# US 2020/0287221 A1 · Support for polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst, method of producing support for polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst, catalyst layer for polymer electrolyte fuel cell, and fuel cell > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0287221 A1 - Document ID: US20200287221A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/626,724 - Filed: 2018-06-29 - Published: 2020-09-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-06-29 - Assignees: Nippon Steel Chemical & Material Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Nippon Steel Chemical & Material Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Takashi IIJIMA; Kenichiro TADOKORO; Masataka HIYOSHI; Shinya FURUKAWA; Tomoko KOMURA; Kazuhiko MIZUUCHI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200287221A1 ## CPC - H01M 4/9083: {on carbon or graphite} - B01J 20/305: {Addition of material, later completely removed, e.g. as result of heat treatment, leaching or washing, e.g. for forming pores} - C01B 32/336: characterised by gaseous activating agents - C01B 32/342: characterised by non-gaseous activating agents - H01M 4/86: Inert electrodes with catalytic activity, e.g. for fuel cells - H01M 4/8817: {Treatment of supports before application of the catalytic active composition (coated porous composites H01M8/0245)} - H01M 4/926: {on carbon or graphite} - H01M 8/10: Fuel cells with solid electrolytes - H01M 2004/8689: {Positive electrodes} - 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 - B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS - C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C} - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A support for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst satisfying the following requirements (A), (B), (C), and (D), and a producing method thereof, as well as a catalyst layer for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell and a fuel cell: (A) a specific surface area according to a BET analysis of a nitrogen adsorption isotherm is from 450 to 1500 m2/g. (B) a nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherm forms a hysteresis loop in a range of relative pressure P/P0 of more than 0.47 but not more than 0.90, and a hysteresis loop area ΔS0.47-0.9 is from 1 to 35 mL/g; (C) a relative pressure Pclose/P0 at which the hysteresis loop closes is more than 0.47 but not more than 0.70; and (D) a half-width of a G band detected by Raman spectrometry in a range of from 1500 to 1700 cm−1 is from 45 to 75 cm−1. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A support for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst, comprising a carbon material, and satisfying the following requirements (A), (B), (C), and (D): (A) a specific surface area according to a BET analysis of a nitrogen adsorption isotherm is from 450 to 1500 m2/g; (B) a nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherm forms a hysteresis loop in a range of relative pressure P/P0 of more than 0.47 but not more than 0.90, and a hysteresis loop area ΔS0.47-0.9 is from 1 to 35 mL/g; (C) a relative pressure Pclose/P0 at which the hysteresis loop closes is more than 0.47 but not more than 0.70; and (D) a half-width of a G band detected by Raman spectrometry in a range of from 1500 to 1700 cm−1 is from 45 to 75 cm−1. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The support for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst according to claim 1, further satisfying the following requirement (E): (E) an adsorption volume V0.2-0.9 measured from the nitrogen adsorption isotherm in a relative pressure range of from 0.20 to 0.90 is from 150 to 700 mL/g. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The support for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst according to claim 1, wherein the hysteresis loop area ΔS0.47-0.9 is from 5 to 35 mL/g. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The support for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst according to claim 1, wherein the hysteresis loop area ΔS0.47-0.9 is from 15 to 35 mL/g. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The support for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst according to claim 1, wherein the relative pressure Pclose/P0 at which the hysteresis loop closes is from 0.50 to 0.70. ### Claim 6 A method of producing a support for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst, the method comprising: a support step of supporting an activation catalyst, which promotes an activation reaction on a porous carbon material, in pores in the porous carbon material, to produce a carbon material supporting the activation catalyst; and a first heat treatment step of heat-treating the carbon material supporting the activation catalyst in an oxygen-containing atmosphere in a range of from 300° C. to 700° C. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of producing a support for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst according to claim 6, further comprising a second heat treatment step of heating the carbon material supporting the activation catalyst in a vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere in a range of from 1600 to 2100° C., the second heat treatment step being performed at least one of before or after the first heat treatment step. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of producing a support for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst according to claim 6, wherein: in the supporting step, in a case in which a particle diameter of the activation catalyst is from 2 to 7 nm, and the activation catalyst is a noble metal element, a support rate of the activation catalyst is from 3 to 20% by mass, and in a case in which the activation catalyst is a 3d element, a support rate of the activation catalyst is from 3 to 9% by mass; and in the first heat treatment step, an oxygen concentration of the oxygen-containing atmosphere is from 5 to 100% by volume with respect to a total volume of atmosphere gas, and a heat treatment time is from 20 min to 20 hours. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method of producing a support for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst according to claim 6, further comprising an activation catalyst removal step of removing the activation catalyst that is performed after the first heat treatment step. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A catalyst layer for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising the support for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell catalyst according to claim 1. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A fuel cell, comprising the catalyst layer for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to claim 10. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The fuel cell according to claim 11, wherein the catalyst layer for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell is a catalyst layer on a cathode side.