Catalytic hydrogen storage composite material and fuel cell employing same
AssigneeTexaco Ovonic Fuel Cell LLC
InventorStanford R. Ovshinsky
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A composite hydrogen storage material including 1) an active material having hydrogen storage capacity; and 2) a catalytic material having greater catalytic activity toward the dissociation of molecular hydrogen and/or oxidation of hydrogen than that of said active material having hydrogen storage capacity. Also, a fuel cell employing anodes formed from the composite hydrogen storage material. The fuel cell has the ability to start up instantly and can accept recaptured energy such as that of regenerative braking by operating in reverse as an electrolyzer.
Claims61
A composite hydrogen storage material comprising:
- 1) an active material having hydrogen storage capacity;
- and
- 2) a catalytic material having greater catalytic activity toward the dissociation of molecular hydrogen and/or oxidation of hydrogen than that of said active material having hydrogen storage capacity;
- said catalytic material being continually graded, from a high concentration on the surface of the composite to a lower concentration inward of the bulk of the composite, throughout at least a portion of said composite hydrogen storage material.
In a fuel cell, an anode including a composite hydrogen storage material comprising:
- 1) an active material having hydrogen storage capacity;
- and
- 2) a catalytic material having greater catalytic activity toward the dissociation of molecular hydrogen and/or oxidation of hydrogen than that of said active material having hydrogen storage capacity;
- said catalytic material being continually graded from a high concentration on the surface of the composite to a lower concentration inward of the bulk of the composite, throughout at least a portion of said composite hydrogen storage material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.