Systems and methods for direct coating of electrodes on porous substrates of electrolytic cells
By directly coating the catalyst ink on the corrosion-resistant and porous substrate of the electrolytic cell, a catalytic layer including ionomer strands is formed, solving the complex problems of traditional processes and achieving simplified processes and cost-effective improvements.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202410475154.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2024-02-05
- Filing Date
- 2024-04-19
- Publication Date
- 2025-08-05
AI Technical Summary
In traditional electrolytic cell manufacturing, multiple coating and lamination processes are required, and there is a large number of materials and sub-processes, and there is room for improvement.
The anode and cathode catalyst ink are directly coated on the corrosion-resistant substrate and the porous substrate by slit coating die head, spraying or sputtering method to form a catalytic layer including ionomer strands, and a film is provided between the two, simplifying the process flow.
Reduced material and process steps, and improved the manufacturing efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the electrolytic cell.
Smart Images
Figure CN120425375A_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] The information provided in this section is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. The work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this section and insofar as it may not qualify as prior art at the time of filing, is neither explicitly nor implicitly admitted as prior art to the present disclosure. Technical Field
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for directly coating electrodes on porous substrates for electrolytic cells. Background Art
[0003] Specifically, an electrolyzer is a device that performs electrolysis, which is a process that uses electricity to decompose water into oxygen and hydrogen, which can be used as fuel in vehicles (such as cars). The electrolyzer consists of an anode and a cathode separated by an electrolyte. The electrolyzer may include a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which helps produce the electrochemical reactions required to split water and separate the product hydrogen from the product oxygen. On the anode side of the MEA, water is electrochemically oxidized into oxygen and protons. The protons diffuse through the membrane and are electrochemically reduced to hydrogen on the cathode side. The catalyst on each side is able to react, and the membrane allows the protons to pass while keeping the gases separated. In this way, the correct levels of voltage and current must be applied to the battery cells to enable gas production.
[0004] Conventional electrolyzer manufacturing requires a catalyst coated on membrane (CCM) process, multiple decals, and multiple lamination processes. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art to reduce the materials used and the number of sub-processes required. Summary of the Invention
[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a membrane electrode assembly for use in a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer or an alkaline electrolyzer to produce hydrogen for use as a vehicle fuel, the membrane electrode assembly comprising a corrosion-resistant substrate coated with an anode catalyst ink by a slot coating die, a spray coating method, or sputtering to form an anode catalyst layer, wherein the anode catalyst layer comprises ionomer strands protruding into the corrosion-resistant substrate, a porous substrate coated with a cathode catalyst ink by a slot coating die, a spray coating method, or sputtering to form a cathode catalyst layer, wherein the cathode catalyst layer comprises ionomer strands protruding into the porous substrate, and a membrane disposed between the anode catalyst layer of the corrosion-resistant substrate and the cathode catalyst layer of the porous substrate.
[0006] Implementations of the present disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some embodiments, the depth of the ionomer strands of the anode catalyst layer protruding into the corrosion-resistant substrate may be about 1-80% of the total thickness of the corrosion-resistant substrate.
[0007] The ionomer strands of the cathode catalyst layer may protrude into the porous substrate to a depth of about 1-80% of the total thickness of the porous substrate.
[0008] The corrosion-resistant substrate may be a porous transmission layer. The porous transmission layer may be formed from a titanium-based component.
[0009] The porous substrate may be a gas diffusion layer. The gas diffusion layer may be formed from a carbon-based component.
[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a membrane electrode assembly for either a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer or an alkaline electrolyzer, the membrane electrode assembly comprising a corrosion-resistant substrate coated with an anode catalyst ink to form an anode catalyst layer, wherein the anode catalyst layer comprises ionomer strands protruding into the corrosion-resistant substrate, a porous substrate coated with a cathode catalyst ink to form a cathode catalyst layer, wherein the cathode catalyst layer comprises ionomer strands protruding into the porous substrate, and a membrane disposed between the anode catalyst layer of the corrosion-resistant substrate and the cathode catalyst layer of the porous substrate.
[0011] Implementations of the present disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some embodiments, the depth of the ionomer strands of the anode catalyst layer protruding into the corrosion-resistant substrate may be about 1-80% of the total thickness of the corrosion-resistant substrate.
[0012] The ionomer strands of the cathode catalyst layer may protrude into the porous substrate to a depth of about 1-80% of the total thickness of the porous substrate.
[0013] The corrosion-resistant substrate may be a porous transmission layer. The porous transmission layer may be formed from a titanium-based component.
[0014] The porous substrate may be a gas diffusion layer. The gas diffusion layer may be formed from a carbon-based component.
[0015] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for preparing a membrane electrode assembly, comprising providing a corrosion-resistant substrate, providing a membrane, providing a porous substrate, applying an anode catalyst ink to the corrosion-resistant substrate, applying a cathode catalyst ink to the porous substrate, and laminating the corrosion-resistant substrate coated with the anode catalyst ink and the porous substrate coated with the cathode catalyst ink with the membrane.
