Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090145772 | METHOD OF TREATING NANOPARTICLES USING AN INTERMITTENTLY PROCESSING ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL - A method of treating electrically conductive nanoparticles using a dynamic processing electrochemical cell. | 06-11-2009 |
20090145781 | METHOD OF TREATING NANOPARTICLES USING A PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE AND LIQUID ELECTROLYTE CELL - One embodiment of the invention includes an electrochemical cell including a proton exchange membrane and a method of treating nanoparticles using the same. | 06-11-2009 |
20090263679 | SHUTDOWN OPERATIONS FOR AN UNSEALED CATHODE FUEL CELL SYSTEM - Processes to shut down a fuel cell system are described. In one implementation ( | 10-22-2009 |
20090269627 | HYDROGEN-IMMERSED FUEL CELL STACK AND RELATED OPERATION - A product includes a fuel cell stack, and an enclosure apparatus sealingly enclosing the fuel cell stack to define a hydrogen chamber between the fuel cell stack and the enclosure apparatus. | 10-29-2009 |
20100035097 | FUEL CELL STACK USED AS COOLANT HEATER - A system and method for increasing the temperature of a fuel cell stack quickly, especially at cold stack start-up. The method includes determining whether the fuel cell stack is below a first predetermined temperature threshold, and, if so, starting a cooling fluid flow through the stack and engaging a shorting circuit across the stack to short circuit the stack and cause the stack to operate inefficiently. The method then determines a desired heating rate of the fuel cell stack and calculates a cathode airflow to the fuel cell stack based on the desired heating rate. The method reduces the flow of cathode air to the stack if a minimum cell voltage is below a predetermined minimum cell voltage threshold and disengages the shorting circuit and applies vehicle loads to the stack when the stack temperature reaches a predetermined second temperature threshold. | 02-11-2010 |
20100035124 | HYBRID PARTICLE AND CORE-SHELL ELECTRODE STRUCTURE - A catalyst ink composition for a fuel cell electrode is provided. The catalyst ink composition includes: an ionomer; at least one solvent; a quantity of nanostructured thin film support cores; a catalyst formed from a precious metal, the catalyst coated onto the nanostructured thin film support cores; and a quantity of particles. The particles are configured to provide an electrode porosity that militates against excess water accumulation in the electrode formed from the ink composition upon a drying thereof. An electrode for a fuel cell and a method of fabricating the electrode with the catalyst ink composition are also provided. | 02-11-2010 |
20100081025 | MATERIAL DESIGN TO ENABLE HIGH MID-TEMPERATURE PERFORMANCE OF A FUEL CELL WITH ULTRATHIN ELECTRODES - A fuel cell including at least one of a hydrophilic interlayer and a flow field treated to impart hydrophilic properties is disclosed, wherein the hydrophilic interlayer and the treated flow field militate against water accumulation in ultrathin electrodes of the fuel cell, particularly for cool-start operating conditions (i.e. about 0° C. to about 60° C.). | 04-01-2010 |
20100105548 | METHOD FOR GENERATING A SHELL OF NOBLE METAL OVERLAID ON A CORE OF NON-NOBLE METAL, AND CATALYSTS MADE THEREBY - An electrocatalyst is described. The electrocatalyst includes a core of a non-noble metal or non-noble metal alloy; and a continuous shell of a noble metal or noble metal alloy on the core, the continuous shell being at least two monolayers of the noble metal or noble metal alloy. Methods for making the electrocatalyst are also described. | 04-29-2010 |
20100112382 | LIFE EXTENSION OF PEM FUEL CELL USING STARTUP METHOD - A fuel cell system that employs a technique for reducing or significantly eliminating the MEA degradation that occurs as a result of the hydrogen-air front in the anode flow channels at system start-up. After system shut-down, any hydrogen remaining within the anode flow channels will be quickly reacted or diffused. At the next start-up, a switch is closed to provide a dead short across the positive and negative terminals of the fuel cell stack as hydrogen is being introduced into the anode flow channels. The existing air in the cathode flow channels reacts with the hydrogen being introduced across the membrane in the normal fuel cell reaction. However, the short prevents a voltage potential across the membrane. | 05-06-2010 |
20100160153 | MAKING ELECTROCATALYST SUPPORTS FOR FUEL CELLS - Titanium oxide (usually titanium dioxide) catalyst support particles are doped for electronic conductivity and formed with surface area-enhancing pores for use, for example, in electro-catalyzed electrodes on proton exchange membrane electrodes in hydrogen/oxygen fuel cells. Suitable compounds of titanium and a dopant are dispersed with pore-forming particles in a liquid medium. The compounds are deposited as a precipitate or sol on the pore-forming particles and heated to transform the deposit into crystals of dopant-containing titanium dioxide. If the heating has not decomposed the pore-forming particles, they are chemically removed from the, now pore-enhanced, the titanium dioxide particles | 06-24-2010 |
20110143254 | FUEL CELL WITH LAYERED ELECTRODE - One embodiment includes at least one of the anode and cathode of a fuel cell comprises a first layer and a second layer in intimate contact with each other. Both the first layer and the second layer comprise a catalyst capable of catalyzing an electrochemical reaction of a reactant gas. The second layer has a higher porosity than the first layer. A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) based on the layered electrode configuration and a process of making a fuel cell are also described. | 06-16-2011 |
20110143256 | METHOD OF ENHANCING ELECTRODES - One embodiment includes a method of forming a hydrophilic particle containing electrode including providing a catalyst; providing hydrophilic particles suspended in a liquid to form a liquid suspension; contacting said catalyst with said liquid suspension; and, drying said liquid suspension contacting said catalyst to leave said hydrophilic particles attached to said catalyst. | 06-16-2011 |
20110143257 | METHOD OF ENHANCING ELECTRODES - One embodiment includes a method of forming a hydrophilic particle containing electrode including providing a catalyst; providing hydrophilic particles suspended in a liquid to form a liquid suspension; contacting said catalyst with said liquid suspension; and, drying said liquid suspension contacting said catalyst to leave said hydrophilic particles attached to said catalyst. | 06-16-2011 |
20110236788 | METHOD FOR MEMBRANE ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY FABRICATION AND MEMBRANE ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY - A method of coating carbon based electrodes and thick electrodes without mud-cracking is described. The electrode ink is deposited on a decal substrate, and transferred to a hot press before the electrode ink is completely dried. The partially dried electrode ink is hot pressed to the membrane to form a membrane electrode assembly. A membrane electrode assembly including a polymer membrane; and a pair of crack-free electrode layers on opposite sides of the polymer membrane, each of the pair of electrode layers having a thickness of at least about 50 μm is also described. | 09-29-2011 |
20120100301 | Nucleation of Ultrathin, Continuous, Conformal Metal Films Using Atomic Layer Deposition And Application As Fuel Cell Catalysts - A method to achieve a conformal ultrathin film of platinum or one of its alloys on a substrate that can be economically used as a heterogeneous catalyst, such as automotive polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell catalyst. The method includes using a hydrogen plasma in platinum atomic layer deposition along with tungsten as a substrate or anchoring adhesive layer to assist platinum nucleation and deposition. | 04-26-2012 |