Electrolyte membrane for fuel cell, electrode for fuel cell, and fuel cell employing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9379404-B2
Application number	US-201313874825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2013
Priority date	Aug 24, 2012
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

An electrolyte membrane for a fuel cell includes: an inorganic ionic conductor including a trivalent metal element, a pentavalent metal element, phosphorous, and oxygen; and a polymer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrolyte membrane for a fuel cell, comprising:
an inorganic ionic conductor comprising a trivalent metal element, a pentavalent metal element, phosphorus, and oxygen; and a polymer wherein the inorganic ionic conductor is represented by Formula 4:
A 0.5-x B 0.5-y P 2 O 7   Formula 4

wherein, in Formula 4,
A is the trivalent metal element;
B is the pentavalent metal element;
x is a number from 0 to 0.45; and
y is a number from 0 to 0.45.

2. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is at least one selected from a hydrocarbon polymer, a fluorine polymer, and a sulfonated polymer.

3. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is a hydrocarbon polymer, and the hydrocarbon polymer comprises an aromatic repeating unit and an aliphatic repeating unit in a weight ratio of about 10:90 to about 50:50.

4. The electrolyte membrane of claim 3 , wherein the aromatic repeating unit is a repeating unit represented by Formula 1:

wherein, in Formula 1, R 1 is selected from a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C10 alkyl group, and a substituted or unsubstituted C6-C20 aryl group; and R 2 to R 4 are each independently selected from a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C10 alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C6-C20 aryl group, and a substituted or unsubstituted C4-C20 carbocyclic group.

5. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is at least one selected from a styrene-alkylene-styrene copolymer, a polyarylene ether sulfone, polyphenylsulfone, polysulfone, polyetheretherketone, and a polyimide.

6. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is a styrene-alkylene-styrene copolymer represented by Formula 2:

wherein, in Formula 2, R 1 and R 2 are each independently selected from a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C10 alkyl group, and a substituted or unsubstituted C6-C20 aryl group, Y is at least one selected from —SO 3 H, —PO 3 H, —NH 2 , —COOH, and a salt thereof, a is about 5 to about 15 mole percent, a total of b and c is about 70 to about 85 mole percent, and c is about 5 to about 15 mole percent, and d is about 5 to about 15 mole percent, each based on a total moles of a, b, c, and d, b and c are not both zero, and
n is a degree of polymerization and is about 5 to about 500.

7. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymer represented by Formula 3:

wherein, in Formula 3, a is about 5 to 15 mole percent, a total of b and c is about 70 to 85 mole percent, c is about 5 to 15 mole percent, d is about 5 to 15 mole percent, each based on a total moles of a, b, c, and d, b and c are not both zero, and n is a degree of polymerization and is about 5 to about 500.

8. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the polymer has an ion-conducting functional group.

9. The electrolyte membrane of claim 8 , wherein the ion-conducting functional group is at least one selected from a sulfonic acid group, a phosphoric acid group, an amino group, a carboxylic acid group, and a salt of the foregoing groups.

10. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is present in an amount from about 5 to about 99 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the electrolyte membrane.

11. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte membrane has a thickness of from about 15 micrometers to about 100 micrometers.

12. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic ionic conductor has a cubic or pseudo-cubic crystal structure.

13. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the trivalent metal element is at least one selected from aluminum, iron, gallium, yttrium, indium, antimony, bismuth, lanthanum, neodymium, and samarium.

14. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the pentavalent metal element is at least one selected from antimony, niobium, bismuth, vanadium, and tantalum.

15. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein x and y are each independently a number from 0 to 0.2.

16. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the trivalent metal element is at least one selected from aluminum, iron, gallium, yttrium, indium, antimony, bismuth, lanthanum, neodymium, and samarium; and the pentavalent metal element is at least one selected from antimony, niobium, bismuth, vanadium, and tantalum.

17. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic ionic conductor is at least one selected from In 0.5 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Sb III 0.5 Sb V 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.5 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Al 0.5 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Ga 0.5 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Y 0.5 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Bi 0.5 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.5 Nb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Ga 0.5 Nb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Y 0.5 Nb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , La 0.5 Nb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Nd 0.5 Nb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Sm 0.5 Nb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.5 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Ga 0.5 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Al 0.5 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Bi 0.5 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , In 0.5 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Sb 0.5 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , La 0.5 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Sm 0.5 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Y 0.5 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , In 0.45 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , In 0.40 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , In 0.35 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , In 0.3 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , In 0.5 Sb 0.45 P 2 O 7 , In 0.5 Sb 0.4 P 2 O 7 , In 0.5 Sb 0.35 P 2 O 7 , In 0.5 Sb 0.3 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.45 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.40 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.35 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.30 Sb 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.5 Sb 0.45 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.5 Sb 0.40 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.5 Sb 0.35 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.5 Sb 0.3 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.45 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.40 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.35 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.30 Ta 0.5 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.5 Ta 0.45 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.5 Ta 0.4 P 2 O 7 , Fe 0.5 Ta 0.35 P 2 O 7 , and Fe 0.5 Ta 0.3 P 2 O 7 .

18. The electrolyte membrane of claim 1 , further comprising a proton conductor.

19. A fuel cell comprising the electrolyte membrane of claim 1 .

20. An electrode for a fuel cell, comprising: an inorganic ionic conductor including a trivalent metal element, a pentavalent metal element, phosphorus, and oxygen; and a polymer wherein the inorganic ionic conductor is represented by Formula 4:
A 0.5-x B 0.5-y P 2 O 7   Formula 4

wherein, in Formula 4,
A is a trivalent metal element;
B is a pentavalent metal element;
x is a number from 0 to 0.45; and
y is a number from 0 to 0.45.

21. The electrode of claim 20 , wherein the polymer has an ion-conducting functional group.

22. The electrode of claim 20 , wherein the polymer is at least one selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon polymer, a fluorine polymer, and a sulfonated polymer.

23. The electrode of claim 20 , wherein the polymer is a styrene-alkylene-styrene copolymer represented by Formula 2:

wherein, in Formula 2, R 1 and R 2 are each independently selected from a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C10 alkyl group, and a substituted or unsubstituted C6-C20 aryl group, Y is at least one selected from —SO 3 H, —PO 3 H, —NH 2 , —COOH, and a salt thereof, a is about 5 to 15 mole percent, a total of b and c is about 70 to 85 mole percent, c is about 5 to 15 mole percent, b and c are not both zero, d is ab

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Univ Nagoya Nat Univ Corp

Inventors

• Heo Pil-Won
• Kim Ki-Hyun
• Hibino Takashi
• Pak Chan-Ho
• Choi Kyoung-Hwan

Classifications

• H01M8/1039

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

• Y02E60/523

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M4/8663

  Selection of inactive substances as ingredients for catalytic active masses, e.g. binders, fillers · CPC title

• H01M8/1048

  Ion-conducting additives, e.g. ion-conducting particles, heteropolyacids, metal phosphate or polybenzimidazole with phosphoric acid · CPC title

• H01M8/1023 Primary

  having only carbon, e.g. polyarylenes, polystyrenes or polybutadiene-styrenes · CPC title