Fuel-cell catalyst patents

Wilson, M. S. Membrane catalyst layer for fuel cells. US Patent 5,234,777,1993. Xie, J., Garzon, R, Zawodzinski, T., and Smith, W. Porosimetry of MEAs made by "thin film decal" method and its effect on performance of PEFCs. Journal of the Electrochemical Society 2004 151 A1841-A1846. 

F. J. Lucak, D.A. Landsman, Ordered Ternary Fuel Cell Catalysts Containing Platinum, Cobalt and Chromium, U.S. Patent 4,447,506, 1983. 

Electrode Catalyst for Fuel Cells, Jap. Patent Appl. JP2002305001 Worldwide Patent 9424710 for Johnson Matthey Pic (1994)... 

Wilson, M.S. (1993) Membrane catalyst layer for fuel cells. US Patent 5, 234, 777. 

Masel Rl, Rice CA, Waszczuk P, Wieckowski A (2003) Fuel cells and fuel cells catalysts. US Patent 7,132,188... 

Alonso-Vante N, Zeltaiay P, Choi JH, Wieckowski A, Cao D (2009) Chalcogen catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cell. US Patent 7,588,857... 

Luczak FJ, Landsman DA (1984) Ordered ternary fuel cell catalysts containing platinum, cobalt and chromium. US Patent 4,447,506... 

Ye S, Beattie P, Campbell SA, Wilkinson DP. Anode catalyst compositions for a voltage reversal tolerant fuel cell. US Patent Appl 2004/0013935. 

Luczak, RJ. and D.A. Landsman. 1987. Ordered ternary fuel cell catalysts containing platinum and cobalt and method for making the catalysts. Patent US4677092. 

For fuel cell systems operating on reformates, high levels of aimnonia and CO2 may be present in the fuel stream. Ammonia is known to be detrimental to PEM fuel cell catalysts. It is desirable to reduce the concentration of aimnonia in the fuel stream to below 2 ppm. However, ion filters, if used alone, will be quickly saturated due to the high concentration of ammonia in the water. A water "contact cooler" has been used to transfer the ammonia into a reservoir of water, which needs to be dumped or cleaned. To achieve water neutral operation, Bonville et al with International Fuel Cells Corporation (Japan) [63] patented a method to remove the ammonia in the contaminated stack water via a steam stripping process, which removes ammonia around 400 ppm (and CO2 as well) from contaminated water to about 30 ppm. An ammonia-laden steam is discharged to the environment. A demineralization bed is then used to further reduce ammonia concentration in the water to an acceptable low level. 

Matsushita Electric Ind. Co., (2002) Electrode catalyst for fuel cells, Japanese Patent Application JP 305001. 

Recently, rhodium and ruthenium-based carbon-supported sulfide electrocatalysts were synthesized by different established methods and evaluated as ODP cathodic catalysts in a chlorine-saturated hydrochloric acid environment with respect to both economic and industrial considerations [46]. In particular, patented E-TEK methods as well as a non-aqueous method were used to produce binary RhjcSy and Ru Sy in addition, some of the more popular Mo, Co, Rh, and Redoped RuxSy catalysts for acid electrolyte fuel cell ORR applications were also prepared. The roles of both crystallinity and morphology of the electrocatalysts were investigated. Their activity for ORR was compared to state-of-the-art Pt/C and Rh/C systems. The Rh Sy/C, CojcRuyS /C, and Ru Sy/C materials synthesized by the E-TEK methods exhibited appreciable stability and activity for ORR under these conditions. The Ru-based materials showed good depolarizing behavior. Considering that ruthenium is about seven times less expensive than rhodium, these Ru-based electrocatalysts may prove to be a viable low-cost alternative to Rh Sy systems for the ODC HCl electrolysis industry. 

Barbaro P, Bert P, Bianchini C, Giambastiani G, Tampucci A, Vizza F. 2006. Catalysts for fuel cells electrodes based on cobalt and its alloys, their preparation and use and fuel cells containing them. European Patent PCX/EP/2005/053576 World Patent WO 2006/008319. 

Magnesium alloys are very lightweight, and are being used in the aerospace industry. Because they are very reactive, these alloys need to be protected from corrosion. Dr. Birss holds a patent on a new approach to the electrochemical formation of protective oxide films on magnesium alloys. Dr. Birss also works on developing new catalysts for fuel cells, and studies the factors that lead to the breakdown of fuel cells. 

R. A. Reynolds and R. A. Mercuri. Fuel cell assembly method with selective catalyst loading. US Patent 20020022570 (2002). 

Dr. Hui has worked on various projects, including chemical sensors, solid oxide fuel cells, magnetic materials, gas separation membranes, nanostruc-tured materials, thin film fabrication, and protective coatings for metals. He has more than 80 research publications, one worldwide patent, and one U.S. patent (pending). He is currently leading and involved in several projects for the development of metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), ceramic nanomaterials as catalyst supports for high-temperature PEM fuel cells, protective ceramic coatings on metallic substrates, ceramic electrode materials for batteries, and ceramic proton conductors. Dr. Hui is also an active member of the Electrochemical Society and the American Ceramic Society. 

Patent JP 2005038818. H01M 4/90. Molybdenum carbide catalyst, its manufacture, and its use in fuel cell electrode and fuel cell. 

A competitive cell is likely to have in its V/I curve (Figure 6.5) a small IR drop (thin electrolyte film) and an extended current range before concentration polarisation sets in. In the SOFC, moreover, an expensive platinum catalyst is avoided due to high reaction rates at high temperature. Engineering for mass production is very important to the achievement of low capital cost, for example the Rolls-Royce fuel cell (Section 4.3). Its compact stack arrangement is described in US patent 2003/0,096,147 Al, an improved version of the previous patents. 

Liu, D.-J. and Yang, J., Method of Fabricating Electrode Catalyst Layers with Directionally Oriented Carbon Support for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, U.S. Patent Application 20060269827, November 30, 2006. 

Lee, S.A., Park, K.W., Kwon, B.K., and Sung, Y.E., Method of preparing platinum alloy electrode catalyst for direct methanol fuel cell using anhydrous metal chloride, U.S. Patent apphcation 20,010,027,160, Oct. 4, 2001. 

Silver, R.G. UTC Fuel Cells, EEC, assignee. Shift converter having an improved catalyst composition and method for its use. US Patent 6,455,182, 2002. 

Industrially, the great application of ORMEs is as an electrode and catalyst material for fuel cells. In a few years fuel cells are destined to replace batteries in everything from mobile phones to automobiles. The market for fuel cells will be enormous and their use is only being held back by the lack of a suitable electrode material. The special characteristic of ORMEs is that it is a superconductor and therefore suitable as an electrode material. This was in fact the specific basis that the US Defense Department vetoed David Hudson s US patent application. 

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