Catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode, method for manufacturing the same, membrane electrode assembly, and fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9799894-B2
Application number	US-201414505848-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2014
Priority date	Oct 4, 2013
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode that can be used without using carbon supports, a method for manufacturing the same, a membrane electrode assembly, and a fuel cell. The catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode according to the present invention includes a network-like metallic catalyst formed of a sintered body, the network-like metallic catalyst including nanoparticles linked with each other to have electron conductivity; and an ion conductor, at least a part of the ion conductor contacting the network-like metallic catalyst. Further, the membrane electrode assembly according to the present invention includes a polymer electrolyte membrane provided between an anode catalyst layer and a cathode catalyst layer, and the catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode stated above is used in at least one of the anode catalyst layer and the cathode catalyst layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode comprising:
a network-like metallic catalyst formed of a sintered body, the network-like metallic catalyst comprising nanoparticles linked with each other to have electron conductivity; and
an ion conductor, at least a part of the ion conductor contacting the network-like metallic catalyst,
wherein the network-like metallic catalyst is carbon support free; and
wherein the network-like metallic catalyst has a super-lattice structure; and
wherein the network-like metallic catalyst contains an FePt alloy.

2. The catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the network-like metallic catalyst is at least one of a capsule-like catalyst, a rod-like catalyst, and a sheet-like catalyst.

3. The catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the ion conductor is a cation conductor or an anion conductor.

4. The catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst layer has a thickness of 10 μm or smaller.

5. A membrane electrode assembly comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane provided between an anode catalyst layer and a cathode catalyst layer, the membrane electrode assembly using the catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode according to claim 1 in at least one of the anode catalyst layer and the cathode catalyst layer.

6. The membrane electrode assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the thickness of the catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode is 10 μm or smaller.

7. A fuel cell comprising the catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode according to claim 1 .

8. The fuel cell according to claim 7 , comprising: a polymer electrolyte membrane, and an anode unit and a cathode unit that hold the polymer electrolyte membrane, wherein the catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode is arranged in at least one of the anode unit and the cathode unit that contacts with the polymer electrolyte membrane.

9. The catalyst layer for gas diffusion according to claim 1 , wherein the inside network-like metallic catalyst is hollow and the network-like metallic catalyst has a net-like skeleton structure.

10. The catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst layer has a thickness of 2 μm or smaller.

11. The catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst layer has a thickness of 0.5 μm or smaller.

12. The membrane electrode assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the thickness of the catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode is 2 μm or smaller.

13. The membrane electrode assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the thickness of the catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode is 0.5 μm or smaller.

14. The catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the super-lattice structure is an fct ordered structure or an fcc ordered structure.

15. The catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode according to claim 2 , wherein the capsule-like catalyst is one in which a plurality of capsule-like catalysts are fused with each other.

16. The catalyst layer for gas diffusion electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the network-like metallic catalyst contains iron.

Assignees

• Tokyo Inst Tech
• Kanagawa Acad Of Science And Tech
• Kanagawa Inst Of Ind Science And Tech

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Takeo
• Ogura Shun
• Tamaki Takanori
• Fuchigami Teruaki
• Kitamoto Yoshitaka
• Kuroki Hidenori

Classifications

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• Y02P70/56

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M4/9041

  Metals or alloys (H01M4/92 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M4/9091

  Unsupported catalytic particles; loose particulate catalytic materials, e.g. in fluidised state · CPC title

• H01M8/1004

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