Catalyst support material for fuel cell
AssigneeGraftech Inc.
InventorRobert Angelo Mercuri
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Abstract
A catalyst support material useful in a membrane electrode assembly is presented. The support catalyst material is elongate electrically anisotropic particles of flexible graphite, and the membrane electrode assembly includes a pair of electrodes, an ion exchange membrane having opposed surfaces positioned between the electrodes and a catalyst material on the inventive support, at least a portion of an opposed surface of the ion exchange membrane being adjacent the catalyst which is supported on the elongate electrically anisotropic particles of flexible graphite sheet.
Claims12
A catalyst support material, which comprises elongate electrically anisotropic particles of expanded graphite.
A membrane electrode assembly comprising
- (a) a pair of electrodes, at least one of the electrodes being formed of a sheet of a compressed mass of expanded graphite particles having a plurality of transverse fluid channels passing through the sheet between first and second opposed surfaces of the sheet, the channels being separated by walls of compressed expandable graphite;
- (b) an ion exchange membrane having opposed surfaces positioned between the electrodes such that the walls formed on one of the opposed surfaces of the at least one electrode abuts the ion exchange membrane;
- and
- (c) a catalyst material disposed such that at least a portion of an opposed surface of the ion exchange membrane is adjacent the catalyst,
- wherein, the catalyst is supported on a catalyst support material which comprises elongate electrically anisotropic particles of expanded graphite.
A method for preparing a catalyst support material, which comprises:
- (a) compacting expanded graphite particles under a predetermined load to form an anisoptropic, oriented sheet or pad having a thickness of no more than about 25 mm;
- and
- (b) forming elongate electrically anisotropic particles of expanded graphite from the sheet or mat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.