N-DOPED CARBON NANOMATERIALS AS CATALYSTS FOR OXYGEN REDUCTION REACTION IN ACIDIC FUEL CELLS

• US 20180123140A1
• Filed: 02/25/2016
• Published: 05/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Case Western Reserve University
• Original Assignee: Case Western Reserve University
• Inventors: Dai, Liming
• Application Number:
  US15/553,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20180123140A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1095 Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/96 Carbon-based electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0258 characterised by the configuration of channels, e.g. by the flow field of the reactant or coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1004 characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] H01M8/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2465 Details of groupings of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

Provided is a membrane electrode assembly and a fuel cell comprising such assemblies. The membrane electrode assembly comprises a polymer electrolyte membrane disposed between an anode and a cathode, the cathode comprising a metal-free, heteroatom doped carbon based material. The metal-free, heteroatom doped carbon based material may include heteroatom doped carbon nanotubes, e.g., heteroatom doped vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. The metal-free, heteroatom doped carbon based material can be any graphitic or partially graphitized carbons, which may also be chosen from heteroatom doped graphene material. The heteroatom doped graphene material may be a composite of heteroatom doped graphene and carbon nanotubes, and optionally comprises conductive carbon particles.

Claims

1. A membrane electrode assembly comprising:

a polymer membrane electrolyte layer having a first face and a second face, an anode layer disposed on a first face of the polymer membrane electrolyte layer, and

a cathode layer disposed on the second face of the polymer membrane electrolyte layer, the cathode layer comprising a catalyst material comprising a metal-free, heteroatom doped carbon based material.

2. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1, wherein the heteroatom doped carbon based material comprises heteroatom doped carbon nanotubes.

3. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 2, wherein the heteroatom is chosen from nitrogen, boron, phosphorous, sulfur, iodine, bromine, chlorine, fluorine, a defect, or a combination of two or more thereof.

4. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 2, wherein the heteroatom is nitrogen.

5. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 2, wherein the heteroatom doped carbon nanotubes are nitrogen-doped vertically aligned carbon nanotubes.

6. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1, wherein the heteroatom doped carbon based material comprises heteroatom doped graphitic material.

7. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 6, wherein the graphitic material is chosen from graphite, graphene, highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), fullerene, or a combination of two or more thereof.

8. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 6, wherein the heteroatom doped carbon based material comprises a composite of heteroatom doped graphene and carbon nanotubes.

9. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 6, wherein the heteroatom is chosen from nitrogen, boron, phosphorous, sulfur, iodine, bromine, chlorine, fluorine, a defect, or a combination of two or more thereof.

10. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 9, wherein the heteroatom is nitrogen.

11. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 8, wherein the carbon nanotubes are chosen from non-aligned carbon nanotubes, vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, or a combination thereof.

12. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 6, wherein the heteroatom doped carbon based material further comprises conductive carbon particles.

13. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 12, wherein the conductive carbon particles are chosen from ketjen black, acetylene black, oil furnace black, thermal black, channel black, or a combination of two or more thereof.

14. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 comprising a first gas diffusion layer disposed on the anode layer, and a second gas diffusion layer disposed on the cathode layer.

15. An electrochemical device comprising a fuel cell comprising the membrane electrode assembly of claim 1.

16. The electrochemical device of claim 14, wherein the device comprises a plurality of the fuel cells connected in electrical series.

17. The electrochemical device of claim 15 comprising at least one bipolar plate disposed between adjacent fuel cells, the bipolar plate having oxygen flow channels and hydrogen flow channels.