Carrier for fuel cell, and catalyst, membrane-electrode assembly, and fuel cell system including the same

• US 7,858,265 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: Kwak, Chan, KANG, Soon-Ki, AlexandrovichSerov, Alexey
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parsons, Thomas H.
• Application Number:
  US12/216,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20090104509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 429/41, 429524-527, 429/529, 429/530, 502/326
• US Class Current: 429/529
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1095 Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/8605 Porous electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/92 Metals of platinum group H01M4/94 , H01M4/9058 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/921 Alloys or mixtures with metallic elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/926 on carbon or graphite
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

The present invention provides a carrier for a fuel cell including a cryogel-type carbon. A catalyst of the fuel cell includes the cryogel-type carbon and an active material. One of an anode and cathode of the fuel cell has the catalyst including cryogel-type carbon. The carrier for a fuel cell has excellent porosity, specific surface area, and density characteristics, and thus is capable of improving catalyst activity due to excellent catalyst-supporting efficiency, and thereby cell performance.

Claims

1. A carrier for a cathode catalyst of a fuel cell comprising a cryogel carbon.

2. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises pores having an average pore diameter of 10 nm to 20 nm.

3. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the carrier has a specific surface area ranging from 600 m²/g to 2000 m²/g.

4. The carrier of claim 3, wherein the carrier has a density ranging from 0.5 g/cm³ to 1 g/cm³.

5. A catalyst for a cathode of a fuel cell comprising:

an active material; and

a carrier supporting the active material, the carrier including a cryogel carbon.

6. The catalyst of claim 5, wherein the carrier has pores with an average pore diameter ranging from 10 nm to 20 nm.

7. The catalyst of claim 5, wherein the carrier has a specific surface area ranging from 600 m²/g to 2000 m²/g.

8. The catalyst of claim 5, wherein the carrier has a density ranging from 0.5 g/cm³ to 1 g/cm³.

9. The catalyst of claim 5, wherein the active material is selected from the group consisting of platinum, ruthenium, osmium, a platinum-ruthenium alloy, a platinum-osmium alloy, a platinum-palladium alloy, a platinum-M alloy, and mixtures thereof, wherein M is a transition element selected from the group consisting of Ga, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, S , Mo, W, Rh, and combinations thereof.

10. The catalyst of claim 5, wherein the active material includes a Ru-Ch-containing compound, wherein Ch is a chalcogen element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, Te, and combinations thereof.

11. The catalyst of claim 10, wherein the active material comprises Ru and Ch in a mole ratio of 80:

20 to 95;

5.

12. The catalyst of claim 5, wherein the active material further comprises a transition element selected from the group consisting of Ga, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sn, Mo, W, Rh, and combinations thereof.

13. The catalyst of claim 5, wherein the catalyst is a catalyst for a direct oxidation fuel cell.

14. A membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell, comprising:

an anode and a cathode facing each other, the cathode comprising a catalyst that comprises;

an active material; and

a carrier supporting the active material, the carrier including a cryogel carbon; and

a polymer electrolyte membrane interposed between the anode and the cathode.

15. A fuel cell system comprising:

an electricity generating element comprising;

a membrane-electrode assembly comprising;

an anode and a cathode facing each other, the cathode comprising a catalyst that comprises;

an active material; and

a carrier supporting the active material, the carrier including a cryogel carbon; and

a polymer electrolyte membrane interposed between the anode and cathode; and

separators disposed on each side of the membrane-electrode assembly;

a fuel supplier for supplying the electricity generating element with a fuel; and

an oxidant supplier for supplying the electricity generating element with an oxidant.

16. The fuel cell system of claim 15, wherein the fuel cell system includes a direct oxidation fuel cell.