Electrochemical cell catalyst layers
AssigneeRobert Bosch GmbH
InventorsMordechai KORNBLUTH, Daniil A KITCHAEV, Jonathan BRAATEN, Lei CHENG
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Abstract
An electrochemical cell includes an anode, a cathode, and a membrane physically separating the anode from the cathode, the cathode having a cathode catalyst layer including an ionomer and an electrocatalyst support substrate forming an ionomer-support interface having a covalent bond between the substrate and the ionomer via a grafting compound, the substrate further having a plurality of terminated hydrophilic groups.
Claims20
An electrochemical cell comprising:
- an anode;
- a cathode;
- and
- a membrane physically separating the anode from the cathode,
- the cathode having a cathode catalyst layer comprising an ionomer and an electrocatalyst support substrate forming an ionomer-support interface having a covalent bond between the substrate and the ionomer via a grafting compound, the substrate further having a plurality of terminated hydrophilic groups.
A cathode catalyst layer ionomer-support interface comprising:
- an ionomer having hydrophilic sidechains and a hydrophobic backbone;
- and
- an electrocatalyst support substrate,
- the ionomer being covalently bonded to the support substrate via a grafting compound such that at least some of the hydrophilic sidechains are oriented towards the support substrate and the hydrophobic backbone is not oriented toward the support substrate.
A method of forming an ionomer-electrocatalyst support interface comprising:
- forming a functionalized ionomer by reacting an ionomer with a compound having a reactive group adjacent to a leaving group;
- grafting the functionalized ionomer to an electrocatalyst support by stimulating the leaving group such that the leaving group detaches to form a radical on the reactive group, resulting in the radical attacking a dangling bond on the electrocatalyst support and forming a covalent bond between the functionalized ionomer and the support;
- and
- passivating remaining dangling bonds on the electrocatalyst support to terminate their ends.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.