Dioxide Materials, Inc.

Ut-battelle, Inc.

Zengcai Liu

Richard I Masel

Robert Kutz

Nancy Johnston Dudney

Chengdu Liang

Qingmei Chen

Zhan Lin

Syed Dawar Sajjad

Jane Y Howe

Adam Justin Rondinone

Brian A Rosen

Yan Gao

Wujun Fu

Wunjun Fu

Richard L Masel

Rich Masel

Water electrolyzers employs base metal catalysts and an anion-conducting polymeric membrane with an area specific resistance at 60&#xb0; C. in 1 M KOH below 0.037 ohm-cm. Preferably, the membrane comprising a polymer of styrene, vinylbenzyl-Rand possibly vinylbenzyl-R. Ris a positively charged cyclic amine group. Ris at least one constituent selected from the group consisting of &#x2014;Cl, &#x2014;OH, and a reaction product between an &#x2014;OH or &#x2014;Cl and a species other than a simple amine or a cyclic amine.

Water electrolyzers employing anion exchange membranes

A catalyst layer for an electrochemical device comprises a catalytically active element and an ion conducting polymer. The ion conducting polymer comprises positively charged cyclic amine groups. The ion conducting polymer comprises at least one of an imidazolium, a pyridinium, a pyrazolium, a pyrrolidinium, a pyrrolium, a pyrimidium, a piperidinium, an indolium, a triazinium, and polymers thereof. The catalytically active element comprises at least one of V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Sn, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, Al, Si, In, Tl, Pb, Bi, Sb, Te, U, Sm, Tb, La, Ce and Nd. In an electrolyzer comprising the present catalyst layer, the feed to the electrolyzer comprises at least one of COand HO.

Catalyst layers and electrolyzers

A battery comprises a separator membrane comprising an ion-conducting polymeric composition comprising a copolymer of R-Rand R. Rand Rare each selected from the group consisting of linear alkyls, branched alkyls, cyclic alkyls, heteroalkyls, aryls, heteroaryls, alkylaryls, and heteroalkylaryls. Ris a positively charged amine group or a positively charged phosphene group. The copolymer comprises at least 3% of each Rand Rby weight. Rand Rare different chemical constituents, and R-Ris not vinylpyridine.

Battery separator membrane and battery employing same

A lithium sulfur cell has a cathode including LiPS(0&#x3c;n&#x3c;9), an electrolyte, and an anode comprising lithium. A cathode for a lithium sulfur cell is also disclosed.

Lithium-conducting sulfur compound cathode for lithium-sulfur batteries

A battery comprises an ion-conducting polymeric composition comprising a copolymer of styrene and vinylbenzyl-R, where Ris a positively charged cyclic amine group. The ion-conducting polymeric composition can be in the form of a membrane. The ion-conducting polymeric composition can comprise a terpolymer of styrene, vinylbenzyl-Rand vinylbenzyl-R, in which Ris a positively charged cyclic amine group, Ris at least one constituent selected from the group consisting of Cl, OH, and a reaction product between an OH or a Cl and a species other than a cyclic amine or a simple amine, the total weight of the vinylbenzyl-Rgroups is greater than 1% of the total weight of the membrane, and the total weight of the vinylbenzyl-Rgroups is 15% or more of the total weight of the membrane.

Water electrolyzers employs base metal catalysts and an anion-conducting polymeric membrane comprising a polymer of styrene, vinylbenzyl-Rand possibly vinylbenzyl-R. Ris a positively charged cyclic amine group. Ris at least one constituent selected from the group consisting of &#x2014;Cl, &#x2014;OH, and a reaction product between an &#x2014;OH or &#x2014;Cl and a species other than a simple amine or a cyclic amine.

Water electrolyzers

Electrochemical devices comprising electrocatalyst mixtures include at least one Catalytically Active Element and, as a separate constituent, one Helper Catalyst. The electrocatalysts can be used to increase the rate, modify the selectivity or lower the overpotential of chemical reactions. These electrocatalysts are useful for a variety of chemical reactions including, in particular, the electrochemical conversion of CO. Chemical processes employing these catalysts produce CO, HCO, HCO, (HCOO), HCOOH, CHOH, CH, CH, CHCHOH, CHCOO, CHCOOH, CH, (COOH), or (COO). Devices using the electrocatalysts include, for example, a COsensor and a COelectrolyzer.

