Formulation of an active layer having improved performances

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9843050-B2
Application number	US-201514625136-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2015
Priority date	Sep 6, 2012
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

An active layer for a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) including at least two perfluorosulfonate ionomers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An active layer for a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) comprising a catalyst and a mixture of at least a first perfluorosulfonate ionomer and a second perfluorosulfonate ionomer,
the first perfluorosulfonate ionomer having a first dangling chain,
the first perfluorosulfonate ionomer having the following structure:

 wherein k is an integer,
the second perfluorosulfonate ionomer having a second dangling chain,
and wherein the second dangling chain is shorter than the first dangling chain.

2. The active layer for a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) of claim 1 , wherein the second perfluorosulfonate ionomer has the following structure:

 wherein k is an integer.

3. The active layer for a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) of claim 1 , wherein the relative concentration of the first ionomer is in the range from 50 to 80% by weight of a combined amount of the first ionomer and the second ionomer as dry matter, and wherein the relative concentration of the second ionomer is in the range from 20% to 50% by weight of said dry matter.

4. The active layer for a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) of claim 3 , wherein the relative concentration of the first ionomer is in the range from 60 to 70% by weight of a combined amount of the first ionomer and the second ionomer as dry matter, and wherein the relative concentration of the second ionomer is in the range from 30 to 40% by weight of said dry matter.

5. The active layer for a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst comprises platinum nanoparticles on a carbonaceous support.

6. A membrane-electrode assembly (MEA), wherein at least one of an anode of the MEA and a cathode of the MEA comprises an active layer as recited in claim 1 .

7. The membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) of claim 6 , wherein a membrane of the MEA is made of one of the first and second perfluorosulfonate ionomers.

8. A proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) comprising the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) of claim 6 .

9. A proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) comprising the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) of claim 7 .

10. A proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)-type fuel cell comprising an active layer as recited in claim 1 .

11. A membrane-electrode assembly (MEA), wherein a cathode of the MEA comprises an active layer as recited in claim 1 .

12. A membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) as recited in claim 6 , wherein the anode of the MEA is made of one of the first and second perfluorosulfonate ionomers.

13. A membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) as recited in claim 6 , wherein a membrane of the MEA is made of the first perfluorosulfonate ionomer.

14. A membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) as recited in claim 6 , wherein the anode of the MEA is made of the first perfluorosulfonate ionomer.

15. A catalytic ink for the forming of an active layer, the catalytic ink comprising;
a mixture of at least a first perfluorosulfonate ionomer and a second perfluorosulfonate ionomer,
the first perfluorosulfonate ionomer having a first dangling chain,
the first perfluorosulfonate ionomer having the following structure:

 wherein k is an integer,
the second perfluorosulfonate ionomer having a second dangling chain,
and wherein the second dangling chain is shorter than the first dangling chain.

16. The catalytic ink of claim 15 , wherein the catalytic ink further comprises a catalyst.

17. The catalytic ink of claim 16 , wherein the catalyst comprises platinum nanoparticles on a carbonaceous support.

18. The catalytic ink of claim 16 , wherein the catalytic ink further comprises a solvent or carrier fluid.

19. The catalytic ink of claim 17 , wherein the catalytic ink further comprises a solvent or carrier fluid.

20. An active layer for a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) comprising a catalyst and a mixture of at least a first perfluorosulfonate ionomer and a second perfluorosulfonate ionomer,
the first perfluorosulfonate ionomer having a first dangling chain,
the second perfluorosulfonate ionomer having a second dangling chain,
wherein the second dangling chain is shorter than the first dangling chain,
the second perfluorosulfonate ionomer having the following structure:

 wherein k is an integer.

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Tard Julien
• Pauchet Joël
• Vincent Rémi

Classifications

• H01M8/102

  characterised by the chemical structure of the main chain of the ion-conducting polymer · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• C09D11/106 Primary

  containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds · CPC title

• H01M4/926

  on carbon or graphite · CPC title

• H01M8/1039

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