Samsung Sdi Co., Inc.

Headwaters Technology Innovation, LLC

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Dalian Institute

Qin Xin

Gongquan Sun

Hyuk Jae Chang

Chan-ho Pak

Bing Zhou

Changkun Liu

Shiguo Sun

Luhua Jiang

Shuihua Tang

Seol Ah Lee

Mei Cai

Dae-jong Yoo

Seung-jae Lee

Ji-rae Kim

Juan Tian

Gongguan Sun

Dae-jung Yoo

Xinsheng Zhao

The fuel cells include electrode membrane assemblies having a nanoparticle catalyst supported on carbon nanorings. The carbon nanorings are formed from one or more carbon layers that form a wall that defines a generally annular nanostructure having a hole. The length of the nanoring is less than or about equal to the outer diameter thereof. The nanorings exhibit high surface area, high porosity, high graphitization, and/or facilitate mass transfer and electron transfer in fuel cell reactions.

Fuel cells and fuel cell catalysts incorporating a nanoring support

A method of preparing a supported catalyst includes dissolving a cation exchange polymer in alcohol to prepare a solution containing cation exchange polymer; mixing the cation exchange polymer containing solution with a catalytic metal precursor or a solution containing catalytic metal precursor; heating the mixture after adjusting its pH to a predetermined range; adding a reducing agent to the resultant and stirring the solution to reduce the catalytic metal precursor; mixing the resultant with a catalyst support; adding a precipitating agent to the resultant to form precipitates; and filtering and drying the precipitates. The method of preparing a supported catalyst can provide a highly dispersed supported catalyst containing catalytic metal particles with a reduced average size regardless of the type of catalyst support, which provides better catalytic activity than conventional catalysts at the same loading amount of catalytic metal.

Supported catalyst and method of preparing the same

A method of estimating a lifespan of a fuel cell including a cathode and an anode which contain catalysts and an electrolyte membrane interposed between the anode and the cathode. A cyclic potential with a voltage ranging from a low voltage to a voltage greater than oxidation voltages of the catalysts is applied between the anode and the cathode and fuel cell performance is measured initially and after a predetermined number of cycles. The lifespan of the fuel cell may estimated based on degradation of cell performance after the predetermined number of cycles, based on CV curves obtained during the cycling of the potential and/or a change in particle size of the catalysts after the predetermined number of cycles.

Accelerated testing method of rapidly evaluating lifespan of fuel cell

Methods for manufacturing carbon nanostructures include 1) forming intermediate carbon nanostructures by polymerizing a carbon precursor in the presence of templating nanoparticles, 2) carbonizing the intermediate carbon nanostructures to form an intermediate composite nanostructure, and 3) removing the templating nanoparticles from the intermediate composite nanostructure to form carbon nanorings. The carbon nanorings manufactured using the foregoing steps have one or more carbon layers forming a wall that defines a generally annular nanostructure having a hole. The length of the nanoring is less than or about equal to the outer diameter thereof. The carbon nanostructures are well-suited for use as a fuel cell catalyst support. The carbon nanostructures exhibit high surface area, high porosity, high graphitization, and facilitate mass transfer and electron transfer in fuel cell reactions. Carbon nanorings manufactured according to the present invention can be used as a substitute for more expensive and likely more fragile carbon nanotubes.

Carbon nanorings manufactured from templating nanoparticles

An electrocatalyst including an active catalyst component and an additive including a transitional metal, transitional metal oxide or complex precursor thereof, products including such an electrocatalyst and methods of making and using the same.

Electrocatalyst

Growing community of inventors

Dalian, China

Qin Xin