Claims
- 1. A fuel cell comprising a gas diffusion electrode, a gas diffusion counter-electrode, a solid electrolyte membrane located between the electrode and counter-electrode, wherein the electrode or the counter-electrode or both comprise at least one modified carbon product, wherein said modified carbon product comprises a carbon product having attached at least one organic group, wherein said carbon product is a silicon-treated carbon black or a metal-treated carbon black.
- 2. The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein said solid electrolyte membrane comprises at least one modified carbon product, wherein said modified carbon product comprises a carbon product having attached at least one organic group.
- 3. The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein said gas diffusion electrode and gas diffusion counter-electrode each comprise a blocking layer and an active layer.
- 4. The fuel cell of claim 3, wherein said active layer or said blocking layer or both comprise at least one modified carbon product, wherein said modified carbon product comprises a carbon product having attached at least one organic group.
- 5. The fuel cell of claim 3, wherein said active layer has a thickness of less than about 10 microns.
- 6. The fuel cell of claim 3, wherein said active layer comprises at least one modified carbon product, wherein said modified carbon product comprises a carbon product having attached at least one organic group and a metal catalyst.
- 7. The fuel cell of claim 3, wherein said active layer has no fluoropolymer binder present.
- 8. The fuel cell of claim 1 wherein said solid electrolyte membrane comprises polytetrafluoroethylene.
- 9. A fuel cell comprising a gas diffusion electrode, a gas diffusion counter-electrode, a solid electrolyte membrane located between the electrode and counter-electrode, wherein said solid electrolyte membrane comprises at least one modified carbon product, wherein said modified carbon product comprises a carbon product having attached at least one organic group, wherein said carbon product is a silicon-treated carbon black or a metal-treated carbon black.
- 10. The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein said organic group is —C6H4SO3−.
- 11. A method to reduce the thickness of a solid electrolyte membrane comprising forming said electrolyte membrane with a modified carbon product, wherein said modified carbon product comprises a carbon product having attached at least one organic group, wherein said carbon product is a silicon-treated carbon black or a metal-treated carbon black.
- 12. A method for increasing catalyst accessibility in an electrode comprising forming an active layer with a modified carbon product in the absence of a fluoropolymer binder, wherein said modified carbon product comprises a carbon product having attached at least one organic group, wherein said carbon product is a silicon-treated carbon black or a metal-treated carbon black.
- 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the deposition of a catalytic material on said modified carbon product.
- 14. The fuel cell of claim 1, wherein said organic group is a proton conducting group, an electron conducting group, or both.
- 15. The method of claim 11, wherein said organic group is a proton conducting group, an electron conducting group, or both.
- 16. The method of claim 12, wherein said organic group is a proton conducting group, an electron conducting group, or both.
- 17. A modified carbon product comprising a carbon product having attached at least one ionic group associated with a counterionic catalyst group.
- 18. The modified carbon product of claim 17, wherein said counter ionic catalyst group comprises a metal catalyst.
- 19. The modified carbon product of claim 17, wherein said counter ionic catalyst group comprises platinum.
- 20. The modified carbon product of claim 17, wherein said carbon product is carbon black.
- 21. The modified carbon product of claim 17, wherein said counter ionic catalyst group comprises a cationic catalyst group.
- 22. The modified carbon product of claim 17, wherein said counter ionic catalyst group comprises Pt(NH3)4.
- 23. A method to form a carbon substrate containing catalyst comprising reacting a modified carbon product comprising a carbon product having attached at least one ionic group with a counterionic catalyst precursor to form a modified carbon product having attached at least one ionic group associated with a counterionic catalyst group, reducing said counterionic catalyst and with at least one reducing agent to form a catalyst, wherein said catalyst is uniformly distributed throughout said modified carbon product having attached at least one ionic group.
- 24. The method of claim 23, wherein said catalyst is a metal catalyst.
- 25. The method of claim 24, wherein said metal catalyst is platinum.
- 26. The method of claim 23, further comprising removing contaminants from said modified carbon product.
- 27. The method of claim 26, wherein said contaminants comprise NH4+, Cl−, or both.
- 28. The method of claim 23, wherein said reducing agent comprises hydrogen gas.
- 29. The method of claim 23, wherein said catalyst obtained is platinum having a particle size of about 1 nm or less.
- 30. A membrane comprising at least two layers, wherein a first layer comprises a) a modified carbon product comprising a carbon product having attached at least one organic group and b) optionally at least one binder, and a second layer comprising at least one hydrophobic polymer.
- 31. The membrane of claim 30, further comprising a third layer, adjacent said first layer, comprising at least one hydrophobic polymer.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/282,944 filed Apr. 11, 2001, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/307,890 filed Jul. 26, 2001, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/363,307 filed Mar. 8, 2002, and is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/833,202 filed Apr. 11, 2001, which are all incorporated in their entirety by reference herein.
Provisional Applications (3)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60282944 |
Apr 2001 |
US |
|
60307890 |
Jul 2001 |
US |
|
60363307 |
Mar 2002 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09833202 |
Apr 2001 |
US |
Child |
10112689 |
Mar 2002 |
US |