# US 12,119,525 B2 · Electrochemical hydrogen compressor for operation at pressures exceeding 12,500 psi

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- Number: US 12,119,525 B2
- Document ID: US12119525B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/221,729
- Filed: 2021-04-02
- Published: 2021-09-23
- Granted: 2024-10-15
- Earliest claimed: 2018-06-26
- Assignees: Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona
- Applicants: Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona
- Inventors: Dominic Francis Gervasio
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12119525B2

## CPC

- F04B 37/12: to obtain high pressure
- H01M 8/1213: characterised by the electrode/electrolyte combination or the supporting material
- F04B 43/00: Machines, pumps, or pumping installations having flexible working members (pumps or pumping installations specially adapted for elastic fluids F04B45/00)
- F04B 45/04: having plate-like flexible members, e.g. diaphragms (F04B45/10 takes precedence)
- H01M 4/8605: {Porous electrodes}
- H01M 4/92: Metals of platinum group (H01M4/94 {, H01M4/9058} take precedence)
- H01M 8/0258: characterised by the configuration of channels, e.g. by the flow field of the reactant or coolant
- H01M 8/0267: having heating or cooling means, e.g. heaters or coolant flow channels
- H01M 8/04029: Heat exchange using liquids
- H01M 8/04074: {Heat exchange unit structures specially adapted for fuel cell}
- H01M 8/04111: using a compressor turbine assembly
- H01M 8/0618: {Reforming processes, e.g. autothermal, partial oxidation or steam reforming}
- H01M 8/1004: characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] (H01M8/12 takes precedence)
- H01M 8/1041: Polymer electrolyte composites, mixtures or blends
- H01M 2008/1095: {Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes}
- H01M 2300/002: Inorganic electrolyte
- H01M 2300/0082: Organic polymers
- H01M 2300/0091: in the form of mixtures
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F)
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A novel electrochemical hydrogen compressor system for use in a fuel cell operating at gas pressure exceeding 12,500 psi. The system includes a membrane-electrode assembly containing a composite polymer membrane made from a blend of inorganic and organic polymers and a porous metal-catalyzed electrode structured to avert being raptured by the membrane at such pressure. In a specific case, the membrane is configured to operate without water and without losing proton-conductivity when exposed to water. Preparation and use of such compressor system.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electrochemical hydrogen compressor comprising:
a membrane electrode assembly that includes
a composite proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane comprising an inorganic polymer and an organic polymer; and
first and second metal-catalyzed electrodes sandwiching said composite proton-conducting electrolyte membrane therebetween,
wherein the compressor is configured as a part of a fuel cell to operate at a gas pressure exceeding 12500 psi and a porous electrode of the metal catalyzed electrodes is configured to prevent being ruptured by the membrane at said gas pressure.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical hydrogen compressor according to claim 1, wherein said inorganic polymer comprises ceramic, inorganic polymer 10 mol % indium 90% tin phosphate (In0.1Sn0.9P2O7) having pores filled with an organic polymer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical hydrogen compressor according to claim 1, wherein the organic polymer comprises a quaternary ammonium biphosphate ion-pair-coordinated polyphenylene and the membrane is configured to operate at a temperature ranging from about 180 degrees C. to about 220 degrees C. with no water.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical hydrogen compressor according to claim 1, wherein the composite proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane is impermeable to molecular hydrogen.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical hydrogen compressor according to claim 1, wherein an anode includes a porous structural layer configured to collect current and configured to mount and support the composite proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical hydrogen compressor according to claim 1, wherein the membrane comprises a cell which comprises an inorganic polymer and an organic polymer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The electrochemical hydrogen compressor according to claim 6, wherein the cell comprises a homogeneous blend of 70 to 90 wt. % of the inorganic polymer and 30 to 10% of the organic polymer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The electrochemical hydrogen compressor according to claim 5, wherein a size of a pore of the porous structural layer is smaller than a size of a proton-conducting particle of said membrane.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical hydrogen compressor according to claim 1, wherein the membrane is configured to operate without water and without losing proton-conductivity when exposed to water.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical compressor according to claim 1, wherein the membrane comprises a blend of proton-conducting inorganic particles and proton-conducting organic particles configured to conduct only protons with no electroosmotic drag of molecular species.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The electrochemical compressor according to claim 10, wherein a size of a pore of an electrode is smaller than a size of a proton-conducting particle of said composite proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical compressor according to claim 1, wherein the composite proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane incudes at least proton-conducting inorganic particles and a composite anode including a porous metal foam, the porous metal foam configured to structurally support the membrane.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical compressor according to claim 1, wherein the membrane contains an inorganic polymer having pores filled with an organic polymer, and said porous electrode including a metal foil.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical hydrogen compressor according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second metal-catalyzed electrodes is a porous electrode.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical hydrogen compressor according to claim 1, wherein each of the inorganic polymer and the organic polymer includes a dry proton conductor material configured to conduct protons with no added solvent, and wherein each of the inorganic polymer and the organic polymer are configured to operate individually at a temperature from room temperature to about 220 degrees C. with no water.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

A method of preparing high-pressure hydrogen gas using the compressor according to claim 1, comprising:
a. oxidizing low-pressure hydrogen gas at an anode to generate protons;
b. conducting the protons from the anode through the composite proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane according to claim 1 to a cathode; and
c. reducing the protons at the cathode to obtain the high-pressure hydrogen gas.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

A method of preparing an electrochemical hydrogen compressor, wherein the electrochemical hydrogen compressor comprises a three-layer laminate comprising an anode, a cathode, and the composite proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane according to claim 1, the method comprising:
sandwiching the composite proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane between the anode and the cathode to form the three-layer laminate.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein reducing the protons at the cathode is catalyzed by Pt, Pd, Ni, Ag, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the oxidation of the protons at the anode is catalyzed by Pt, Pd, Ni, Ag, or a combination thereof.