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US5945231A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Direct liquid-feed fuel cell with membrane electrolyte and manufacturing thereof
Assignee: California Institute of Technology
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Filing: 1997-03-26
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Granted: 1999-08-31
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Expires: 2017-03-26
Abstract
Abstract An improved direct liquid-feed fuel cell having a solid membrane electrolyte for electrochemical reactions of an organic fuel. Improvements in interfacing of the catalyst layer and the membrane and activating catalyst materials are disclosed.
Inventors
- 👤 Sekharipuram Narayanan
- 👤 Subbarao Surampudi
- 👤 Gerald Halpert
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 07:52
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01M; H01M4/00; H01M4/86; H01M4/8647; H01M4/8652; H01M4/90; H01M4/9016; H01M4/92; H01M8/00; H01M8/10; H01M8/1004; H01M8/1009; H01M2300/00; H01M2300/0017; H01M2300/0065; H01M2300/0082; H01M4/921; H01M4/923; H01M8/04; H01M8/04082; H01M8/04089; H01M8/04119; H01M8/04156; H01M8/1016; H01M8/1018; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y02E60/30; Y02E60/50; Y02P; Y02P70/00; Y02P70/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
159 words
A device for generating electrical power by electrochemical reactions of a liquid organic fuel, comprising: a housing having a first compartment for electro-oxidation of said fuel and a second compartment for electro-reduction of oxygen; a solid electrolyte membrane having a first and a second membrane surfaces, disposed in said housing to partition said housing into said first and second compartments, said membrane operable to conduct protons and exchange cations; an anode formed on said first membrane surface and interconnecting said membrane and said first compartment, said anode comprising a first catalyst layer and a first carbon backing layer; and a cathode formed on said second membrane surface and interconnecting said membrane and said second compartment, said cathode comprising a second catalyst layer and a second carbon backing layer; wherein each catalyst layer is formed from a mixture having about 7-10% of a catalyst that comprises platinum and ruthenium, about 60-70% of perfluorovinylether sulfonic acid, and about 15-20% of polytetrafluoroethylene.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
159 words
A device for generating electrical power by electrochemical reactions of a liquid organic fuel, comprising: a housing having a first compartment for electro-oxidation of said fuel and a second compartment for electro-reduction of oxygen; a solid electrolyte membrane having a first and a second membrane surfaces, disposed in said housing to partition said housing into said first and second compartments, said membrane operable to conduct protons and exchange cations; an anode formed on said first membrane surface and interconnecting said membrane and said first compartment, said anode comprising a first catalyst layer and a first carbon backing layer; and a cathode formed on said second membrane surface and interconnecting said membrane and said second compartment, said cathode comprising a second catalyst layer and a second carbon backing layer; wherein each catalyst layer is formed from a mixture having about 7-10% of a catalyst that comprises platinum and ruthenium, about 60-70% of perfluorovinylether sulfonic acid, and about 15-20% of polytetrafluoroethylene.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
A device as in claim 1, wherein said catalyst layers have a carbon material with a desired high surface area.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
A device as in claim 1, wherein said catalyst layers comprise a conducting substance which comprises a lead dioxide.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
A device as in claim 1, wherein said catalyst layers comprise tungsten carbide.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
13 words
A device as in claim 1, wherein said catalyst layers comprise zirconium dioxide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
12 words
A device as in claim 1, wherein said catalyst layers comprise zeolite.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
115 words
A method of constructing device for generating electrical power by electrochemical reactions of a liquid organic fuel, comprising: providing a solid electrolyte membrane having a first and a second membrane surfaces and operable to conduct protons and exchange cations; forming an anode on said first membrane surface, said anode comprising a first catalyst layer and a first carbon backing layer; and forming a cathode on said second membrane surface, said cathode comprising a second catalyst layer and a second carbon backing layer; wherein each catalyst layer is formed from a catalyst mixture solution comprising about 7-10% of a catalyst that includes platinum and ruthenium, about 60-70% of perfluorovinylether sulfonic acid, and about 15-20% of polytetrafluoroethylene.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
115 words
A method of constructing device for generating electrical power by electrochemical reactions of a liquid organic fuel, comprising: providing a solid electrolyte membrane having a first and a second membrane surfaces and operable to conduct protons and exchange cations; forming an anode on said first membrane surface, said anode comprising a first catalyst layer and a first carbon backing layer; and forming a cathode on said second membrane surface, said cathode comprising a second catalyst layer and a second carbon backing layer; wherein each catalyst layer is formed from a catalyst mixture solution comprising about 7-10% of a catalyst that includes platinum and ruthenium, about 60-70% of perfluorovinylether sulfonic acid, and about 15-20% of polytetrafluoroethylene.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
144 words
A method as in claim 7, further comprising: forming said catalyst mix solution; performing sonication on said catalyst mix solution for a predetermined duration to produce a catalyst mix; uniformly spreading said catalyst mix on a backing layer made of polytetrafluoroethylene to form a catalyst decal layer by drying said catalyst mix; spraying said catalyst decal layer with a solution having isopropanol; subsequently soaking said catalyst decal layer in water; drying said catalyst decal layer; preparing said membrane for decal transfer; pressing said catalyst decal layer formed on said backing layer on one of said first and second membrane surfaces under a predetermined pressure and a predetermined high temperature; cooling said catalyst decal layer and membrane under said predetermined pressure to a predetermined low temperature; and removing said backing layer, whereby said catalyst decal layer is transferred from said backing layer to said membrane.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method as in claim 8, wherein said predetermined pressure is in a range approximately from 500-1500 psi.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method as in claim 8, wherein said predetermined high temperature is in a range approximately from 140°-150° C. and said predetermined low temperature is approximately lower than 55° C.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method as in claim 7, wherein said catalyst layers are formed by a process comprising: introducing non-ionic surfactant particles to said catalyst mix solution, said surfactant particles being of a type that is insoluble in said catalyst mix solution; and removing said surfactant particles by leaching.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method as in claim 7, wherein said catalyst layers are formed by a process in which air or an inert gas is added to said catalyst mix.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as in claim 1, wherein said catalyst layers are formed in said membrane by laser ablation or ion implantation.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
77 words
A method as in claim 7, wherein each catalyst layer includes a mixture of Pt, RuO 2 , and ZrO 2 , and comprising: preparing fine ZrO 2 particles by hydrolysis of zirconyl nitrate; mixing Pt powder and Ru power with the ZrO 2 particles to produce a mix; drying the mix; performing hydrogen reduction of the dried mix; and subsequently washing the mix to recover the mixture of Pt, RuO 2 , and ZrO 2 .
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-08-30 | 2003-03-01 | 2003-08-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-08-30 | 2007-03-01 | 2007-08-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-08-30 | 2011-03-01 | 2011-08-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |