PROTON SELECTIVE MEMBRANE FOR SOLID POLYMER FUEL CELLS

• US 20100203422A1
• Filed: 02/11/2010
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yanxiu Zhou
• Original Assignee: Yanxiu Zhou
• Inventors: Zhou, Yanxiu
• Granted Patent: US 8,835,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/492
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2333/02 Homopolymers or copolymers of acids; Metal or ammonium salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2333/26 Homopolymers or copolymers of acrylamide or methacrylamide
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2339/08 Homopolymers or copolymers of vinyl-pyridine
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 5/2237 containing fluorine
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1023 having only carbon, e.g. polyarylenes, polystyrenes or polybutadiene-styrenes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1072 by chemical reactions, e.g. insitu polymerisation or insitu crosslinking
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1076 Micromachining techniques, e.g. masking, etching steps or photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A proton selective membrane for solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells that is produced by providing one or more template molecules, providing one or more functional monomers to interact with the template molecules, providing a cross-linking agent(s) to covalently bond polymer chains created with the template molecules and functional monomers by polymerization, providing an initiating agent to start a chemical reaction which results in an imprinted polymer, and removing the template molecules from the imprinted polymer to create a proton selective membrane.

Claims

1. A proton selective membrane for functioning as an electrolyte in a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell that is produced by providing one or more template molecules, providing one or more functional monomers to interact with the template molecules, and providing at least one cross-linking agent to covalently bond polymer chains created with the template molecules and the functional monomers by polymerization to create an imprinted polymer

2. The proton selective membrane of claim 1 wherein an initiating agent is provided to start a chemical reaction which results in the imprinted polymer

3. The proton selective membrane of claim 1 wherein the template molecules are removed from the imprinted polymer.

4. The proton selective membrane of claim 1 wherein the template molecules are proton conducting molecules.

5. The proton selective membrane of claim 4 wherein the template molecules are selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, sulfonimide, sulfamide acid, phospohoric acid, phosphonic acid, phosphinic acid, and carboxylic acid.

6. The proton selective membrane of claim 1 wherein the functional monomers comprise at least one of 4-vinylpyridine, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid, and acrylamide.

7. The proton selective membrane of claim 1 wherein the crosslinking agent is selected from the group consisting of ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA), trimethylol-propane trimethacrylate (TRIM), acrylamide and divinylbenzene (DVB).

8. The proton selective membrane of claim 1 wherein the initiating agent is selected from the group consisting of 2,2-azobis-(2-methylpropionitrile) (AlBN), dibenzoyl peroxide (BPO), Irgacure 1800, 1,4-divinylbenzene (DVB), 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DPP) and 2,2′

-azobis(2,4-dimethyl-valeronitrile) (ADVN).

9. A method for making a proton selective membrane comprising the steps of:

providing one or more template molecules;

providing one or more functional monomers to interact with the template molecules; and

providing at least one cross-linking agent for covalently bonding polymer chains created with the template molecules and the functional monomers by polymerization to create an imprinted polymer.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of providing an initiating agent to start a chemical reaction which results in the imprinted polymer.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of removing the template molecules from the imprinted polymer to form the proton selective membrane.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the template molecules are proton conducting molecules.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the template molecules are selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid, sulfonimide, sulfamide acid, phospohoric acid, phosphonic acid, phosphinic acid, and carboxylic acid.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the functional monomers comprise at least one of 4-vinylpyridine, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid, and acrylamide.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the crosslinking agent is selected from the group consisting of ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA), trimethylol-propane trimethacrylate (TRIM), acrylamide and divinylbenzene (DVB).

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the initiating agent is selected from the group consisting of 2,2-azobis-(2-methylpropionitrile) (AlBN), dibenzoyl peroxide (BPO), Irgacure 1800, 1,4-divinylbenzene (DVB), 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DPP) and 2,2′

-azobis(2,4-dimethyl-valeronitrile) (ADVN).

17. A method for making a proton selective membrane for functioning as a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in a fuel cell comprising the steps of:

providing one or more molecules for use as molecule building blocks, a catalyst containing electrode having a surface capable of interacting with the molecule building blocks wherein the electrode comprises platinum catalyst particles supported on large carbon particles, and one or more template molecules;

providing one or more solvents to create a solvent solution;

adding the one or more molecule building blocks, the electrode, and the one or more template molecules, in any order, to the solvent solution to create a matrix via the interaction between the building blocks and the surface of the electrode;

removing the electrode containing the matrix from the solution.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of rinsing the electrode containing the matrix with one or more solvents or solutions to extract the template molecules and expose a proton selective membrane.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of providing at least one cross-linking agent to the solvent solution.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of providing an initiating agent to the solvent solution.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the molecule building blocks are synthesized to have a specific function to interact with the catalyst containing electrode.

22. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of pre-modifying or pre-treating the surface of the catalyst particles or its supporting carbon particles with one or more specific functional groups that interact with the molecular building blocks.

23. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of carrying out a post-synthetic functionalization process to increase at least one of the affinity and selectivity of the proton selective membrane for protons and/or proton conducting ability.