Electrochemical devices comprising novel catalyst mixtures

An anion-conducting polymeric membrane comprises a terpolymer of styrene, vinylbenzyl-Rand vinylbenzyl-R. Ris a positively charged cyclic amine group. Ris at least one constituent selected from the group consisting Cl, OH and a reaction product between an OH or Cl and a species other than a simple amine or a cyclic amine. The total weight of the vinylbenzyl-Rgroups is greater than 0.3% of the total weight of the membrane. In a preferred embodiment, the membrane is a Helper Membrane that increases the faradaic efficiency of an electrochemical cell into which the membrane is incorporated, and also allows product formation at lower voltages than in cells without the Helper Membrane.

Ion-conducting membranes

An ion conducting polymeric composition mixture comprises a copolymer of styrene and vinylbenzyl-R. Ris selected from the group consisting of imidazoliums, pyridiniums, pyrazoliums, pyrrolidiniums, pyrroliums, pyrimidiums, piperidiniums, indoliums, and triaziniums. The composition contains 10%-90% by weight of vinylbenzyl-R. The composition can further comprise a polyolefin comprising substituted polyolefins, a polymer comprising cyclic amine groups, a polymer comprising at least one of a phenylene group and a phenyl group, a polyamide, and/or the reaction product of a constituent having two carbon-carbon double bonds. The composition can be in the form of a membrane. In a preferred embodiment, the membrane is a Helper Membrane that increases the faradaic efficiency of an electrochemical cell into which the membrane is incorporated, and also allows product formation at lower voltages than in cells without the Helper Membrane.

An electrochemical device converts carbon dioxide to a reaction product. The device includes an anode and a cathode, each comprising a quantity of catalyst. The anode and cathode each has reactant introduced thereto. A polymer electrolyte membrane is interposed between the anode and the cathode. At least a portion of the cathode catalyst is directly exposed to gaseous carbon dioxide during electrolysis. The average current density at the membrane is at least 20 mA/cm, measured as the area of the cathode gas diffusion layer that is covered by catalyst, and CO selectivity is at least 50% at a cell potential of 3.0 V. In some embodiments, the polymer electrolyte membrane comprises a polymer in which a constituent monomer is (p-vinylbenzyl)-R, where R is selected from the group consisting of imidazoliums, pyridiniums and phosphoniums. In some embodiments, the polymer electrolyte membrane is a Helper Membrane comprising a polymer containing an imidazolium ligand, a pyridinium ligand, or a phosphonium ligand.

Electrochemical device for converting carbon dioxide to a reaction product

An ion conducting polymeric composition mixture comprises a copolymer of styrene and vinylbenzyl-R. Ris selected from the group consisting of imidazoliums and pyridiniums. The composition contains 10%-90% by weight of vinylbenzyl-R. The composition can further comprise a polyolefin comprising substituted polyolefins, a polymer comprising cyclic amine groups, a polymer comprising at least one of a phenylene group and a phenyl group, a polyamide, and/or the reaction product of a constituent having two carbon-carbon double bonds. The composition can be in the form of a membrane. In a preferred embodiment, the membrane is a Helper Membrane that increases the faradaic efficiency of an electrochemical cell into which the membrane is incorporated, and also allows product formation at lower voltages than in cells without the Helper Membrane.

Method of forming lithium-containing electrolytes are provided using wet chemical synthesis. In some examples, the lithium containing electrolytes are composed of &#x3b2;-LiPSor LiPS. The solid electrolyte may be a core shell material. In one embodiment, the core shell material includes a core of lithium sulfide (LiS), a first shell of &#x3b2;-LiPSor LiPS, and a second shell including one of &#x3b2;-LiPSor LiPSand carbon. The lithium containing electrolytes may be incorporated into wet cell batteries or solid state batteries.

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Boca Raton, FL, United States of America

Zengcai Liu