Sulfonated perfluorosulfonic acid polyelectrolyte membranes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8993193-B2
Application number	US-19806005-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2005
Priority date	Aug 5, 2005
Publication date	Mar 31, 2015
Grant date	Mar 31, 2015

Abstract

New proton conducting membranes are made of perfluorosulfonic acid polymers films that have been treated by exposing them to a chlorosulfonating agent. The membranes are used as a proton exchange membrane in PEM fuel cells operating at temperatures above 95° C., or at low relative humidity. In various embodiments, the treated films have superior physical properties such as tensile strength, when compared to an untreated film. In some embodiments, the ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the treated films is increased.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell comprising,
an anode;
a cathode;
a proton exchange membrane disposed between the anode and the cathode;
an inlet for hydrogen adjacent the anode; and
an inlet for oxygen adjacent the cathode,
wherein the proton exchange membrane comprises a treated PFSA film made by exposing an untreated PFSA film to a halosulfonating agent to cause crosslinking reaction in the membrane by formation of sulfonic acid anhydride groups so that the proton e…

Assignees

• Fuller Timothy J
• Dobulis Beba T
• Gm Global Tech Operations Inc

Inventors

• Fuller Timothy J
• Dobulis Beba T

Classifications

• H01M8/1081

  Electricity · mapped topic

• C08J2381/06

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• H01M8/04291

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M8/1072

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02E60/521

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic