Method for preparing catalyst layer by in-situ sol-gel reaction of tetraethoxysilane in Nafion ionomer solution

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9559363-B2
Application number	US-201313742975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2013
Priority date	Jul 20, 2012
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

Provided are a method for preparing a catalyst layer by an in-situ sol-gel reaction of tetraethoxysilane, and a fuel cell including the catalyst layer prepared thereby. Addition of silica mitigates specific adsorption of sulfonate groups contained in a Nafion ionomer on a Pt catalyst layer in a high-voltage region where the role of a catalyst predominates, resulting in improvement of ORR performance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell and a fuel,
wherein the membrane-electrode assembly comprises a cathode, an anode and an electrolyte membrane disposed between the cathode and the anode,
wherein the cathode comprises a first support and a cathode electrode catalyst layer, the anode comprises a second support and an anode electrode catalyst layer, a hygroscopic inorganic material is contained in the cathode electrode catalyst layer, and no hygroscopic inorganic material is contained in the anode electrode catalyst layer,
wherein the fuel is hydrogen gas and is applied to the anode, and
wherein the hygroscopic inorganic material is silica nanoparticles, and the silica nanoparticles are amorphous nanoparticles having an average particle size of less than 5 nm; the silica nanoparticles have a Q3/Q4 ratio of 1-3 (based on 29 Si NMR spectra), and Q3 means the number of silicon atoms bonded to three other silicon atoms through oxygen, and Q4 means the number of silicon atoms bonded to four other silicon atoms through oxygen; no Si resonance peak is observed in 29 Si NMR spectra for determination of non-hydrolyzed TEOS; and the electrode catalyst layers provide a current density of 400-800 mA/cm 2 at 0.6 V under 50% RH of H 2 /air, and show a mass activity value of 15-25 A/g pt at 0.9 Va iR-free under 50% RH.

2. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the silica nanoparticles are derived from TEOS.

Assignees

• Korea Energy Research Inst

Inventors

• Yim Sung-Dae
• Kim Taeyoung
• Park Seok-Hee
• Yoon Young-Gi
• Park Gu-Gon
• Yang Tae-Hyun
• Choi Young-Woo
• Bae Byung-Chan
• Son Young-Jun
• Kim Min-Jin
• Kim Chang-Soo

Classifications

• Y02P70/56

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M8/1004

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

• H01M8/1051

  Non-ion-conducting additives, e.g. stabilisers, SiO2 or ZrO2 · CPC title

• H01M4/8663

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

• Y02E60/521

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic