Fuel cell / water electrolysis bifunctional catalytic system and integrated regenerative fuel cell

Abstract

The application provides a fuel cell / water electrolysis bifunctional catalytic system, which comprises a first catalytic system suitable for a fuel cell module of an integrated regenerative fuel cell system and a second catalytic system suitable for a water electrolysis hydrogen production module of the integrated regenerative fuel cell system; the first catalytic system comprises a first anode catalyst suitable for an anode of the fuel cell module and a first cathode catalyst suitable for a cathode of the fuel cell module; and the second catalytic system comprises a second anode catalyst suitable for an anode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module and a second cathode catalyst suitable for a cathode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module. The application also provides an integrated regenerative fuel cell. The bifunctional catalytic system can effectively improve the catalytic efficiency of fuel cell electrochemical reaction and water electrolysis reaction, and meets the use requirement of the cycle performance of the integrated regenerative fuel cell system.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of fuel cells, in particular to a fuel cell / water electrolysis dual-function catalytic system and an integrated regenerative fuel cell. BACKGROUND

[0002] The integrated regenerative fuel cell system mainly comprises a fuel cell stack module, a water electrolysis hydrogen production module, an air supply assembly, a hydrogen supply assembly and a thermal management module, etc., wherein the fuel cell stack module mainly functions to generate continuous electric energy by consuming hydrogen, and the water electrolysis hydrogen production module mainly functions to generate hydrogen by water electrolysis reaction, and the hydrogen generated by the water electrolysis hydrogen production module can be supplied to the fuel cell stack module, so as to realize the integrated regenerative fuel cell with the dual functions of water electrolysis for obtaining hydrogen by using external electric energy and hydrogen consumption for power generation by the fuel cell stack.

[0003] In the existing integrated regenerative fuel cell system, the fuel cell stack module and the water electrolysis hydrogen production module generally use original catalysts for corresponding reactions, and the catalytic efficiency is poor, which is difficult to meet the use needs of the cycle performance of the integrated regenerative battery system. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the present application provides a fuel cell / water electrolysis dual-function catalytic system and an integrated regenerative fuel cell, aiming at solving the problems of poor catalytic efficiency of the catalyst of the existing integrated regenerative fuel cell system and difficulty in meeting the use needs of the cycle performance of the integrated regenerative battery system, etc.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, on the one hand, the present application provides a fuel cell / water electrolysis dual-function catalytic system suitable for an integrated regenerative fuel cell system, comprising a first catalytic system suitable for a fuel cell module of the integrated regenerative fuel cell system and a second catalytic system suitable for a water electrolysis hydrogen production module of the integrated regenerative fuel cell system.

[0006] The first catalytic system comprises a first anode catalyst suitable for the anode of the fuel cell module and a first cathode catalyst suitable for the cathode of the fuel cell module; the first anode catalyst is Pt / C, or is one or a mixture of at least two of Pt, Ir, PtIr alloy, PtRu alloy, PtIrRu alloy and IrRu alloy, or is a mixture of one of PtIr, PtRu, PtIrRu and IrRu mixed with Pt / C; the first cathode catalyst is Pt / C, or is one or a mixture of at least two of Pt, Ir, PtIr alloy, PtRu alloy, PtIrRu alloy and IrRu alloy, or is a mixture of one of PtIr, PtRu, PtIrRu and IrRu mixed with Pt / C;

[0007] The second catalytic system comprises a second anode catalyst suitable for the anode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module and a second cathode catalyst suitable for the cathode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module; the second anode catalyst is one or a mixture of at least two of Pt, Ir, PtIr alloy, PtRu alloy, PtIrRu alloy and IrRu alloy; the second cathode catalyst is Pt / C.

[0008] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present application also provide an integrated regenerative fuel cell using the above-mentioned fuel cell / water electrolysis dual-function catalytic system, which comprises a fuel cell module and a water electrolysis hydrogen production module, the cathode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module is connected with the anode of the fuel cell module, and the anode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module is connected with the cathode of the fuel cell module.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment, the fuel cell module is provided with a first anode catalyst carrier and a first cathode catalyst carrier which are independent of each other; the first anode catalyst is coated on the first anode catalyst carrier; and the first cathode catalyst is coated on the first cathode catalyst carrier.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the first anode catalyst carrier and the first cathode catalyst carrier are both carbon carriers.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the fuel cell module is a graphite bipolar plate fuel cell module.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the water electrolysis hydrogen production module is provided with a second cathode catalyst carrier, and the second cathode catalyst is coated on the second cathode catalyst carrier.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, the second cathode catalyst carrier is one of TiO2, SnO2, Ti4O7, TiC and TiN or a mixture of at least two of them.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, the electrolytic water hydrogen production module is further provided with a second anode catalyst carrier, and the second anode catalyst is coated on the second anode catalyst carrier.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the second anode catalyst carrier is one of TiO2, SnO2, Ti4O7, TiC and TiN or a mixture of at least two of them.

[0016] As a preferred embodiment, the electrolytic water hydrogen production module is further provided with a gas diffusion layer, which includes an anode gas diffusion layer and a cathode gas diffusion layer; the anode gas diffusion layer is a diffusion layer prepared by sintering titanium or / and titanium fiber paper; and the cathode gas diffusion layer is a carbon paper diffusion layer.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment, the electrolytic water hydrogen production module is further provided with a bipolar plate, which includes an anode bipolar plate and a cathode bipolar plate, and the anode bipolar plate and the cathode bipolar plate are both titanium plates or titanium alloy plates.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment, the anode bipolar plate and the cathode bipolar plate are both provided with a serpentine flow field.

[0019] Through the present application, the problems of poor catalytic efficiency of the existing integrated regenerative fuel cell system, and difficulty in meeting the use needs of the cycle performance of the integrated regenerative battery system can be solved. The dual-function catalytic system of the present application can effectively improve the catalytic efficiency of the fuel cell electrochemical reaction and the water electrolysis reaction, and meet the use needs of the cycle performance of the integrated regenerative battery system. The preparation method of the present application is simple, the production cost is low, the production efficiency is high, and it is easy to mass produce or large-scale produce.

[0020] The implementation, functional characteristics and advantages of the present application will be further described in conjunction with the embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0022] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present application involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, top, bottom, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement condition, etc. between components in a certain specific posture, and if the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0023] In the present application, unless specifically defined otherwise and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connecting", "fixing" and the like should be interpreted broadly, for example, can be fixed connection, can also be detachable connection, or integrated; can be mechanical connection, can also be electrical connection; can be directly connected, can also be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship of two elements, unless otherwise specifically limited. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0024] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there can be a mediating element. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there can be a mediating element.

[0025] In addition, if the embodiments of the present application involve "first", "second" and the like, the "first", "second" and the like are only for description purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features limited by "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the technical solutions of various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the fact that a person skilled in the art can realize it, and when the combination of technical solutions contradicts each other or cannot be realized, it should be considered that the combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by the present application.

[0026] In the existing integrated regenerative fuel cell system, the fuel cell stack module and the water electrolysis hydrogen production module generally use the original catalyst for corresponding reaction, and the catalytic efficiency is poor, which is difficult to meet the use needs of the cycle performance of the integrated regenerative fuel cell system. Based on this, it is necessary to provide a fuel cell / water electrolysis dual-function catalyst system and an integrated regenerative fuel cell to solve the above technical problems.

[0027] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, on the one hand, the embodiments of the present application provide a fuel cell / water electrolysis dual-function catalyst system suitable for an integrated regenerative fuel cell system, comprising a first catalyst system suitable for a fuel cell module of the integrated regenerative fuel cell system and a second catalyst system suitable for a water electrolysis hydrogen production module of the integrated regenerative fuel cell system;

[0028] The first catalytic system includes a first anode catalyst suitable for the anode of the fuel cell module and a first cathode catalyst suitable for the cathode of the fuel cell module; the first anode catalyst is Pt / C, or is one or a mixture of at least two of Pt, Ir, Pt-Ir alloy, Pt-Ru alloy, Pt-Ir-Ru alloy and Ir-Ru alloy, or is a mixture of one of Pt-Ir, Pt-Ru, Pt-Ir-Ru and Ir-Ru mixed with Pt / C; the first cathode catalyst is Pt / C, or is one or a mixture of at least two of Pt, Ir, Pt-Ir alloy, Pt-Ru alloy, Pt-Ir-Ru alloy and Ir-Ru alloy, or is a mixture of one of Pt-Ir, Pt-Ru, Pt-Ir-Ru and Ir-Ru mixed with Pt / C;

[0029] The second catalytic system includes a second anode catalyst suitable for the anode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module and a second cathode catalyst suitable for the cathode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module; the second anode catalyst is one or a mixture of at least two of Pt, Ir, Pt-Ir alloy, Pt-Ru alloy, Pt-Ir-Ru alloy and Ir-Ru alloy; the second cathode catalyst is Pt / C.

[0030] In the embodiments of the present application, in the catalytic layer where each catalyst is located, the higher the catalyst loading, the higher the catalytic performance will be, but it will stop after reaching the limit; moreover, with the increase of the thickness of the catalytic layer, the mass transfer will be affected at high current density, which will instead cause the reduction of the performance of the battery. Therefore, in the catalytic layer where each catalyst is located, the thickness of the catalytic layer is generally 3-10 μm (for example, it can be 3 μm, or 6 μm, or 10 μm, etc.), and the particle size of Pt used in each catalyst is generally 2.5-5.0 nm (for example, it can be 2.5 nm, or 4.0 nm, or 5.0 nm, etc.).

[0031] In the present application, Pt / C with both OER (oxygen evolution reaction) and HER (hydrogen evolution reaction) functions is used as the first anode catalyst, the first cathode catalyst and the second cathode catalyst, and one or a mixture of at least two of Pt, Ir, Pt-Ir alloy, Pt-Ru alloy, Pt-Ir-Ru alloy and Ir-Ru alloy is used as the second anode catalyst, which can well improve the catalytic efficiency of the fuel cell electrochemical reaction and the water electrolysis reaction, and meet the use needs of the cycle performance of the integrated regenerative battery system.

[0032] In actual application, the following modes can also be used for application:

[0033] The first mode: using one or a mixture of at least two of Ir, PtIr, PtRu, PtIrRu, IrRu and Pt as OER and HOR (hydrogenation reaction) catalysts, with the OER and HOR catalysts set on one side; the other side is set as Pt / C.

[0034] For example, in one embodiment, a mixture of PtIr and Pt is used as the OER and HOR catalysts, with the OER and HOR catalysts disposed on one side and Pt / C on the other side. In another embodiment, PtIrRu is used as the OER and HOR catalysts, with the OER and HOR catalysts disposed on one side and Pt / C on the other side. In yet another embodiment, a mixture of PtRu, PtIrRu, and Pt is used as the OER and HOR catalysts, with the OER and HOR catalysts disposed on one side and Pt / C on the other side. Applying the bifunctional catalytic systems of the above embodiments to an integrated regenerative fuel cell system, the results show that the bifunctional catalytic systems of each embodiment can effectively improve the catalytic efficiency of the fuel cell's electrochemical reaction and water electrolysis reaction, meeting the usage requirements of the integrated regenerative battery system's cycle performance.

[0035] The second mode is to use one of PtIr, PtRu, PtIrRu and IrRu directly as a bifunctional catalyst for OER and ORR (redox reaction), or to use one of PtIr, PtRu, PtIrRu and IrRu mixed with Pt / C as a bifunctional catalyst for OER and ORR, with the bifunctional catalyst for OER and ORR set on one side; and Pt / C as a catalyst for HER and HOR on the other side.

[0036] For example, in one embodiment, PtIr is used directly as a bifunctional catalyst for OER and ORR, with the bifunctional catalyst for OER and ORR disposed on one side; Pt / C is used as a catalyst for HER and HOR on the other side. In another embodiment, a mixture of PtIrRu and Pt / C is used as a bifunctional catalyst for OER and ORR, with the bifunctional catalyst for OER and ORR disposed on one side; Pt / C is used as a catalyst for HER and HOR on the other side. In yet another embodiment, a mixture of IrRu and Pt / C is used as a bifunctional catalyst for OER and ORR, with the bifunctional catalyst for OER and ORR disposed on one side; Pt / C is used as a catalyst for HER and HOR on the other side. Applying the bifunctional catalytic systems of the above embodiments to an integrated regenerative fuel cell system, the results show that the bifunctional catalytic systems of each embodiment can effectively improve the catalytic efficiency of the electrochemical reaction and water electrolysis reaction of the fuel cell, meeting the usage requirements of the cycle performance of the integrated regenerative battery system.

