Redox membrane-based flow fuel cell

• US 20110200890A1
• Filed: 02/17/2010
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: Kocherginsky, Nikolai M.
• Application Number:
  US12/706,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20110200890A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/402
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1095 Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0082 Organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/103 having nitrogen, e.g. sulfonated polybenzimidazoles [S-PBI], polybenzimidazoles with phosphoric acid, sulfonated polyamides [S-PA] or sulfonated polyphosphazenes [S-PPh]
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1032 having sulfur, e.g. sulfonated-polyethersulfones [S-PES]
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/20 Indirect fuel cells, e.g. fuel cells with redox couple being irreversible H01M8/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A flow fuel cell for use as a source of electrochemical energy with the membrane separating two flowing aqueous solutions with dissolved redox active components and electrodes of the second kind, wherein the membrane is made of a redox active synthetic metal polymer.

Claims

1. Redox membrane-based flow fuel cell which can be used as a source of electrochemical energy, said cell comprising:

1. A chamber separated by a polymer membrane into two flow-through compartments where each compartment has a current collecting electrode of a second kind, the membrane is made of a synthetic metal polymer, one compartment has a solution of reducing and another compartment has a solution of oxidizing agent, respectively.

2. A redox membrane-based flow fuel cell of claim 1 where the membrane is made of polyaniline, polypyrrole or polythiophene or their derivatives so that the polymer is in electroconductive state.

3. A redox membrane-based flow fuel cell of claim 2 where polyaniline is acid-doped with inorganic or organic acids or acidic polymers.

4. A redox membrane-based flow fuel cell of claim 2 where solutions with reducing and oxidizing agents are flowing through different and separated by the membrane compartments and have concentrations of reducing and oxidizing agents in the range from 1 mM to 5M.

5. A redox membrane-based flow fuel cell of claim 2 where solutions with reducing and oxidizing agents are flowing through different and separated by the membrane compartments and these solutions have a mixture of reducing agents and a mixture of oxidizing agents.

6. A redox membrane-based flow fuel cell of claim 2 where the solution with reducing agent also has inorganic salts of chlorides, bromides or iodides in concentration from 1 mM to 5M.

7. A redox membrane-based flow fuel cell of claim 2 where the solution with an oxidizing agent also has more acidic pH than that of the solution with reducing agent.

8. A battery of the redox membrane-based flow fuel cells of claim 1 where the solutions of the redox active chemicals are flowing from one cell to another.