Fullerene based proton conductive materials
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorsBerthold Nuber, Bjoern Pietzak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fullerene-based proton conductor including a proton conductive functional group connected to the fullerene by an at least partially fluorinated spacer molecule. Also, a polymer including at least two of the proton conductors that are connected by a linking molecule. Further, an electrochemical device employing the polymer as a proton exchange membrane, whereby the device is able to achieve a self-humidifying characteristic.
Claims89
A proton conductor comprising a fullerene molecule, a spacer molecule attached to said fullerene molecule, and a proton conductive functional group attached to said spacer molecule wherein said spacer molecule is an at least partially fluorinated molecule.
A polymer comprising:
- a plurality of proton conductors, each comprising a fullerene molecule, a spacer molecule attached to said fullerene molecule, and a proton conductive functional group attached to said spacer molecule wherein said spacer molecule comprises an at least partially fluorinated molecule;
- and
- at least one linking molecule connected between at least two of said proton conductors.
A proton conductive polymer comprising:
- a plurality of proton conductors, each comprising a fullerene molecule, a spacer molecule comprising an at least partially fluorinated molecule attached to said fullerene molecule, a proton conductive functional group attached to said spacer molecule, and at least one linking molecule connected between two of said plurality of proton conductors;
- and
- a compound capable of enhancing proton conductivity in the absence of water.
An electrochemical device comprising:
- a first electrode,
- a second electrode;
- and
- a polymer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode allowing one or more protons to be conducted between the first and second electrodes, said polymer comprises a plurality of proton conductors, each comprising a fullerene molecule, a spacer molecule attached to said fullerene molecule wherein said spacer molecule comprising an at least partially fluorinated molecule, a proton conductive functional group attached to said spacer molecule, and at least one linking molecule connected between at least two of said proton conductors.
A gel structure comprising:
- a polymer comprising a plurality of proton conductors each comprising a fullerene molecule, a spacer molecule attached to said fullerene molecule wherein said spacer molecule comprises an at least partially fluorinated molecule, a proton conductive functional group attached to said spacer molecule, and at least one linking molecule connected between at least two of said proton conductors;
- and
- a gel material.
A method of making a proton conductor comprising:
- combining a fullerene with a spacer-molecule precursor wherein said spacer-molecule precursor comprises an at least partially fluorinated compound and includes an acid precursor group forming a first reaction product;
- hydrolyzing the first reaction product;
- forming a second reaction product;
- protonating the second reaction product;
- and
- forming a proton conductor including a proton conductive functional group attached to said fullerene by a spacer molecule that is formed from said spacer-molecule precursor and that is at least partially fluorinated.
A method of making a proton conductive polymer, comprising:
- combining a fullerene with a spacer-molecule precursor wherein each of said spacer-molecule precursors is an at least partially fluorinated molecule;
- forming a plurality of first reaction products;
- combining said first reaction products with a linking-molecule precursor so as to form a second reaction product, wherein the second reaction product includes at least two of said first reaction products that are connected by a linking molecule formed from the linking-molecule precursor;
- protonating the second reaction products;
- and
- forming a polymeric compound including a proton conductive functional group attached to one or more fullerenes by the spacer molecule that is at least partially fluorinated.
The method of 78 wherein the step of forming the second reaction product includes said linking-molecule precursor of the general formula
- 7
- wherein said second reaction product comprises a polymer of the general formula:
- [Rf—C60—CF2CF2OCF2CF2SO2NR1SO2CF2CF2OCF2CF2—C60—Rf]y,
- wherein:
- Rf is selected from the group consisting of
- —CF2CF2OCF2CF2SO2F,
- —CF2CF2OCF2CF2SO2NH2,
- —CF2CF2OCF2CF2SO2NR1SiR23, or
- —CF2CF2OCF2CF2SO2NR1SO2CF2CF2OCF2CF2—C60—Rf
- and combination thereof where y is a natural number,
- R2 is an alkyl, and
- R1 is Li, Na, K, SiR23.
A method of making a proton conductive polymer comprising:
- combining a fullerene with a spacer-molecule precursor wherein each of said spacer-molecule precursors is an at least partially fluorinated molecule adding a linking-molecule precursor to form a plurality of cross-linked first reaction products;
- and
- protonating the cross-linked first reaction product so as to form a polymeric compound including a proton conductive functional group attached to said fullerene by a spacer molecule that is formed from said spacer-molecule precursor that is at least partially fluorinated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.