IP Library Granted Patent US 12700596
Granted Patent B2
US 12700596 · App. 18/039,592 · Granted Aug 4, 2026

Catalyst for fuel cells and method for producing same

Inventor: Kosuke Miyazaki (Kakegawa, JP)
Assignee: CATALER CORPORATION
H01M4/926H01M4/885H01M4/921H01M2004/8689
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12700596
App. No.
18/039,592
Granted
Aug 4, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A catalyst for fuel cells that contains a carbon powder carrier and catalyst particles carried on the carbon powder carrier, the catalyst particles being Pt alloy particles, the catalyst for fuel cells having 0.65 mmol/g or more of hydrophilic groups, and a Pt elution amount when 0.5 g of the catalyst for fuel cells is immersed in 30 ml of a 0.5 mol/L aqueous sulfuric acid solution and retained for 100 hours at room temperature under stirring being 0.625 mg or less per g of the catalyst for fuel cells.

Claims (33)

1 . A fuel cell catalyst, comprising a carbon powder carrier, and catalyst particles carried on the carbon powder carrier, wherein

the catalyst particles are Pt alloy particles,

the fuel cell catalyst has 0.65 mmol/g or more of hydrophilic groups, and

when 0.5 g of the fuel cell catalyst is immersed in 30 mL of a 0.5 mol/L sulfuric acid solution and maintained at room temperature for 100 hours while stirring, an elution amount of Pt is 0.625 mg or less per gram of the fuel cell catalyst.

2 . The fuel cell catalyst according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic groups are acidic groups.

3 . The fuel cell catalyst according to claim 1 , wherein the elution amount of Pt is 0.300 mg or less per gram of the fuel cell catalyst.

4 . The fuel cell catalyst according to claim 1 , wherein the Pt alloy particles are alloy particles containing:

Pt, and

one or more metals selected from the group consisting of Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ga, Zr, Hf, Ru, Ir, Pd, Os, and Rh.

5 . The fuel cell catalyst according to claim 1 , wherein an average particle size of the catalyst particles is 2 nm or more and 10 nm or less.

6 . An electrode of a fuel cell, comprising the fuel cell catalyst according to claim 1 .

7 . The electrode according to claim 6 , wherein the electrode is a cathode.

8 . A fuel cell, comprising the electrode according to claim 6 .

9 . A method for the production of a fuel cell catalyst, comprising a carbon powder carrier, and catalyst particles carried on the carbon powder carrier, wherein

the catalyst particles are Pt alloy particles,

the fuel cell catalyst has 0.65 mmol/g or more of hydrophilic groups, and

when 0.5 g of the fuel cell catalyst is immersed in 30 mL of a 0.5 mol/L sulfuric acid solution and maintained at room temperature for 100 hours while stirring, an elution amount of Pt is 0.625 mg or less per gram of the fuel cell catalyst, and

the method comprises the steps of:

carrying the catalyst particles on the carbon powder carrier to prepare a catalyst particle-carrying carbon powder;

contacting the catalyst particle-carrying carbon powder with an oxidizing agent to impart the hydrophilic groups to the catalyst particle-carrying carbon powder to prepare a fuel cell catalyst precursor; and

contacting the fuel cell catalyst precursor with a reducing agent to prepare the fuel cell catalyst.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the oxidizing agent used in the contacting of the catalyst particle-carrying carbon powder is one or more oxidizing agents selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphorous acid, potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide, chloric acid, and chromic acid.

11 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the reducing agent used in the contacting of the fuel cell catalyst precursor is one or more reducing agents selected from the group consisting of alcohols, carboxylic acids, and aldehydes.

12 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the contacting the fuel cell catalyst precursor with a reducing agent is carried out at a temperature of room temperature or higher and 100° C. or lower.

13 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the contacting the fuel cell catalyst precursor with a reducing agent is carried out for a period of time of 0.5 hours or longer and 48 hours or shorter.

14 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the hydrophilic groups are acidic groups.

15 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the Pt alloy particles are alloy particles containing:

Pt, and

one or more metals selected from the group consisting of Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ga, Zr, Hf, Ru, Ir, Pd, Os, and Rh.

16 . The fuel cell catalyst according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell catalyst is produced by a method comprising the steps of:

carrying the catalyst particles on the carbon powder carrier to prepare a catalyst particle-carrying carbon powder;

contacting the catalyst particle-carrying carbon powder with an oxidizing agent to impart the hydrophilic groups to the catalyst particle-carrying carbon powder to prepare a fuel cell catalyst precursor; and

contacting the fuel cell catalyst precursor with a reducing agent to prepare the fuel cell catalyst.