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US4293396A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Thin carbon-cloth-based electrocatalytic gas diffusion electrodes, and electrochemical cells comprising the same

Assignee: WALTER JUDA AND/OR WALTER JUDA ASSOCIATES
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Filing: 1979-09-27
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Granted: 1981-10-06
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Expires: 1999-09-27
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Abstract

Abstract This disclosure is concerned with thin gas diffusion electrodes comprising an open pore carbon cloth substrate provided with a uniform mixture of catalytic carbon particles and preferably Teflon particles adhered within the cloth poes and to the yarns of the cloth; processes for making and using the same; and assemblies comprising said electrodes and closely spaced preferably noble metal current collecting contacts for use in electrochemical cells operating at high current densities.

Inventors

  • 👤 Robert J. Allen
  • 👤 Robert Lindstrom
  • 👤 Walter Juda

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-24 17:17
CPC Classifications
C; C25; C25B; C25B11/00; C25B11/02; C25B11/03; C25B11/031; C25B11/04; C25B11/042; C25B11/043; H; H01; H01M; H01M4/00; H01M4/86; H01M4/96; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y02E60/30; Y02E60/50

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim 51 words
A thin electrocatalytic gas diffusion electrode comprising an open pore electrically conducting carbon cloth having a coating of a uniform mixture of catalytic carbon particles and hydrophobic binder particles evenly deposited on said cloth, with said mixture of particles adhered within the cloth pores and to the yarns of the cloth.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 51 words
A thin electrocatalytic gas diffusion electrode comprising an open pore electrically conducting carbon cloth having a coating of a uniform mixture of catalytic carbon particles and hydrophobic binder particles evenly deposited on said cloth, with said mixture of particles adhered within the cloth pores and to the yarns of the cloth.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 24 words
The electrode of claim 1 and in which said catalytic carbon particles comprise catalytic metal particles deposited on high surface area carbon carrier particles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 17 words
The electrode of claim 1 and in which said catalytic carbon particles comprise metal-free cataytic carbon particles.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 17 words
The electrode of claim 1 and in which the binder particles are of a fluorinated hydrocarbon polymer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 35 words
The electrode of claim 4 wherein said cloth has a thickness between 5 and 40 mils and between about 20 and 50 yarns/inch with a warp-to-fill ratio substantially equal to one, plus or minus 10%.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 79 words
The electrode of claim 5 wherein said catalytic carbon particles comprise noble metal particles having been uniformly deposited on high surface area carbon carrier particles, such noble metals being selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and silver, and being present in amount between substantially 1% and 25% by weight of said carbon carrier particles and wherein said fluorinated hydrocarbon polymer is present in amount between substantially 25% and 75% by weight of said mixture.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 44 words
The electrode of claim 6 wherein said noble metal particles are platinum particles substantially in the range of substantially 15 A-25 A in size and wherein said platinum loads the electrode surface in amount between substantially 0.04 mg/cm 2 and 0.5 mg/cm 2 .
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 19 words
A gas diffusion electrode-current collector assembly comprising the electrode of claim 1 and current-collecting means contacting the said electrode.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 27 words
The electrode-current collector assembly of claim 8 and in which said current-collecting means comprises a plurality of metallic current-carrying paths contacting the exposed area of said electrode.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 24 words
The electrode-current collector assembly of claim 9 and in which said current-carrying paths extend from interior portions of said cloth to the edge thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 13 words
The assembly of claim 10 and in which said noble metal is silver.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 42 words
In an electrochemical cell, the assembly of claim 8 in contact with an aqueous electrolyte wetting at least 75% of the exposed area of said electrode and wherein said current-collecting means comprise contacts electrically connected to less than 25% of said area.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 10 words
The cell of claim 12 wherein said electrolyte is freeflowing.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 26 words
The cell of claim 13 wherein said electrolyte comprises concentrated aqueous alkaline hydroxide and said electrode is an air cathode provided with CO 2 -free air.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 16 words
The cell of claim 8 wherein said electrode is connected as an anode provided with hydrogen.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 22 words
The cell of claim 15 wherein the cell is a copper electrowinning cell having a copper cathode in aqueous copper sulfate-containing electrolyte.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 30 words
The electrode of claim 1 wherein the electrode is in contact with an aqueous copper sulfate electrolyte and is disposed to diffuse hydrogen therethrough to withdraw copper from the electrolyte.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4044193A Cited
US3877994A Cited
US3899356A Cited
US4175055A Cited
US4159367A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1984-10-05 1985-04-06 1985-10-06 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1988-10-05 1989-04-06 1989-10-06 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1992-10-05 1993-04-06 1993-10-06 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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