Fuel cell electrodes with conduction networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9640824-B2
Application number	US-201414294936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2014
Priority date	Jul 12, 2010
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A fuel cell electrode layer may include a catalyst, an electronic conductor, and an ionic conductor. Within the electrode layer are a plurality of electronic conductor rich networks and a plurality of ionic conductor rich networks that are interspersed with the electronic conductor rich networks. A volume ratio of the ionic conductor to the electronic conductor is greater in the ionic conductor rich networks than in the electronic conductor rich networks. During operation of a fuel cell that includes the electrode layer, conduction of electrons occurs predominantly within the electronic conductor rich networks and conduction of ions occurs predominantly within the ionic conductor rich networks.

First claim

We claim:

1. A fuel cell subassembly, comprising:
an electrode layer, comprising:
articles consisting of a first ionic conductor, wherein a majority of the particles consisting of the first ionic conductor being spheroid particles having a diameter greater than 50 nm and have a substantially smooth outer surface;
a second ionic conductor, wherein the first and second ionic conductors are each polymers, and wherein the first ionic conductor has a lower equivalent weight than the…

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Haug Andrew T
• Hamrock Steven J
• Haugen Gregory M
• Schonewill Mark A

Classifications

• H01M8/1044 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M2300/0091

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M8/1004

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02E60/521

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M4/8828

  Electricity · mapped topic