Components for water oxidation alkaline and alkaline membrane electrolyzers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025198026-A1
Application number	US-202418978848-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 12, 2024
Priority date	Dec 13, 2023
Publication date	Jun 19, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed herein are aspects of a composition comprising one or more metal-oxide nanoparticles and porous catalyst layers, comprising an electrically conductive core a surface layer comprising one or more surface active catalysts; and wherein the one or more metal-oxide nanoparticles are electrocatalytic toward oxygen gas evolution in alkaline conditions, alkaline-ionomer conditions, or a combination thereof. Aspects of a method of making such compositions for water oxidation alkaline and alkaline membrane electrolyzers are also disclosed herein. Also disclosed herein is an alkaline-exchange-membrane ionomer-based, hybrid liquid-alkaline, alkaline-ionomer electrolyzer comprising an anode, wherein the anode comprises (i) an ionomer and (ii) the composition disclosed herein and a liquid alkaline electrolyzer comprising an anode, wherein the anode comprises one or more catalysts having the composition disclosed herein, wherein the composition is produced as a powder or as a continuous electrode architecture on metal porous transport layers.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A composition, comprising:
a core comprising one or more metal-oxide perovskite nanoparticles having a formula ABQ, wherein:
A is La, Sr, or any combination thereof;
B is one or more transition metal cations; and
Q is Cl y O 3-y/2 or F z O 3-z/2 , y is 0 to 3, and z is 0 to 3;
a surface layer comprising one or more surface active catalysts; and wherein the one or more metal-oxide nanoparticles are electrocatalytic toward oxygen gas evolution in alkaline conditions, alkaline-ionomer conditions, or a combination thereof.

2 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the one or more metal-oxide perovskite nanoparticles have a chemical composition of LaNi x Co 1-x O 3 , where x is 0 to 1.

3 . The composition of claim 2 , wherein the one or more metal-oxide perovskite nanoparticles have a chemical composition selected from LaNi 0.9 Co 0.1 O 3 , LaNi 0.7 Co 0.3 O 3 , LaNi 0.5 Co 0.5 O 3 , LaNi 0.3 Co 0.7 O 3 , or LaNi 0.1 Co 0.9 O 3 .

4 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the one or more metal-oxide perovskite nanoparticles comprise La and Sr.

5 . The composition of claim 4 , wherein the one or more metal-oxide perovskite nanoparticles have a chemical composition selected from Sr 0.1 La 0.9 Ni 0.5 Co 0.5 O 3 , Sr 0.1 La 0.9 Ni 0.3 Co 0.7 O 3 , Sr 0.1 La 0.9 Fe 0.05 Ni 0.3 Co 0.65 O 3 , Sr 0.1 La 0.9 Fe 0.1 Ni 0.3 Co 0.6 O 3 , or Sr 0.2 La 0.8 Fe 0.05 Ni 0.3 Co 0.65 O 3 .

6 . The compositions of claim 1 , wherein the one or more surface active catalysts comprise a metal-oxide or an (oxy)hydroxide comprising Ni, Co, or a combination thereof.

7 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the alkaline conditions or alkaline-ionomer conditions comprise one or more solid or liquid electrolytes.

8 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the core has a diameter of 2 nm to 200 nm.

9 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the surface layer has a thickness of 1 nm to an upper limit equal to but not exceeding the particle diameter.

10 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein composition comprises an electrical conductivity ranging from 1 S/m to 10 7 S/m.

11 . A method of making the composition of claim 1 , comprising:
providing a stoichiometric amount of one or more metal salt compounds, a solvent, and a chelating agent or surfactant to form a reaction mixture; stirring the reaction mixture; heating the reaction mixture to a temperature ranging from 80° C. to 150° C. to provide a gel; heating the gel to a temperature ranging 300° C. to 500° C. to obtain a solid precursor material; grinding and/or ball milling the solid precursor material; and calcining the ground precursor material at a temperature ranging from 400° C. to 900° C.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein one or more metal salt compounds are a metal nitrate hexahydrate compound, metal acetate compound, or a metal chloride compound.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein one or more metal salt compounds are selected from:
(i) La(NO 3 ) 3 ·6H 2 O, Ni(NO 3 ) 2 ·6H 2 O, Co(NO 3 ) 2 ·6H 2 O, Sr(NO 3 ) 2 ·6H 2 O, Fe(NO 3 ) 3 ·6H 2 O, or any combination thereof; (ii) La(CH 3 COO) 3 , Ni(CH 3 COO) 2 , Co(CH 3 COO) 2 , Sr(CH 3 COO) 2 , Fe(CH 3 COO) 3 , or any combination thereof: or (iii) LaCl 3 , NiCl 2 , CoCl 2 , SrCl 2 , FeCl 3 , or any combination thereof.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the chelating agent is citric acid, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), or tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH).

15 . A method of making an anode, comprising:
providing a coating ink comprising a stoichiometric amount of one or more metal salt compounds, a solvent, a chelating agent or surfactant, and one or more perovskite nanoparticles having a formula ABQ, wherein:
A is La, Sr, or any combination thereof;
B is one or more transition metal cations; and
Q is Cl y O 3-y/2 or F z O 3-z/2 , y is 0 to 3, and z is 0 to 3;
stirring the coating ink; spraying the coating ink onto a substrate; heating the spray coated substrate to a temperature ranging from 25° C. to 800° C. to provide a precursor anode; and heating the precursor anode to a temperature ranging from 100° C. to 1000° C.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more metal salt compounds are a metal nitrate hexahydrate compound, metal acetate compound, or a metal chloride compound.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein one or more metal salt compounds are selected from:
(i) La(NO 3 ) 3 ·6H 2 O, Ni(NO 3 ) 2 ·6H 2 O, Co(NO 3 ) 2 ·6H 2 O, Sr(NO 3 ) 2 ·6H 2 O, Fe(NO 3 ) 3 ·6H 2 O, or any combination thereof; (ii) La(CH 3 COO) 3 , Ni(CH 3 COO) 2 , Co(CH 3 COO) 2 , Sr(CH 3 COO) 2 , Fe(CH 3 COO) 3 , or any combination thereof: or (iii) LaCl 3 , NiCl 2 , CoCl 2 , SrCl 2 , FeCl 3 , or any combination thereof.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the chelating agent is citric acid, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), or tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH).

19 . An alkaline-exchange-membrane ionomer-based, hybrid liquid-alkaline, alkaline-ionomer electrolyzer comprising an anode, wherein the anode comprises (i) an ionomer and (ii) the composition of claim 1 .

20 . A liquid alkaline electrolyzer comprising an anode, wherein the anode comprises one or more catalysts comprising the composition of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Univ Oregon

Inventors

• Boettcher Shannon
• Zhai Tingting
• Kwak Minkyoung
• Twight Liam

Classifications

• C25B11/054

  Electrodes comprising electrocatalysts supported on a carrier · CPC title

• C25B1/04

  by electrolysis of water · CPC title

• C25B11/067 Primary

  Inorganic compound e.g. ITO, silica or titania · CPC title

• C25B11/052 Primary

  Electrodes comprising one or more electrocatalytic coatings on a substrate · CPC title

• Y02E60/36

  Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis · CPC title