[0037] On the other hand, embodiments of this application also provide an integrated regenerative fuel cell using the above-mentioned fuel cell / water electrolysis dual-function catalytic system, including a fuel cell module and a water electrolysis hydrogen production module, wherein the cathode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module is connected to the anode of the fuel cell module, and the anode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module is connected to the cathode of the fuel cell module.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the fuel cell module is provided with a first anode catalyst support and a first cathode catalyst support that are independent of each other; the first anode catalyst is coated on the first anode catalyst support; the first cathode catalyst is coated on the first cathode catalyst support.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, both the first anode catalyst support and the first cathode catalyst support are carbon supports.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, the fuel cell module is a graphite bipolar plate fuel cell module.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the water electrolysis hydrogen production module is provided with a second cathode catalyst carrier, and the second cathode catalyst is coated on the second cathode catalyst carrier.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the second cathode catalyst support is one or a mixture of at least two of TiO2, SnO2, Ti4O7, TiC, and TiN. For example, it can be TiO2, or a mixture of SnO2 and Ti4O7, or a mixture of Ti4O7, TiC, and TiN, etc.

[0043] Using one or a mixture of at least two of TiO2, SnO2, Ti4O7, TiC and TiN as the second cathode catalyst support, and combining it with Pt / C as the second cathode catalyst, allows the two to be well matched, enabling the second cathode catalyst to better exert its catalytic effect, effectively improving the catalytic efficiency of the water electrolysis reaction, and meeting the usage requirements of the cycle performance of the integrated regenerative battery system.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment, the water electrolysis hydrogen production module is further provided with a second anode catalyst carrier, wherein the second anode catalyst is coated on the second anode catalyst carrier.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment, the second anode catalyst support is one or a mixture of at least two of TiO2, SnO2, Ti4O7, TiC, and TiN. For example, it can be TiO2, or a mixture of SnO2 and Ti4O7, or a mixture of Ti4O7, TiC, and TiN, etc.

[0046] Using one or a mixture of at least two of TiO2, SnO2, Ti4O7, TiC and TiN as the second anode catalyst support, and combining it with one or a mixture of at least two of Pt, Ir, PtIr alloy, PtRu alloy, PtIrRu alloy and IrRu alloy as the second anode catalyst, can achieve good compatibility between the two, allowing the second anode catalyst to better exert its catalytic effect, effectively improving the catalytic efficiency of the water electrolysis reaction, and meeting the usage requirements of the cycle performance of the integrated regenerative battery system.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment, the water electrolysis hydrogen production module is further provided with a gas diffusion layer, which includes an anode gas diffusion layer and a cathode gas diffusion layer; the anode gas diffusion layer is a diffusion layer made of sintered titanium and / or titanium fiber paper; and the cathode gas diffusion layer is a carbon paper diffusion layer.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the water electrolysis hydrogen production module is further provided with a bipolar plate, which includes an anode bipolar plate and a cathode bipolar plate, both of which are titanium plates or titanium alloy plates.

[0049] In a preferred embodiment, both the anode bipolar plate and the cathode bipolar plate are provided with a serpentine flow field.

[0050] Table 1. Schematic diagram of the components of the fuel cell module and water electrolysis hydrogen production module of an integrated regenerative fuel cell according to an embodiment of this application.

[0051]

[0052] The bifunctional catalytic system in Table 1 was applied to an integrated regenerative fuel cell system. The results showed that the bifunctional catalytic system can effectively improve the catalytic efficiency of the electrochemical reaction and water electrolysis reaction of the fuel cell, meeting the requirements of the cycle performance of the integrated regenerative battery system.

