US5409785A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Fuel cell and electrolyte membrane therefor
Assignee: Equos Research Co Ltd
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Filing: 1992-12-21
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Granted: 1995-04-25
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Expires: 2012-12-21
Abstract
Abstract The fuel cell disclosed in the present specification is provided with an electrolyte membrane comprising a three-dimensional structure composed of bridged chains of a first polymer stable to water, and a second polymer having a function as an electrolyte. In such an electrolyte membrane, the bridged chains of the first polymer hold the second polymer, and hence the membrane does not swell with water. Furthermore, the electrolyte membrane can be properly designed depending on conditions required of the fuel cell, by choosing the first and second polymers.
Inventors
- 👤 Noboru Nakano
- 👤 Ryuji Azuma
- 👤 Motohiro Nakashima
- 👤 Munehisa Horiguchi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 07:15
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01M; H01M8/00; H01M8/10; B; B01; B01D; B01D67/00; B01D67/0002; B01D67/0009; B01D67/0011; B01D69/00; B01D69/10; B01D69/107; B01D69/14; B01D69/141; B01D69/1411; H01M8/02; H01M8/0289; H01M8/1016; H01M8/1018; H01M8/102; H01M8/1023; H01M8/1039; H01M8/1041; H01M8/1044; H01M8/1069; H01M8/1072; B01D2323/00; B01D2323/08; B01D2323/081; B01D2323/30; B01D2325/00; B01D2325/04; B01D2325/14; B01D2325/22; H01M8/1004; H01M8/1007; H01M8/1009; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y02E60/30; Y02E60/50; Y02P; Y02P70/00; Y02P70/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
47 words
A fuel cell comprising: an oxidation agent electrode; a fuel electrode; an electrolyte membrane comprising a three-dimensional structure composed of bridged chains of a first polymer stable to water, and a polyelectrolyte, wherein the said three-dimensional structure and said electrolyte is substantially uniformly distributed in the membrane.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
47 words
A fuel cell comprising: an oxidation agent electrode; a fuel electrode; an electrolyte membrane comprising a three-dimensional structure composed of bridged chains of a first polymer stable to water, and a polyelectrolyte, wherein the said three-dimensional structure and said electrolyte is substantially uniformly distributed in the membrane.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
A fuel cell according to claim 1, further comprising a porous supporting member which supports said three-dimensional structure and said electrolyte.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
A fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein both the polymer constituting said three-dimensional structure and a polymer constituting the electrolyte are polymers containing no fluorine.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
52 words
A fuel cell according to claim 3, wherein the polymer constituting said three-dimensional structure is a polymeric alcohol, and the polymer constituting said electrolyte is at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of sulfonated products of polystyrenes, polyethylenes, acrylic resins, methacrylic resins, styrene-butadiene copolymers, styrene-divinylbenezene copolymers and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
A fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the polymer constituting said three-dimensional structure is a polymeric alcohol, and a polymer constituting said electrolyte is a sulfonated product of a fluorine-containing polymer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
A fuel cell according to claim 5, wherein the sulfonated product of a fluorine-containing polymer is a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
A fuel cell according to claim 4, wherein said polymeric alcohol is a poly(vinyl alcohol), and the polymer constituting said electrolyte is a poly(styrenesulfonic acid).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
A fuel cell according to claim 7, wherein the weight ratio of said poly(vinyl alcohol) to said poly(styrenesulfonic acid) is 1:1 to 3:1.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
A fuel cell according to claim 7, wherein the weight ratio of said poly(vinyl alcohol) to said poly(styrenesulfonic acid) is 3:2.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
A fuel cell according to claim 7, wherein the average molecular weight of said poly(vinyl alcohol) is 1,700 or more, and the average molecular weight of said poly(styrenesulfonic acid) is 100,000 or more.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
A fuel cell according to claim 1, further comprising a fluorine-containing ion-exchange resin, said resin being placed between said electrolyte membrane and each of said electrodes.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
A fuel cell according to claim 11, wherein the first polymer used in said electrolyte membrane is a poly(vinyl alcohol), and a polymer constituting said electrolyte is a poly(styrenesulfonic acid).
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
31 words
A fuel cell according to claim 1, further comprising fluorine-containing ion-exchange resin layers among the electrodes and the electrolyte membrane, the electrodes and electrolyte membrane being jointed with the resin layers.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
A fuel cell according to claim 13, wherein the electrodes and electrolyte membrane being hot-pressed with each other placing the resin layers among them.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
60 words
An electrolyte membrane for a fuel cell, comprising; a three-dimensional structure composed of bridged chains of a polymeric alcohol stable to water; and a polyelectrolyte which is a sulfonated product of a fluorine-containing polymer having ion-exchange ability; wherein said three dimensional structure and said electrolyte is supported by a porous supporting member and is substantially uniformly distributed in the membrane.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
60 words
An electrolyte membrane for a fuel cell, comprising; a three-dimensional structure composed of bridged chains of a polymeric alcohol stable to water; and a polyelectrolyte which is a sulfonated product of a fluorine-containing polymer having ion-exchange ability; wherein said three dimensional structure and said electrolyte is supported by a porous supporting member and is substantially uniformly distributed in the membrane.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
An electrolyte membrane for a fuel cell according to claim 15, wherein the sulfonated product of a fluorine-containing polymer is a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
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| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-04-24 | 1998-10-24 | 1999-04-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-04-24 | 2002-10-24 | 2003-04-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-04-24 | 2006-10-24 | 2007-04-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |