Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells Limited

Robert Jeffrey Coleman

Angus John Dickinson

David Edward Barnwell

Thomas Robertson Ralph

Jorge Manuel Caramelo Soares

Natalia V Plechkova

Sam Haig

Peter Geoffrey Gray

Lee Alan Sweetland

Julie O'Sullivan

Peter Antony Trew

A process for the recovery of a perfluorosulphonic acid ionomer from a component comprising a perfluorosulphonic acid ionomer is disclosed, the process comprising immersing the component comprising the perfluorosulphonic acid ionomer in a solvent comprising an aliphatic diol and heating. Also disclosed is the use of the recovered perfluorosulphonic acid ionomer, for example in to prepared a proton conducting membrane or a catalyst ink.

Process

Process for the recovery of ionomer

The invention includes a reinforced membrane-seal assembly that comprises a reinforcing component, ion-conducting material, and seal material. The reinforcing component comprises a central region comprising a plurality of apertures extending from a first surface to a second surface of the reinforcing component, the central region having a first aperture area density; an inner peripheral border region surrounding the central region, where the inner peripheral border region is devoid of apertures; and an outer peripheral border region comprising a plurality of apertures extending from the first surface to the second surface of the reinforcing component, the outer peripheral border region having a second aperture area density. The outer peripheral border region surrounds the inner peripheral border region. The ion-conducting material at least partially fills each aperture in the central region of the reinforcing component and seal material fills each aperture in the outer peripheral border region of the reinforcing component.

Membrane-seal assembly

A process for manufacturing a reinforced membrane-seal assembly includes: (i) providing a carrier material; (ii) providing a planar reinforcing component having one or more first regions including pores and a second region including pores, the first regions being patches and non-continuous and the second region surrounding the first regions and being continuous; (iii) depositing an ion-conducting component; (iv) drying the ion-conducting component; (v) depositing a seal component; (vi) drying the seal component (vii) removing the carrier material. In embodiments, ion-conducting component fills the pores in the first regions and seal component fills the pores in the second region; steps (ii), (iii) and (v) can be carried out in any order; step (iv) is carried out subsequent to step (iii); step (vi) is carried out subsequent to step (v); and steps (iv) and (vi) are carried out subsequent to step (ii). Also disclosed is an assembly prepared by such process.

Process for the manufacturing of a reinforced membrane-seal assembly

Disclosed is a reinforced membrane-seal assembly, the reinforced membrane-seal assembly including: an inner region and a border region and wherein the inner region includes ion-conducting component and the border region includes seal component; wherein first and second planar porous reinforcing components each extend across the inner region into the border region and wherein the pores of each of the first and second planar porous reinforcing components in the inner region are impregnated with ion-conducting component and the pores of each of the first and second planar porous reinforcing components in the border region are impregnated with seal component is disclosed. Also disclosed is a catalyst-coated reinforced membrane-seal assembly, a reinforced membrane-seal electrode assembly and an electrochemical device including the reinforced membrane-seal assembly.

Disclosed is a process for the manufacture of a catalyst-coated membrane-seal assembly, including:

Process of manufacturing a catalyst-coated membrane-seal assembly

A membrane, suitable for use in a fuel cell comprises:

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Wiltshire, United Kingdom

Robert Jeffrey Coleman