# US 2025/0145754 A1 · Hydrocarbon based ionomer for membrane-electrode assembly with high proton conductivity and durability and a membrane-electrode assembly including the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0145754 A1 - Document ID: US20250145754A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/789,082 - Filed: 2024-07-30 - Published: 2025-05-08 - Earliest claimed: 2023-11-08 - Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology - Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology - Inventors: Il Seok CHAE; Jong Kil OH; Myung Eun SEO; Seon Woo YANG - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250145754A1 ## CPC - C08F 293/00: Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerisation on to a macromolecule having groups capable of inducing the formation of new polymer chains bound exclusively at one or both ends of the starting macromolecule (on to polymers modified by introduction of unsaturated end groups C08F290/02) - C08F 293/005: {using free radical "living" or "controlled" polymerisation, e.g. using a complexing agent} - C08J 5/2287: {After-treatment} - C25B 1/04: by electrolysis of water - C25B 9/23: comprising ion-exchange membranes in or on which electrode material is embedded - C25B 13/08: based on organic materials - H01M 8/1004: characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] (H01M8/12 takes precedence) - H01M 8/1027: having carbon, oxygen and other atoms, e.g. sulfonated polyethersulfones [S-PES] - H01M 8/103: having nitrogen, e.g. sulfonated polybenzimidazoles [S-PBI], polybenzimidazoles with phosphoric acid, sulfonated polyamides [S-PA] or sulfonated polyphosphazenes [S-PPh] - H01M 8/1032: having sulfur, e.g. sulfonated-polyethersulfones [S-PES] - H01M 8/1053: consisting of layers of polymers with at least one layer being ionically conductive - C08F 212/12: Monomers containing a branched unsaturated aliphatic radical or a ring substituted by an alkyl radical - C08F 220/36: containing oxygen in addition to the carboxy oxygen {, e.g. 2-N-morpholinoethyl (meth)acrylate or 2-isocyanatoethyl (meth)acrylate} - C08F 2438/03: Use of a di- or tri-thiocarbonylthio compound, e.g. di- or tri-thioester, di- or tri-thiocarbamate, or a xanthate as chain transfer agent, e.g . Reversible Addition Fragmentation chain Transfer [RAFT] or Macromolecular Design via Interchange of Xanthates [MADIX] - C08J 2353/00: Characterised by the use of block copolymers containing at least one sequence of a polymer obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Derivatives of such polymers - H01M 2008/1095: {Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes} - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - C08F: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS - C08J: WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H (working, e.g. shaping, of plastics B29) - C25B: ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOUNDS OR NON-METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR (anodic or cathodic protection C23F13/00; single-crystal growth C30B) - 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 hydrocarbon-based ionomer for a membrane-electrode assembly includes a block copolymer. The block copolymer includes a triblock copolymer that is represented by A1n1-Bm-A2n2. A1 is a first hydrophobic domain, B is a hydrophilic domain, A2 is a second hydrophobic domain, n1 and n2 each is an integer greater than or equal to 100 and less than or equal to 4,000, and m is an integer greater than or equal to 100 and less than or equal to 8,000. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A hydrocarbon-based ionomer for a membrane-electrode assembly, the hydrocarbon-based ionomer comprising: a block copolymer comprising one or more hydrophilic domains and one or more hydrophobic domains. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The hydrocarbon-based ionomer of claim 1, wherein the one or more hydrophobic domains comprise a first hydrophobic domain and a second hydrophobic domain, wherein the block copolymer comprises the first hydrophobic domain at a first end of the block copolymer and the second hydrophobic domain at a second end of the block copolymer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The hydrocarbon-based ionomer of claim 1, wherein the one or more hydrophobic domains comprise a first hydrophobic domain and a second hydrophobic domain, wherein the one or more hydrophilic domains comprise a hydrophilic domain, wherein the block copolymer comprises a triblock copolymer that is represented by A1n1-Bm-A2n2, and wherein A1 is the first hydrophobic domain, B is the hydrophilic domain, A2 is the second hydrophobic domain, each of n1 and n2 is an integer greater than or equal to 100 and less than or equal to 4,000, and m is an integer greater than or equal to 100 and less than or equal to 8,000. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The hydrocarbon-based ionomer of claim 1, wherein the one or more hydrophilic domains comprise a proton conductive repeating portion represented by Formula 1, wherein the Formula 1 corresponds to: and wherein m is an integer that is greater than or equal to 100 and less than or equal to 8,000. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The hydrocarbon-based ionomer of claim 1, wherein the one or more hydrophobic domains comprise a hard segment and an antioxidative segment. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The hydrocarbon-based ionomer of claim 5, wherein the hard segment comprises at least one of repeating portions represented by Formula 2-1, Formula 2-2, and Formula 2-3, wherein Formula 2-1 corresponds to: wherein each of R1 to R5 of the Formula 2-1 comprises a hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, a tert-butyl group, a phenyl group, wherein a corresponds to 1, 2, or 3, R6 comprises hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and x of the Formula 2-1 corresponds to a number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.9, wherein the Formula 2-2 corresponds to: wherein x of the Formula 2 corresponds to a number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.9, wherein the Formula 2-3 corresponds to: and wherein x of the Formula 2-3 corresponds to a number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.9. