# US 10,483,553 B2 · Fuel cell including a carrier-metal nanoparticle complex and method of manufacturing same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,483,553 B2 - Document ID: US10483553B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/100,149 - Filed: 2014-11-27 - Published: 2017-09-14 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2013-11-29 - Assignees: LG Chem, Ltd. - Applicants: LG Chem, Ltd. - Inventors: Kwanghyun Kim; Gyo Hyun Hwang; Sang Hoon Kim; Jun Yeon Cho - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10483553B2 ## CPC - H01M 4/921: {Alloys or mixtures with metallic elements} - B22F 1/054: Nanosized particles - H01M 4/8657: {layered} - H01M 4/881: {Electrolytic membranes} - H01M 4/9041: {Metals or alloys (H01M4/92 takes precedence)} - H01M 4/9083: {on carbon or graphite} - H01M 4/925: {supported on carriers, e.g. powder carriers} - H01M 4/926: {on carbon or graphite} - H01M 8/1018: Polymeric electrolyte materials - H01M 2008/1095: {Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes} - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract The present application relates to a fuel cell and a method of manufacturing the same. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fuel cell comprising: a cathode; an anode; and an electrolyte membrane provided between the cathode and the anode, wherein at least one of the cathode and the anode includes a carrier-metal nanoparticle complex comprising metal nanoparticles including two or more bowl-type particles including a first metal and a second metal on a carrier, wherein: the bowl-type particles are hollow, and comprise a non-continuous shell with a region in the shell from 30% to 80% of the entire shell where the shell is not formed, wherein the shell comprises: a) a layer comprising the first metal and the second metal, wherein the the first metal and the second metal are uniformly or non-uniformly mixed; or b) a first layer comprising the first metal and a second layer comprising the second metal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein the metal nanoparticles are a type where two bowl-type particles partially come into contact with each other. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The fuel cell of claim 2, wherein a region where the two bowl-type particles partially come into contact with each other includes a region where a slope of a tangent line to that region for one bowl-type particle is reversed from a slope of a tangent line to that region for the other bowl-type particle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein a particle diameter of each bowl-type particle is independently 1 nm or more and 20 nm or less. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein when a thickness of the bowl-type particle is a thickness of the shell which is more than 0 nm and 5 nm or less. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein at least one bowl-type particle includes multiple layers each comprising the first metal and the second metal, wherein a first layer includes a content of the first metal that is higher than a content of the second metal, and a second layer includes a content of the second metal that is higher than a content of the first metal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein an atomic percentage ratio of the first metal and the second metal in each bowl-type particle is 1:5 to 10:1. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein the first metal and the second metal in each bowl-type particle are each independently any one selected from the group consisting of a metal, a metalloid, a lanthanoid metal, and an actinoid metal belonging to Group III to XV on a periodic table. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein the first metal and the second metal in each bowl-type particle are each independently any one selected from the group consisting of platinum (Pt); ruthenium (Ru); rhodium (Rh); molybdenum (Mo); osmium (Os); iridium (Ir); rhenium (Re); palladium (Pd); vanadium (V); tungsten (W); cobalt (Co); iron (Fe); selenium (Se); nickel (Ni); bismuth (Bi); tin (Sn); chromium (Cr); titanium (Ti); gold (Au); cerium (Ce); silver (Ag); and copper (Cu). ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein the carrier is a carbon-based material or an inorganic particulate. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The fuel cell of claim 10, wherein the carbon-based material is at least one selected from the group consisting of a carbon black, a carbon nanotube (CNT), a graphite, a graphene, an activated carbon, a mesoporous carbon, a carbon fiber, and a carbon nanowire. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The fuel cell of claim 10, wherein the inorganic particulate is at least one selected from the group consisting of alumina, silica, titania, and zirconia. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein an amount of the metal nanoparticles on the carrier in the carrier-metal nanoparticle complex is 10 wt % to 70 wt % based on the weight of the carrier-metal nanoparticle complex. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein the first metal and the second metal in each bowl-type nanoparticle are different from each other, and the first metal or the second metal is nickel. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein the first metal and the second metal in each bowl-type nanoparticle are different from each other, and the first metal or the second metal is platinum. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein in each bowl-type nanoparticle the first metal is nickel and the second metal is platinum. ### Claim 17 A method of manufacturing a fuel cell, the method comprising: preparing an electrolyte membrane; forming a cathode on one surface of the electrolyte membrane; and forming an anode on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane, wherein at least one of the cathode and the anode includes a carrier-metal nanoparticle complex where metal nanoparticles including one or more bowl-type particles including a first metal and a second metal are carried in a carrier, wherein: the bowl-type particles are hollow, and comprise a non-continuous shell with a region in the shell from 30% to 80% of the entire shell where the shell is not formed, wherein the shell comprises: a) a layer comprising the first metal and the second metal, wherein the the first metal and the second metal are uniformly or non-uniformly mixed; or b) a first layer comprising the first metal and a second layer comprising the second metal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the forming of the cathode and the forming of the anode further includes manufacturing the carrier-metal nanoparticle complex, and the manufacturing of the carrier-metal nanoparticle complex includes forming a solution including a solvent, a first metal salt providing a first metal ion or an atom group ion including the first metal ion in the solvent, a second metal salt providing a second metal ion or an atom group ion including the second metal ion in the solvent, a first surfactant forming a micelle in the solvent, and a second surfactant forming the micelle together with the first surfactant in the solvent; adding the carrier to the solution to perform agitation; and adding a reducing agent to the solution to form the metal nanoparticles on the carrier.