Cathode electrode material including a porous skeletal medium comprising a modified surface
AssigneeUniversity of Chester
InventorsAndy Creeth, Nick Baynes, Andy Potter, Craig P. Dawson, Clare Louise Downs
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Abstract
There is provided a fuel cell cathode electrode, comprising a porous skeletal medium, the surface of which medium is modified or otherwise arranged or constructed to induce enhanced activated behaviour, wherein the enhanced activated behaviour is induced by means of increasing the surface area for a given volume of the electrode and/or by increasing the number and/or availability of reactive sites on the electrode. A fuel cell having such a cathode electrode, a method of manufacturing such a cathode electrode, and use of such a cathode electrode in a fuel cell is also disclosed.
Claims12
A redox fuel cell cathode electrode comprising a compressed porous metal structure comprising a modified surface, comprising at least one increased surface area zone,
- wherein the modified surface is selected from the group consisting of:
- a) a surface comprising a coating of sputtered carbon;
- b) a surface comprising chemical vapor deposited carbon;
- and
- c) a surface comprising chemical vapor infiltrated carbon,
- wherein the surface of the porous metal structure comprises a further modification, the modified surface comprising:
- a) a region of increased electrochemical reactive sites per unit surface area;
- b) a liquid chemical modified surface;
- or
- c) an oxidized region, and
- wherein the porous metal structure in the electrode has a thickness of less than 80% of its original, uncompressed thickness.
A method of manufacturing a redox fuel cell cathode electrode, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a porous metal structure;
- modifying the surface of the porous metal structure to induce enhanced activated behavior;
- and compressing the porous metal structure to less than 80% of its original thickness;
- wherein the step of modifying the surface of the porous metal structure comprises increasing the surface area for a given volume of the electrode through the provision of at least one increased surface area zone;
- wherein the surface modification of the porous metal structure is a modification selected from the group consisting of:
- a) sputter coating of carbon;
- b) chemical vapor deposition of carbon;
- c) chemical vapor infiltration of carbon, wherein the surface modification of the porous metal structure comprises a further modification selected from the group consisting of:
- a) provision of a region of increased electrochemical reactive sites per unit surface area;
- b) liquid chemical modification;
- and
- c) provision of at least one oxidized region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.