · CPC title

• H01M8/1004 Primary

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

• H01M2004/8684

  Negative electrodes · CPC title

• H01M4/8807

  Gas diffusion layers · CPC title

• H01M8/0243

  in the form of mixtures · CPC title