[0053] This application addresses the problems of poor catalytic efficiency and difficulty in meeting the cycle performance requirements of existing integrated regenerative fuel cell systems. The bifunctional catalytic system of this application effectively improves the catalytic efficiency of the electrochemical and water electrolysis reactions in the fuel cell, meeting the cycle performance requirements of the integrated regenerative fuel cell system. The preparation method of this invention is simple, has low production cost, high production efficiency, and is easy to mass-produce or scale up.

[0054] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention under the inventive concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An integrated regenerative fuel cell employing a dual-functional catalytic system of fuel cell / water electrolysis, characterized in that, It includes a fuel cell module and a water electrolysis hydrogen production module, wherein the cathode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module is connected to the anode of the fuel cell module, and the anode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module is connected to the cathode of the fuel cell module. The fuel cell / water electrolysis dual-function catalytic system is applicable to an integrated regenerative fuel cell system, including a first catalytic system applicable to the fuel cell module of the integrated regenerative fuel cell system and a second catalytic system applicable to the water electrolysis hydrogen production module of the integrated regenerative fuel cell system. The first catalytic system includes a first anode catalyst suitable for the anode of the fuel cell module and a first cathode catalyst suitable for the cathode of the fuel cell module; the first anode catalyst is Pt / C, or a mixture of one or at least two of Pt, Ir, PtIr alloy, PtRu alloy, PtIrRu alloy and IrRu alloy, or a mixture of one of PtIr alloy, PtRu alloy, PtIrRu alloy and IrRu alloy with Pt / C; the first cathode catalyst is Pt / C, or a mixture of one or at least two of Pt, Ir, PtIr alloy, PtRu alloy, PtIrRu alloy and IrRu alloy, or a mixture of one of PtIr alloy, PtRu alloy, PtIrRu alloy and IrRu alloy with Pt / C; The second catalytic system includes a second anode catalyst suitable for the anode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module and a second cathode catalyst suitable for the cathode of the water electrolysis hydrogen production module; the second anode catalyst is one or a mixture of at least two of Pt, Ir, PtIr alloy, PtRu alloy, PtIrRu alloy and IrRu alloy; the second cathode catalyst is Pt / C.

2. The integrated regenerative fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fuel cell module is provided with a first anode catalyst support and a first cathode catalyst support that are independent of each other; the first anode catalyst is coated on the first anode catalyst support; the first cathode catalyst is coated on the first cathode catalyst support.

3. The integrated regenerative fuel cell according to claim 2, characterized in that, Both the first anode catalyst support and the first cathode catalyst support are carbon supports; the fuel cell module is a graphite bipolar plate fuel cell module.

4. The integrated regenerative fuel cell according to claim 3, characterized in that, The water electrolysis hydrogen production module is equipped with a second cathode catalyst carrier, and the second cathode catalyst is coated on the second cathode catalyst carrier.

5. The integrated regenerative fuel cell according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second cathode catalyst support is one or a mixture of at least two of TiO2, SnO2, Ti4O7, TiC and TiN.

6. The integrated regenerative fuel cell according to claim 5, characterized in that, The water electrolysis hydrogen production module is also provided with a second anode catalyst carrier, on which the second anode catalyst is coated.

7. The integrated regenerative fuel cell according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second anode catalyst support is one or a mixture of at least two of TiO2, SnO2, Ti4O7, TiC and TiN.

8. The integrated regenerative fuel cell according to claim 7, characterized in that, The water electrolysis hydrogen production module is also provided with a gas diffusion layer, which includes an anode gas diffusion layer and a cathode gas diffusion layer; the anode gas diffusion layer is a diffusion layer made of sintered titanium and / or titanium fiber paper; the cathode gas diffusion layer is a carbon paper diffusion layer.

9. The integrated regenerative fuel cell according to claim 8, characterized in that, The water electrolysis hydrogen production module is also equipped with a bipolar plate, which includes an anode bipolar plate and a cathode bipolar plate. Both the anode bipolar plate and the cathode bipolar plate are titanium plates or titanium alloy plates. Both the anode bipolar plate and the cathode bipolar plate are provided with a serpentine flow field.

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