Conducting polymer-grafted carbon material for fuel cell applications
View Patent ↗A composition comprising particulate carbonaceous material and a conducting polymer containing hetero atoms. The composition can further comprise a metal. Devices comprising the composition can be constructed including supported electrocatalysts, membrane electrode assemblies, and fuel cells. A method for preparing the composition comprises oxidatively polymerizing a monomer of a conducting polymer containing hetero atoms in the presence of a carbonaceous material. The method grafts the conducting polymer to the carbonaceous material. The method can further comprise metallizing the polymer-grafted carbonaceous material.
1. A composition comprising
a particulate carbonaceous material,
a conducting polymer containing a hetero atom, and
a metal.
wherein the conducting polymer is grafted onto the carbonaceous material.
2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the carbonaceous material comprises carbon black.
3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the carbonaceous material comprises graphite, nanocarbon, fullerene, fullerenic material, finely divided carbon, or a mixture thereof.
4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the carbonaceous material is less than about 98% of the composition.
5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the carbonaceous material is about 50% to about 80% of the composition.
6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the conducting polymer comprises polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyfuran, polythiophene, or a mixture thereof.
7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the conducting polymer comprises polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyfuran, polythiophene, poly(p-phenylene-oxide), poly(p-phenylene-sulfide), a substituted conducting polymer thereof, or a mixture thereof.
8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the hetero atom is N, O, or S.
9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the hetero atom is about 0.2–15% of the composition according to XPS data.
10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the conducting polymer is greater than about 0% and less than about 100% of the composition.
11. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the conducting polymer is about 2% to about 50% of the composition.
12. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the conducting polymer is about 20% to about 50% of the composition.
13. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is concurrently formed and grafted by oxidatively polymerizing a monomer of the conducting polymer in the presence of the carbonaceous material.
14. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the metal comprises platinum.
15. The composition of claim 1 , wherein about 2% to about 80% of the composition is the metal.
16. The composition of claim 1 , wherein about 2% to about 60% of the composition is the metal.
17. The composition of claim 1 , wherein about 20% to about 40% of the composition is the metal.
18. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the metal is uniformly distributed on the surface of the composition.
19. A method for preparing a carbon composition with enhanced electronic conductivity comprising
oxidatively polymerizing a monomer of a conducting polymer containing a hetero atom with particulate carbonaceous material to form a conducting polymer-grafted carbonaceous material, and then metallizing the conducting polymer grafted carbonaceous material.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the carbonaceous material comprises graphite, nanocarbon, fullerene, fullerenic material, finely divided carbon, or a mixture thereof.
21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the carbonaceous material comprises carbon black.
22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the monomer of a conducting polymer comprises an amino aryl or a nitrogen heterocycle.
23. The method of claim 19 , wherein the oxidative polymerization is in the presence of an oxidizing agent.
24. The method of claim 19 , wherein the oxidatively polymerizing comprises adding an oxidizing agent to a mixture of the carbonaceous material and a monomer of the conducting polymer.
25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the mixture of the carbonaceous material and the monomer of the conducting polymer further comprises an acid solvent whereby the mixture is a slightly acidic environment.
26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the slightly acidic environment is a pH of less than 7.
27. The method of claim 25 , wherein the slightly acidic environment is a pH of about 3 to about 4.
28. The method of claim 24 , wherein the oxidizing agent comprises ammonium persulfate, ferric chloride, aluminum chloride, hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, sodium permanganate, potassium chlorate, or a combination of oxidizing agents thereof.
29. The method of claim 19 , wherein the conducting polymer comprises polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyfuran, polythiophene, poly(p-phenylene-oxide), poly(p-phenylene-sulfide), a substituted conducting polymer thereof, or a mixture thereof.
30. The method of claim 19 , wherein the metallizing comprises adding a metal-containing material to the conducting polymer-grafted carbonaceous material.
31. The method of claim 30 , wherein the metallizing further comprises adding a reducing agent.
32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the reducing agent comprises formaldehyde, sodium borohydride, hydrogen, hydrazine, hydroxyl amine, or a mixture of reducing agents thereof.
33. The method of claim 30 , wherein the metal-containing material comprises chloroplatinic acid, platinum nitrate, platinum halide, platinum cyanide, platinum sulfide, organoplatinum salt, or a mixture thereof.
34. The method of claim 19 , wherein the metallizing comprises plantinizing.
35. A composition made by the method of claim 19 .
36. A fuel cell, battery, or a capacitor device comprising a composition comprising
a particulate carbonaceous material, and
a conducting polymer containing a hetero atom,
wherein the conducting polymer is grafted onto the carbonaceous material,
wherein the composition is in a fuel cell, battery, or capacitor device.
37. The device of claim 36 , wherein the composition further comprises a metal.
38. The device of claim 37 , wherein the metal comprises platinum.
39. The device of claim 37 , wherein the metal is 2–80% of the device.
40. The device of claim 36 , further comprising an electrolyte membrane.
41. The device of claim 40 , wherein the electrolyte membrane is an ionically conductive polymer.
42. A fuel cell comprising an anode, a cathode, and a proton exchange membrane, wherein the anode and/or cathode comprises a composition comprising
a. a particulate carbonaceous material, and
b. a conducting polymer containing a hetero atom, wherein the conducting polymer is grafted onto the carbonaceous material.
43. The fuel cell of claim 42 , wherein the composition further comprising a metal.
44. The fuel cell of claim 43 , wherein the metal comprises platinum.