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The hydrocarbon-based ionomer of claim 5, wherein the antioxidative segment comprises one or more nitric oxide (NO) radicals. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The hydrocarbon-based ionomer of claim 5, wherein the antioxidative segment comprises at least one of repeating portions represented by Formula 3-1, Formula 3-2, Formula 3-3, and Formula 3-4, wherein the Formula 3-1 corresponds to: wherein R7 of the Formula 3-1 comprises a hydrogen or an alkyl group that has 1 to 4 carbon atoms, wherein x of the Formula 3-1 corresponds to a number that is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.9, wherein Formula 3-2 corresponds to: wherein each of R8, R9, and R10 of the Formula 3-2 comprises a hydrogen or R11 of the Formula 3-2 comprises a tert-butyl group or and x of the Formula 3-2 corresponds to a number that is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.9, wherein Formula 3-3 corresponds to: wherein each of R12 and R13 of the Formula 3-3 comprises R14 of the Formula 3-3 comprises a hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and x of the Formula 3-3 corresponds to a number that is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.9, wherein the Formula 3-4 corresponds to: wherein R15 of the Formula 3-4 comprises and x of the Formula 3-4 corresponds to a number that is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.9. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The hydrocarbon-based ionomer of claim 1, wherein the block copolymer has a weight average molecular weight Mw that is greater than or equal to 60,000 g/mol and less than or equal to 200,000 g/mol. ### Claim 10 A membrane-electrode assembly comprising: an electrolyte membrane; a first electrode disposed on a first surface of the electrolyte membrane; and a second electrode disposed on a second surface of the electrolyte membrane, wherein at least one of the electrolyte membrane, the first electrode and the second electrode comprises a hydrocarbon-based ionomer, and wherein the hydrocarbon-based ionomer comprises: a block copolymer that comprises one or more hydrophilic domains and one or more hydrophobic domains. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The membrane-electrode assembly of claim 10, wherein the electrolyte membrane comprises a reinforcement layer, and wherein the reinforcement layer is impregnated with the hydrocarbon-based ionomer. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The membrane-electrode assembly of claim 11, wherein the reinforcement layer comprises an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE). ### Claim 13 A fuel cell comprising: a membrane-electrode assembly that comprises: an electrolyte membrane; a first electrode disposed on a first surface of the electrolyte membrane; and a second electrode disposed on a second surface of the electrolyte membrane, wherein at least one of the electrolyte membrane, the first electrode and the second electrode comprises a hydrocarbon-based ionomer, and wherein the hydrocarbon-based ionomer comprises: a block copolymer that comprises one or more hydrophilic domains and one or more hydrophobic domains. ### Claim 14 A water electrolysis device comprising: a membrane-electrode assembly that comprises: an electrolyte membrane; a first electrode disposed on a first surface of the electrolyte membrane; and a second electrode disposed on a second surface of the electrolyte membrane, wherein at least one of the electrolyte membrane, the first electrode and the second electrode comprises a hydrocarbon-based ionomer, and wherein the hydrocarbon-based ionomer comprises: a block copolymer that comprises one or more hydrophilic domains and one or more hydrophobic domains. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The water electrolysis device of claim 14, wherein the one or more hydrophobic domains comprise a first hydrophobic domain and a second hydrophobic domain, wherein the block copolymer comprises the first hydrophobic domain at a first end of the block copolymer and the second hydrophobic domain at a second end of the block copolymer. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The water electrolysis device of claim 14, wherein the one or more hydrophobic domains comprise a first hydrophobic domain and a second hydrophobic domain, wherein the one or more hydrophilic domains comprise a hydrophilic domain, wherein the block copolymer comprises a triblock copolymer that is represented by A1n1-Bm-A2n2, and wherein A1 is the first hydrophobic domain, B is the hydrophilic domain, A2 is the second hydrophobic domain, each of n1 and n2 is an integer greater than or equal to 100 and less than or equal to 4,000, and m is an integer greater than or equal to 100 and less than or equal to 8,000. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The water electrolysis device of claim 14, wherein the one or more hydrophilic domains comprise a proton conductive repeating portion represented by Formula 1, wherein the Formula 1 corresponds to: and wherein m is an integer that is greater than or equal to 100 and less than or equal to 8,000. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The water electrolysis device of claim 14, wherein the one or more hydrophobic domains comprise a hard segment and an antioxidative segment. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The water electrolysis device of claim 18, wherein the hard segment comprises at least one of repeating portions represented by Formula 2-1, Formula 2-2, and Formula 2-3, wherein Formula 2-1 corresponds to: wherein each of R1 to R5 of the Formula 2-1 comprises a hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, a tert-butyl group, a phenyl group, wherein a corresponds to 1, 2, or 3, R6 comprises hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and x of the Formula 2-1 corresponds to a number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.9, wherein the Formula 2-2 corresponds to: wherein x of the Formula 2 corresponds to a number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.9, wherein the Formula 2-3 corresponds to: and wherein x of the Formula 2-3 corresponds to a number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.9. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The water electrolysis device of claim 19, wherein the antioxidative segment comprises one or more nitric oxide (NO) radicals.