Fuel cells incorporating nanotubes in fuel feed
First Claim
1. A fuel cell which comprises:
- first and second flow field plates;
an electrolyte between the flow field plates;
catalytic electrodes on first and second, opposite faces of the electrolyte for promoting the dissociation of a fuel at the first face of said electrolyte and the formation of water at the second face of the electrolyte, and a system for delivering a gaseous fuel through the first flow field plate to the first face of the electrolyte, said system comprising an array of nanotubes oriented to discharge said fuel into contact with the catalyst on the first face of the electrolyte.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A novel design and process for: a) a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) with aligned carbon nanotubes as a nano-scale gas distributor which yield better gas conversion efficiencies in PEM fuel cells, and (b) doped silicon flow field plates (FFP) which increase electrode conductivity of the membrane-catalyst-gas diffusion layer (GDL)-FFP interfaces of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Also, part of the invention are a stacking configuration and a gas distribution design that also enhance conductivity of carbon/metal catalyst/electrode, GDL, and FFP interfaces surfaces without crushing the FFPs. Aligned carbon nanoscale gas distributors are employed at the interfaces, thereby increasing the overall performance of the PEMFC. The FFPs are easy to manufacture and mass-producible, yet mechanically sturdy and significantly lighter in weigh than their conventional counterparts. Another novel feature of the invention is an integrated monitoring and communication/Internet system located directly or connected to the FFP.
92 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A fuel cell which comprises:
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first and second flow field plates;
an electrolyte between the flow field plates;
catalytic electrodes on first and second, opposite faces of the electrolyte for promoting the dissociation of a fuel at the first face of said electrolyte and the formation of water at the second face of the electrolyte, and a system for delivering a gaseous fuel through the first flow field plate to the first face of the electrolyte, said system comprising an array of nanotubes oriented to discharge said fuel into contact with the catalyst on the first face of the electrolyte. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
comprises gas inlet channels in the flow field plate to which the fuel can be transferred from an external source;
said nanotubes being in fluid communication with said gas inlet channels.
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10. A fuel cell as defined in claim 1 which has a system comprising an array of aligned nanotubes for delivering a gaseous oxidizer into contact with the catalyst on the second face of the electrolyte.
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11. A fuel cell as defined in claim 1 in which the electrolyte is a proton exchange membrane.
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12. A fuel cell as defined in claim 1 which includes circuitry comprising said nanotubes for conducting electrons liberated at the first face of the electrolyte to an external load.
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13. A fuel cell as defined in claim 1 in which said nanotubes are impregnated in a carrier and said carrier is placed on said the face of the electrolyte.
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14. An electrical power generation device comprises a stacked array of fuel cells as defined in claim 1.
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15. An assembly for a fuel cell comprising:
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an electrolyte membrane;
a plurality of catalyst sites on first and second, opposite faces of the electrolyte for promoting the disassociation of a gaseous fuel at the first face and the formation of a byproduct at the second face;
a plurality of electrically-conductive nanotubes oriented to conduct a gaseous fuel to the plurality of catalyst sites on the first face of the electrolyte, the nanotubes being electrically connected to the catalyst sites to receive an electrical current therefrom. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification