Energy devices
AssigneeCabot Corporation
InventorsMark J. Hampden-Smith, Toivo T. Kodas, Paolina Atanassova, Paul Napolitano, Rimple Bhatia, James H. Brewster
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Abstract
Electrocatalyst powders and energy devices fabricated using electrocatalyst powders and methods for making energy devices. The energy devices, such as fuel cells, have improved performance over a range of operating conditions.
Claims57
A membrane electrode assembly comprising at least an anode, a cathode and a membrane separating said anode and said cathode, wherein at least one of said anode and said cathode comprises electrocatalyst particles fabricated by heating suspended droplets of an electrocatalyst precursor composition while said droplets are suspended in a gas.
A membrane electrode assembly comprising at least an anode, a cathode and a membrane separating said anode and cathode, wherein at least one of said anode and cathode comprises composite electrocatalyst aggregates having an active species dispersed on a support phase wherein said aggregates are substantially spherical and wherein the volume average size of said aggregates is not greater than about 100 μm.
A membrane electrode assembly comprising at least an anode, a cathode and a membrane separating said anode and said cathode, wherein at least one of said anode and said cathode comprises an electrocatalyst layer and said electrocatalyst layer comprises substantially spherical electrocatalyst particles, said electrocatalyst particles comprising an active species phase dispersed on a carbon support phase.
A liquid vehicle comprising catalyst particles, said liquid vehicle being adapted to be deposited using a direct-write tool to form a catalyst layer, wherein said liquid vehicle comprises a liquid carrier and catalyst particles having a volume average particle size of not greater than about 20 μm dispersed in said liquid carrier.
A method for the deposition of an electrocatalyst layer, comprising the steps of:
- a) dispersing electrocatalyst particles in a liquid carrier to form a liquid vehicle, wherein said electrocatalyst particles have a volume average particle size of not greater than about 20 μm;
- b) depositing said liquid vehicle onto a surface using a direct-write tool that is controllable over an x-y grid relative to the surface;
- and
- c) heating said liquid vehicle to a temperature sufficient to form an electrocatalyst layer.
A membrane electrode assembly comprising at least an anode, a cathode and a membrane separating said anode and said cathode, wherein at least one of said anode and said cathode comprises electrocatalyst aggregates, said electrocatalyst aggregates comprising an active species phase dispersed on a porous support phase and a polymer phase intimately mixed within the structure of said aggregates and wherein said aggregates have a volume average particle size of from about 1 μm to about 50 μm.
A membrane electrode assembly comprising at least an anode, a cathode and a membrane separating said anode and said cathode, wherein at least one of said anode and said cathode comprises electrocatalyst particles consisting of an active species phase dispersed on a support phase and wherein said electrocatalyst particles have an average internal pore size of not greater than about 20 nanometers.
A membrane electrode assembly comprising an electrocatalyst layer, wherein said layer comprises 20 to 40 volume percent electrocatalyst, 20 to 40 volume percent proton conducting polymer and at least about 30 volume percent porosity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.