Patent US4100331A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4100331A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Dual membrane, hollow fiber fuel cell and method of operating same
Assignee: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Filing: 1977-02-03
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Granted: 1978-07-11
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Expires: 1997-02-03
Abstract
Abstract A gaseous fuel cell is described which includes a pair of electrodes formed by open-ended, ion-exchange hollow fibers, each having a layer of metal catalyst deposited on the inner surface thereof and large surface area current collectors such as braided metal mesh in contact with the metal catalyst layer. A fuel cell results when the electrodes are immersed in electrolyte and electrically connected. As hydrogen and oxygen flow through the bore of the fibers oxidation and reduction reactions develop an electrical potential. Since the hollow fiber configuration provides large electrode area per unit volume and intimate contact between fuel and oxidizer at the interface, and due to the low internal resistance of the electrolyte, high power densities can be obtained.
Inventors
- 👤 with respect to an invention of Fletcher James C. Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- 👤 John D. Ingham
- 👤 Daniel D. Lawson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 18:23
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01M; H01M8/00; H01M8/08; H01M4/00; H01M4/86; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y02E60/30; Y02E60/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
191 words
A gaseous fuel cell comprising in combination: a cell enclosure containing a body of aqueous inorganic acid electrolyte; a first, gas impermeable, ion-impermeable, tubular electrode formed of at least one fine, filamentary, perfluorosulfonic acid substituted polytetrafluoroethylene synthetic resin hollow fiber having ion-exchange functionality immersed in the body of electrolyte having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, a gas permeable layer of catalytic metal deposited only on the inside surface thereof and a first, high surface area current collector in contact with the catalytic deposit; a second, gas impermeable, ion-permeable, tubular counter-electrode formed of at least one fine, filamentary, perfluorosulfonic acid substituted polytetrafluoroethylene synthetic resin, hollow fiber having ion-exchange functionality immersed in the body of electrolyte having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, a gas permeable layer of catalytic metal deposited on the inside surface thereof and a second high surface area current collector in contact with the catalytic deposit; means for supplying a fuel gas to one of said inlets; means for supplying a gaseous oxidant to the other of said inlets; and means connected to said first and second current collectors for extracting electrical energy from the cell.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
191 words
A gaseous fuel cell comprising in combination: a cell enclosure containing a body of aqueous inorganic acid electrolyte; a first, gas impermeable, ion-impermeable, tubular electrode formed of at least one fine, filamentary, perfluorosulfonic acid substituted polytetrafluoroethylene synthetic resin hollow fiber having ion-exchange functionality immersed in the body of electrolyte having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, a gas permeable layer of catalytic metal deposited only on the inside surface thereof and a first, high surface area current collector in contact with the catalytic deposit; a second, gas impermeable, ion-permeable, tubular counter-electrode formed of at least one fine, filamentary, perfluorosulfonic acid substituted polytetrafluoroethylene synthetic resin, hollow fiber having ion-exchange functionality immersed in the body of electrolyte having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, a gas permeable layer of catalytic metal deposited on the inside surface thereof and a second high surface area current collector in contact with the catalytic deposit; means for supplying a fuel gas to one of said inlets; means for supplying a gaseous oxidant to the other of said inlets; and means connected to said first and second current collectors for extracting electrical energy from the cell.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
A fuel cell according to claim 1 in which the hollow fiber has an internal diameter less than one-fourth inch and the ratio of wall thickness to diameter is no greater than 1:2.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
A fuel cell according to claim 2 in which the inside diameter is from 0.2 mm to 5.0 mm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
44 words
A fuel cell according to claim 3 in which the resin has a repeating structure of the formula: ##STR2## where x and z are integers such that the polymer has a molecular weight above 100,000 and a minimum sulfonic acid content of 1.0 millequivalents/gram.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
A fuel cell according to claim 1 in which the electrolyte is aqueous sulfuric acid, the fuel gas is hydrogen and the oxidant gas is oxygen.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
A fuel cell according to claim 5 in which the catalyst is finely divided particles of platinum.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
A fuel cell according to claim 1 in which the current collector is a braided metal sleeve expanded into intimate contact with the catalyst deposit.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
94 words
A method of electrochemically generating electrical energy in a gaseous fuel cell comprising the steps of: immersing in aqueous inorganic acid electrolyte a pair of gas-impermeable, ion-permeable tubular electrodes each formed of a fine, filamentary, perfluorosulfonic acid substituted polytetrafluoroethylene synthetic resin hollow fiber having ion-exchange functionality having a gas-permeable layer of catalytic metal deposited only on the inside surface thereof; flowing a fuel gas through one of said electrodes; flowing an oxidant gas through the other of said electrodes; and contacting each of said catalytic metal layers with a high surface area current collector.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
94 words
A method of electrochemically generating electrical energy in a gaseous fuel cell comprising the steps of: immersing in aqueous inorganic acid electrolyte a pair of gas-impermeable, ion-permeable tubular electrodes each formed of a fine, filamentary, perfluorosulfonic acid substituted polytetrafluoroethylene synthetic resin hollow fiber having ion-exchange functionality having a gas-permeable layer of catalytic metal deposited only on the inside surface thereof; flowing a fuel gas through one of said electrodes; flowing an oxidant gas through the other of said electrodes; and contacting each of said catalytic metal layers with a high surface area current collector.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method according to claim 8 in which the resin has a repeating structure of the formula: ##STR3## where x and z are integers such that the polymer has a molecular weight above 100,000 and a minimum sulfonic acid content of 1.0 millequivalents/gram.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method according to claim 8 in which the electrolyte is aqueous sulfuric acid, the oxidant gas is oxygen, the fuel fas is hydrogen and the catalyst is platinum.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
59 words
A method according to claim 8 in which the catalytic layer is deposited on the inner surface of the tubular electrodes by forming a first electroless coating of metal, inserting the current collector into the tubular electrode in intimate contact with the electroless deposit and then immersing the electrode in electrolytic plating solution and continuing the deposit formation electrolytically.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1981-07-10 | 1982-01-09 | 1982-07-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-07-10 | 1986-01-09 | 1986-07-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-07-10 | 1990-01-09 | 1990-07-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |