US 12,170,379 B2
Catalyst layer with extended surface area and method of forming such catalyst layer for polymer electrolyte fuel cells
Shicheng Xu, Stanford, CA (US); Friedrich B. Prinz, Stanford, CA (US); Thomas Schladt, Wolfsburg (DE); Tanja Graf, Wolfsburg (DE); Jonathan Edward Mueller, Wolfsburg (DE); Sebastian Kirsch, Wolfsburg (DE); Gerold Huebner, Wolfsburg (DE); and Vedran Glavas, Wolfsburg (DE)
Assigned to The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, CA (US); and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Wolfsburg (DE)
Appl. No. 17/296,888
Filed by The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, CA (US); and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Wolfsburg (DE)
PCT Filed Nov. 25, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/063099
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 25, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/112690, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 4, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/771,540, filed on Nov. 26, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0029171 A1, Jan. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. H01M 4/88 (2006.01); H01M 4/92 (2006.01); H01M 8/1004 (2016.01); H01M 8/10 (2016.01)
CPC H01M 4/8828 (2013.01) [H01M 4/8807 (2013.01); H01M 4/8867 (2013.01); H01M 4/8892 (2013.01); H01M 4/926 (2013.01); H01M 8/1004 (2013.01); H01M 2008/1095 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A manufacturing process comprising:
depositing a catalyst support on a gas diffusion layer to form a catalyst support-coated gas diffusion layer;
depositing, by atomic layer deposition, a catalyst layer on the catalyst support-coated gas diffusion layer to form a catalyst-coated gas diffusion layer; and
depositing an ionomer on the catalyst-coated gas diffusion layer to form an ionomer-coated gas diffusion layer;
wherein:
depositing the catalyst support is decoupled from depositing the catalyst layer;
depositing the ionomer is decoupled from depositing the catalyst layer;
depositing the ionomer comprises at least partially impregnating the ionomer into the catalyst layer, and the ionomer is deposited according to a concentration gradient wherein a concentration of the ionomer descends in a direction toward the gas diffusion layer; and
the catalyst layer is substantially alcohol-free.