Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

The Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund

Frederick T Wagner

Paul Taichiang Yu

Anusorn Kongkanand

Eric L Thompson

Junliang Zhang

Steven G Goebel

Mei Cai

William Henry Pettit

Balasubramanian Lakshmanan

Glenn William Skala

John P Salvador

Zhongyi Liu

Steven McClellan George

Yunfeng Lu

Hubert Gasteiger

Michael Kevin Carpenter

Susan Yan

Derek R Lebzelter

Jingxin Zhang

Robert S Foley

Martin S Ruthkosky

Matthew Dioguardi

John T Johnson

Clark G Hochgraf

Balsu Lakshmanan

Lee Lizhong Feng

Layton Baker

Zhiwang Wu

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.

Method of enhancing electrodes

A fuel cell system that employs a process for minimizing corrosion in the cathode side of a fuel cell stack in the system by combining cathode re-circulation and stack short-circuiting at system shut-down and start-up.

Method for mitigating cell degradation due to startup and shutdown via cathode re-circulation combined with electrical shorting of stack

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&#xb0; C. to about 60&#xb0; C.).

Material design to enable high mid-temperature performance of a fuel cell with ultrathin electrodes

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.

Fuel cell stack used as coolant heater

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 &#x3bc;m is also described.

Method for membrane electrode assembly fabrication and membrane electrode assembly

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.

Life extension of PEM fuel cell using startup method

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.

Fuel cell with layered electrode

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.

Nucleation of ultrathin, continuous, conformal metal films using atomic layer deposition and application as fuel cell catalysts

A method of operating the fuel cell stack having an anode side and a cathode side by flowing hydrogen into the anode side and flowing air into the cathode side. The fuel cell produces electricity that is used to operate a primary electrical device. To shut down the stack in one embodiment, the primary electrical device is disconnected from the stack. The flow of air into the cathode side is stopped and positive hydrogen pressure is maintained on the anode side. The fuel cell stack is shorted and oxygen in the cathode side is allowed to be consumed by hydrogen. The inlet and outlet valves of the anode and the cathode sides are closed. Thereafter, the flow of hydrogen into the anode side is stopped and the flow of exhaust from the cathode side is stopped.

Method of mitigating fuel cell degradation due to startup and shutdown via hydrogen/nitrogen storage

A method of treating electrically conductive nanoparticles using a dynamic processing electrochemical cell.

Method of treating nanoparticles using an intermittently processing electrochemical cell

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.

Method for generating a shell of noble metal overlaid on a core of non-noble metal, and catalysts made thereby

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. An operation of the product may include maintaining a positive pressure of hydrogen in the hydrogen chamber.

Hydrogen chamber enclosed fuel cell stack and related fuel cell shutdown operation

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.

Making electrocatalyst supports for fuel cells

A method of fuel cell shutdown and start-up is provided. The method of shutdown includes introducing hydrogen gas into the cathode passages to purge a cathode gas from the cathode passages, then introducing air through the cathode and anode passages to remove water droplets and vapor from the fuel cell stacks. The method from fuel cell start-up includes introducing hydrogen gas into the anode and cathode passages to consume/purge oxygen in both the anode and cathode passages, and then introducing a cathode gas into the cathode passages. The introduction of hydrogen into the cathode passages in both the shutdown and start-up procedures allow a rapid draw down of the anode/cathode open circuit voltage and avoids providing a hydrogen/air front while the cathode is filled with air.

Growing community of inventors

Fairport, NY, United States of America

Frederick T Wagner