Daikin Industries, Ltd.

Asahi Kasei E-materials Corporation

Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha

Takahiko Murai

Naoki Sakamoto

Masahiro Kondo

Tadashi Ino

Naoto Miyake

Takashi Yoshimura

Noriyuki Shinoki

Masaharu Nakazawa

Kohei Kita

A method for producing an electrolyte emulsion, the method including: Step (1) in which an ethylenic fluoromonomer and a fluorovinyl compound having an SOZgroup, wherein Zis a halogen element, are copolymerized at a polymerization temperature of 0&#xb0; C. or higher and 40&#xb0; C. or lower to provide a precursor emulsion containing a fluoropolymer electrolyte precursor; and Step (2) in which a basic reactive liquid is added to the precursor emulsion and the fluoropolymer electrolyte precursor is chemically treated, whereby an electrolyte emulsion with a fluoropolymer electrolyte dispersed therein is provided, wherein the electrolyte emulsion has an equivalent weight (EW) of 250 or more and 700 or less.

Electrolyte emulsion and process for producing same

The disclosure includes a method for producing a dispersion composition of fluorine-containing ion exchange resin comprising a copolymer represented by formula: wherein x and y represent numbers satisfying 0&#x2266;x&#x3c;1, 0&#x2266;y&#x3c;1, and x+y=1; Z represents H, Cl, F, or a perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms; m represents an integer of 0 to 12; and n represents an integer of 0 to 2.

Dispersion composition of fluorine-containing ion exchange resin

The present invention provides a fluoropolymer electrolyte material which has improved processability and which is easily produced. The electrolyte emulsion of the present invention comprises an aqueous medium and a fluoropolymer electrolyte dispersed in the aqueous medium. The fluoropolymer electrolyte has a monomer unit having an SOZ group (Z is an alkali metal, an alkaline-earth metal, hydrogen, or NRRRR, and R, R, R, and Reach are individually a C1-C3 alkyl group or hydrogen). The fluoropolymer electrolyte has an equivalent weight (EW) of 250 or more and 700 or less and a proton conductivity at 110&#xb0; C. and relative humidity 50% RH of 0.10 S/cm or higher. The fluoropolymer electrolyte is a spherical particulate substance having an average particle size of 10 to 500 nm. The fluoropolymer electrolyte has a ratio (the number of SOF groups)/(the number of SOZ groups) of 0 to 0.01.

The present invention provides an electrolyte having high conductivity even under high-temperature low-humidification conditions (e.g. at a temperature of 100 to 120&#xb0; C. and a humidity of 20 to 50% RH) and thereby makes it possible to realize a higher performance fuel cell. The present invention is a fluoropolymer electrolyte having an equivalent weight (EW) of not less than 250 but not more than 700 and a proton conductivity of not lower than 0.10 S/cm as measured at a temperature of 110&#xb0; C. and a relative humidity of 50% RH and comprising a COOZ group- or SOZ group-containing monomer unit, wherein Z represents an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, hydrogen atom or NRRRRin which R, R, Rand Reach independently represents an alkyl group containing 1 to 3 carbon atoms or hydrogen atom.

Polyelectrolyte and process for producing the polyelectrolyte

A dispersion composition including a fluorine-containing ion exchange resin having a repeating unit represented by the formulae (1) and a repeating unit represented by the formulae (2), and having an equivalent weight of 400 to 1000 g/eq; and a solvent comprising water, wherein Z represents H, Cl, F, or a perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms; m represents an integer of 0 to 12; and n represents an integer of 0 to 2, and wherein an abundance ratio of a resin having a particle size of 10 &#x3bc;m or more in the fluorine-containing ion exchange resin is 0.1% to 80% by volume.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Takahiko Murai