Polymer electrolyte membranes from mixed dispersions
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorsSteven Joseph Hamrock, David Adrian Ylitalo
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Abstract
A polymer electrolyte membrane is provided comprising an intimate mixture of an ionomeric polymer and a structural film-forming polymer. A method of making the polymer electrolyte membrane is also provided, comprising the step of coalescing at least one of an ionomeric polymer and a structural film-forming polymer in a mixture of the two resulting from a mixed dispersion and optionally crosslinking one or both.
Claims24
A polymer electrolyte membrane comprising an intimate mixture of at least one ionomeric polymer and at least one structural film-forming polymer wherein the ionomeric polymer is a film-forming polymer and wherein the structural film-forming polymer has a Tff less than the Tff of the ionomeric polymer.
A polymer electrolyte membrane comprising an intimate mixture of at least one ionomeric polymer and at least one structural film-forming polymer wherein the ionomeric polymer is a film-forming polymer and wherein the structural film-forming polymer has a Tff less than the Tff of the ionomeric polymer by 15° C. or more.
A polymer electrolyte membrane comprising an intimate mixture of at least one ionomeric polymer and at least one structural film-forming polymer, wherein the structural film-forming polymer is an essentially continuous phase, wherein the ionomeric polymer is a film-forming polymer and wherein the structural film-forming polymer has a Tff less than the Tff of the ionomeric polymer.
A polymer electrolyte membrane comprising an intimate mixture of at least one ionomeric polymer and at least one structural film-forming polymer, wherein the structural film-forming polymer is an essentially continuous phase, wherein the ionomeric polymer is a film-forming polymer and wherein the structural film-forming polymer has a Tff less than the Tff of the ionomeric polymer by 15° C. or more.
A method of making a polymer electrolyte membrane comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a mixture of a dispersion of at least one ionomeric polymer and a dispersion of at least one structural film-forming polymer;
- and
- b) coalescing at least one of said polymers into an essentially continuous phase.
A method of making a polymer electrolyte membrane comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a dispersion of at least one ionomeric polymer and at least one structural film-forming polymer;
- b) casting and drying said dispersion to form a cast mixture;
- c) simultaneously or subsequently adjusting the temperature of said cast mixture to at least the Tff of the structural film-forming polymer to coalesce the structural film-forming polymer;
- and
- d) simultaneously or subsequently crosslinking the structural film-forming polymer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.