[0016] Implementations of the present disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some embodiments, the anode catalyst ink may include ionomer strands protruding into the corrosion-resistant substrate, and the depth of the ionomer strands protruding into the corrosion-resistant substrate may be between about 1-80% of the total thickness of the corrosion-resistant substrate.
[0017] The cathode catalyst ink may include ionomer strands protruding into the porous substrate, and the depth of the ionomer strands protruding into the porous substrate may be between about 1-80% of the total thickness of the porous substrate.
[0018] The corrosion-resistant substrate may be a porous transmission layer. The porous transmission layer may be formed from a titanium-based component.
[0019] The porous substrate may be a gas diffusion layer.
[0020] The details of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) according to the principles of the present disclosure;
[0023] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Exploded side view of the MEA;
[0024] Figure 3 It shows the manufacturing Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a method for producing an MEA; and
[0025] Figure 4 It is manufactured Figure 1 Flowchart of the MEA method.
[0026] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] Example configurations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Specific details, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the configurations of the present disclosure. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that the example configurations can be implemented in many different forms, and that the specific details and example configurations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.
[0028] The terms used herein are only used to describe the purpose of specific exemplary configurations and are not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles "a" and "the" may also be intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprise," "include," and "have" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, parts, and / or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be interpreted as necessarily requiring them to be performed in the particular order discussed or shown, unless specifically identified as an execution order. Additional or alternative steps may be adopted.
[0029] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "engaged to," "connected to," "attached to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, directly engaged, connected, attached to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," "directly attached to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a similar manner (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
[0030] The terms "first", "second", "third" etc. may be used in this article to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts. These elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms can only be used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or part from another region, layer or part. Unless the context clearly indicates, terms such as "first", "second" and other numerical terms do not imply an order or sequence. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the example configurations, the first element, component, region, layer or part discussed below may be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer or part.
[0031] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , generally showing a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) 100. MEA 100 can be incorporated into a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer or an alkaline electrolyzer. Any of the above electrolyzers can be configured to decompose water into oxygen and hydrogen, which can be used as fuel in a vehicle (e.g., an automobile) or in any other suitable application. MEA 100 includes a membrane 102, a corrosion-resistant porous substrate 104, and a porous substrate 106.
[0032] The membrane 102 may be made of PFSA or non-PFSA ionomer material. The membrane 102 may have a reinforcement material, such as expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) or any other suitable material for mechanical support. Any reinforcement material of the membrane 102 may form a reinforcement layer, which may have a reinforcement layer thickness between 0-100% of the total thickness of the membrane 102.
[0033] The membrane 102 may include a gas recombination catalyst (GRC), such as platinum, platinum on carbon, platinum on other materials, or other additives. Any GRC of the membrane 102 may form a gas recombination layer (GRL) having a GRL thickness between 0-100% of the total thickness of the membrane 102. The membrane 102 may include chemical mitigation additives in the form of various chemical compounds, such as cerium, manganese, cobalt, and the like.
[0034] The corrosion-resistant substrate 104 can be a porous transport layer (PTL) or any other suitable substrate. The corrosion-resistant substrate 104 can be formed of a titanium-based component, such as a sintered titanium particle substrate, titanium fiber paper, expanded titanium mesh, or any other suitable material. The corrosion-resistant substrate 104 is designed to be porous and conductive both within the plane and through the plane. The corrosion-resistant substrate 104 is configured to receive an anode catalyst ink and be coated with an anode catalyst ink to form an anode catalyst layer 108. The anode catalyst layer 108 mainly includes a catalyst and a binder. In addition to the proton conducting function, the ionomer (ion cross-linked polymer) also acts as a binder in most cases. In some embodiments, the anode catalyst layer 108 may include ionomer strands protruding into the corrosion-resistant substrate 104. The depth of the ionomer strands of the anode catalyst layer 108 protruding into the corrosion-resistant substrate 104 is approximately 1-80% of the total thickness of the corrosion-resistant substrate 104. In other embodiments, the anode catalyst layer 108 and its components (e.g., catalyst, binder (e.g., ionomer)) can be adjacent to the corrosion-resistant substrate 104 but not protrude into the corrosion-resistant substrate 104. The anode catalyst layer 108 can be applied to the corrosion-resistant substrate 104 by a slot coating die, spray coating, sputtering, or any other suitable method.
[0035] The porous substrate 106 can be a gas diffusion layer (GDL) or any other suitable substrate. The porous substrate 106 can be formed from a carbon-based component, such as carbon cloth, carbon paper and / or any other suitable material. The porous substrate 106 is configured to receive a cathode catalyst ink and be coated with the cathode catalyst ink to form a cathode catalyst layer 110. In some embodiments, the cathode catalyst layer 110 includes ionomer strands protruding into the porous substrate 106. The depth to which the ionomer strands of the cathode catalyst layer 110 protrude into the porous substrate 106 is about 1-80% of the total thickness of the porous substrate 106. In other embodiments, the cathode catalyst layer 110 and its components such as catalyst, binder (e.g., ionomer) can be adjacent to the porous substrate 106 but do not protrude into the porous substrate 106. The cathode catalyst layer 110 can be applied to the porous substrate 106 by a slot coating die, a spray coating method, sputtering, or any other suitable method.
[0036] refer to Figure 3 , MEA100 can be manufactured by lamination. Specifically, the corrosion-resistant substrate 104 is coated with an anode catalyst ink to form an anode catalyst layer 108, and the porous substrate 106 is coated with a cathode catalyst ink to form a cathode catalyst layer 110. Then, the corrosion-resistant substrate 104 coated with the anode catalyst layer 108 and the porous substrate 106 coated with the cathode catalyst layer 110 are laminated with the membrane 102 and held in place by a gasket 112. In some embodiments, the gasket 112 can be between the membrane 102 and the anode catalyst layer 108, or the gasket 112 can be between the membrane 102 and the cathode catalyst layer 110.
[0037] refer to Figure 4 , generally showing a method 200 for manufacturing an MEA 100. At step 202, a corrosion-resistant substrate 104 or PTL is provided. At step 204, a membrane 102 is provided. At step 206, a porous substrate 106 or GDL is provided. At step 208, an anode catalyst ink is applied to the corrosion-resistant substrate 104 to form an anode catalyst layer 108. At step 210, a cathode catalyst ink is applied to the porous substrate 106 to form a cathode catalyst layer 110. At step 212, a gasket 112 is provided. At step 214, the corrosion-resistant substrate 104 coated with the anode catalyst layer 108 and the porous substrate 106 coated with the cathode catalyst layer 110 are laminated with the membrane 102 using the gasket 112 to form the MEA 100.
[0038] During the manufacture of a traditional MEA, both the anode catalyst ink and the cathode catalyst ink are coated on separate patches, laminated with the membrane, and then the patches are removed. Subsequently, an adhesive is screen-printed or distributed on the outer edge of the PTL or GDL substrate. Subsequently, the PTL or GDL is extruded or laminated on the catalyst-coated membrane. Finally, the entire assembly is laminated to form an MEA. The MEA 100 and its manufacturing method 200 as described herein eliminate the intermediate lamination step, apply an adhesive on the PTL or GDL, and eliminate the need for additional patches. In some embodiments, one or more parts of the MEA 100 (e.g., the cathode side) and its manufacturing method 200 can be implemented without conventional processes.
[0039] A number of embodiments have been described. However, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
[0040] The foregoing description is provided for the purpose of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but are interchangeable where applicable and can be used in a selected configuration, even if not specifically shown or described. They may also vary in many ways. Such variations should not be considered as departing from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.
Claims
1. A membrane electrode assembly for use in a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer or an alkaline electrolyzer to produce hydrogen for use as a vehicle fuel, the membrane electrode assembly comprising: a corrosion-resistant substrate coated with an anode catalyst ink via one of a slot coating die, a spray coating method, or sputtering to form an anode catalyst layer, wherein the anode catalyst layer comprises ionomer strands protruding into the corrosion-resistant substrate; a porous substrate coated with a cathode catalyst ink via one of a slot coating die, a spray coating method, or sputtering to form a cathode catalyst layer, wherein the cathode catalyst layer comprises ionomer strands protruding into the porous substrate; as well as A membrane is provided between the anode catalyst layer of the corrosion-resistant substrate and the cathode catalyst layer of the porous substrate. 2 . The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ionomer strands of the anode catalyst layer protrude into the corrosion-resistant substrate to a depth of about 1-80% of the total thickness of the corrosion-resistant substrate. 3 . The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ionomer strands of the cathode catalyst layer protrude into the porous substrate to a depth of about 1-80% of the total thickness of the porous substrate. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the corrosion-resistant substrate is a porous transport layer. The membrane electrode assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the porous transport layer is formed of a titanium-based component. The membrane electrode assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the porous substrate is a gas diffusion layer. 7 . The membrane electrode assembly according to claim 6 , wherein the gas diffusion layer is formed of a carbon-based component.
8. A membrane electrode assembly for a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer or an alkaline electrolyzer, the membrane electrode assembly comprising: a corrosion-resistant substrate coated with an anode catalyst ink to form an anode catalyst layer, wherein the anode catalyst layer comprises ionomer strands protruding into the corrosion-resistant substrate; a porous substrate coated with a cathode catalyst ink to form a cathode catalyst layer, wherein the cathode catalyst layer comprises ionomer strands protruding into the porous substrate; as well as A membrane is provided between the anode catalyst layer of the corrosion-resistant substrate and the cathode catalyst layer of the porous substrate. 9 . The membrane electrode assembly of claim 8 , wherein the ionomer strands of the anode catalyst layer protrude into the corrosion-resistant substrate to a depth of about 1-80% of the total thickness of the corrosion-resistant substrate.
10. The membrane electrode assembly of claim 8, wherein the ionomer strands of the cathode catalyst layer protrude into the porous substrate to a depth of about 1-80% of the total thickness of the porous substrate.