Non-carbon mixed-metal oxide electrocatalysts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9543591-B2
Application number	US-201615066420-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2016
Priority date	Jan 31, 2014
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

Electrocatalysts having non-corrosive, non-carbon support particles are provided as well as the method of making the electrocatalysts and the non-corrosive, non-carbon support particles. Embodiments of the non-corrosive, non-carbon support particle consists essentially of titanium dioxide and ruthenium dioxide. The electrocatalyst can be used in fuel cells, for example.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of preparing an electrocatalyst comprising: preparing non-carbon composite support particles comprising:
oxidizing ruthenium nanoparticles to obtain ruthenium dioxide nanoparticles; and
reducing a titanium precursor and depositing titanium nanoparticles onto the ruthenium dioxide nanoparticles in a liquid, wherein each of the ruthenium dioxide nanoparticles has a first particle size and each of the titanium nanoparticles has a second particle size, the first particle size being greater than the second particle size, wherein the first particle size is greater than 10 and less than or equal to 40 nanometers and the second particle size is greater than or equal to 5 and 10 nanometers;
agglomerating titanium nanoparticles to produce agglomerated titanium particles with a particle size that is the same as the first particle size deposited on the ruthenium dioxide nanoparticles; and
oxidizing the agglomerated titanium particles to form titanium oxide nanoparticles; and depositing active catalyst particles on the non-carbon composite support particles.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the active catalyst particles are a platinum alloy deposited onto each non-carbon composite support particle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the active catalyst particles are platinum nanoparticles deposited onto each non-carbon composite support particle, each of the platinum nanoparticles having a diameter between 3 nm and 6 nm.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to depositing the active catalyst particles, modifying a surface of the non-carbon composite support particles with a chemical process configured to promote adhesion of the active catalyst particles.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the modified surface of each non-carbon composite support particle comprises one or more of defects and functional groups configured to promote adhesion of the active catalyst particles.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the active catalyst particles are deposited onto the one or more of defects and functional groups.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the active catalyst particles are a multi-layer core shell deposited onto each non-carbon composite support particle.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the titanium oxide nanoparticles are a modified titanium dioxide, the method further comprising, prior to depositing and after reducing to the titanium oxide nanoparticles are:
mixing a dopant with a titanium dioxide precursor; and
reacting the mixture to form the modified titanium dioxide.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the dopant is one of both of niobium and tantalum.

Assignees

• Nissan North America Inc

Inventors

• Dale Nilesh
• Niangar Ellazar V
• Han Taehee
• Huang Kan
• Dileo Gregory

Classifications

• H01M4/8652 Primary

  as mixture · CPC title

• H01M4/9075

  Catalytic material supported on carriers, e.g. powder carriers (H01M4/8807, H01M4/881, H01M4/8814, H01M4/925 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M4/8817 Primary

  Treatment of supports before application of the catalytic active composition (coated porous composites H01M8/0245) · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M4/925

  supported on carriers, e.g. powder carriers · CPC title