KR20220038047A - Electrocatalyst for Electrolysis - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis made of a plastic CNT composite material and an expensive metal material, and more specifically, to an electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis capable of highly efficient electrolyzed water circulation, which can minimize energy loss due to bubbles compared to applied power and increase efficiency by forming a surface of an electrode catalyst into an elliptical curved surface and using the difference in flow rate to remove hydrogen (H_2) and oxygen (O_2) gases which may be attached to a surface of a cell stack during water electrolysis. The present invention comprises: a plurality of plate-shaped electrode catalysts continuously provided at regular intervals, wherein the electrode catalyst is used as any one among a one-sided central protruding type in which a curved protrusion part is convexly protruded at a center of one surface; a one-side upper protruding type in which a curved protrusion part is convexly protruded on an upper side of one side; a one-sided lower protruding type in which a curved protrusion part is convexly protruded on a lower side of one side; a double-sided center protruding type in which a curved protrusion part is convexly protruded in a center of both sides; a double-sided upper protruding type in which a curved protrusion part is convexly protruded on a top of both sides; and a double-sided lower protruding type in which a curved protrusion part is convexly protruded on a lower side of both sides.

Description

Electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis capable of high-efficiency electrolytic water circulation {Electrocatalyst for Electrolysis}

The present invention relates to an electrode catalyst cell stack for water electrolysis made of a plastic CNT composite material and a noble metal material. Electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis with high-efficiency electrolytic water circulation that can minimize energy loss due to bubbles compared to applied power and increase efficiency by removing hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) gases that may adhere to the surface is about

The development of economical and efficient electrocatalyst materials for water electrolysis has been developed by many research institutes, academia, and industry. In addition, there are many used as electrode catalyst materials, but expensive noble metals (platinum, iridium, ruthenium, etc.) have limited production capacity, and most plastic CNT composite materials and graphene materials have low content and have been mainly developed for coating.

Conventional electrode catalysts for water electrolysis are made of metal or precious metal in the form of plate sheets of various thicknesses, and platinum, ruthenium, and iridium are coated on Ti (titanium) to a thickness of 0.5 to 8 μm.

The contact area between the electrolyte and the electrode is reduced by the phenomenon in which the hydrogen and oxygen bubble layer generated during water electrolysis and Mg, K, Ca, Na, Fe, etc. in the water are fixed to the surface of the cathode (-pole), thereby improving the electrolysis efficiency. There is a problem of lowering.

KR Registered Patent No. 10-1978380 (2019.05.08) KR Registered Patent No. 10-1902859 (2018.09.20) KR Registered Utility Model No. 20-0342518 (2004.02.09)

The present invention was devised to solve the same problems as in the prior art. In order to overcome the limitations of material aspects, it was developed from the viewpoint of designing an electrode catalyst in a mechanism, and a high-efficiency electrolyzed water circulation that can obtain high-efficiency performance when the same electrical energy is applied. An object of the present invention is to provide an electrocatalyst cell stack for possible water electrolysis.

Electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis capable of high-efficiency electrolytic water circulation according to the present invention for achieving the above object,

A plurality of plate-shaped electrode catalysts are continuously provided at regular intervals,

The electrode catalyst is

One-sided central protrusion type, in which a curved protrusion is formed to protrude in a streamlined convex form at the center of one side;

One-sided upper protrusion type, in which a curved protrusion is formed to protrude convexly in a streamlined shape on the upper side of one side;

One-side lower protrusion type in which a curved protrusion is formed to protrude convexly in a streamlined shape on the lower side of one side,

Double-sided central protrusion in which curved protrusions protrude in a streamlined convex form at the center of both sides;

Double-sided upper protrusion type in which curved protrusions protrude in a streamlined convex shape on both sides of the upper part,

It is characterized in that one of the double-sided lower protrusion types in which the curved protrusions protrude in a streamlined convex shape are used on both sides of the lower part.

In addition, it is characterized in that a planar electrode catalyst of a planar shape is provided between the electrode catalysts, respectively.

In addition, the electrode catalyst is melt-molded titanium (Ti) material in a curved mold, or titanium material is cut into a curved shape, and one or two or more catalysts selected from platinum, ruthenium, and iridium are selected from 0.5 to It is characterized in that it is coated with a thickness of 8 μm.

In addition, the electrode catalyst is a material selected from among thermoplastic materials of PP, PE, SEbs, PC, ABS, PA66, PET, and SAN, and at least one material selected from among Al, Cu, Fe, ferrite, Ti, and graphene and CNT It is characterized in that it is a plastic CNT composite material with a surface resistance of 0.5Ω/□ (Ohm) or less.

In addition, when the thickness of the end of the electrode catalyst is 0.5 to 8 mm, the curved protrusion is characterized in that it protrudes from the end to a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm.

In addition, the electrode catalyst is characterized in that the interval with the adjacent electrode catalyst is 0.2 to 2.2 mm based on the curved protrusion, and the interval between the ends is 0.7 to 4.2 mm.

The electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis capable of high-efficiency electrolysis water circulation according to the present invention is improved in the form of an elliptical curved surface, so that the convection phenomenon of hydrogen, oxygen gas and water generated during water electrolysis due to the generation of lift is improved. By accelerating it, bubbles do not adhere to the surface of the cell stack, which has the effect of obtaining high-efficiency performance compared to the same electrical energy.

1 is a perspective view showing an electrode catalyst for water electrolysis according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a side view showing the electrocatalyst for water electrolysis according to the present invention.
3 to 7 are exemplary views showing the shape of the electrode catalyst for water electrolysis according to the present invention.
8 and 9 are exemplary views showing the structure of the electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis according to the present invention.
10 and 11 are exemplary views showing the structure of an electrode catalyst cell stack for water electrolysis according to another embodiment of the present invention.
12 is an exemplary view showing the structure of an electrode catalyst cell stack for water electrolysis according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis capable of high-efficiency electrolysis water circulation according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view showing the electrocatalyst for water electrolysis according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the electrocatalyst for water electrolysis according to the present invention, and FIGS. 3 to 7 are water electricity according to the present invention It is an exemplary view showing the shape of the electrocatalyst for decomposition, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are exemplary views showing the cell stack of the electrocatalyst for water electrolysis according to the present invention.

As shown in these drawings, the electrocatalyst cell stack 100 for water electrolysis according to the present invention is formed by continuously providing a plurality of electrode catalysts 10 having a plate shape at regular intervals.

The electrode catalyst 10 is formed with curved protrusions 11 protruding from one or both surfaces. Here, a position at which the curved protrusion 11 protrudes may have various shapes. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the one-sided central protrusion 10a in which a curved protrusion is formed to protrude in a streamlined convex form at the center of one surface of the electrode catalyst 10, as shown in FIG. 3 , the electrode catalyst 10 As shown in FIG. 4 , the curved protrusion 11 is formed to protrude in a streamlined convex shape on one surface of the upper surface of the curved protrusion 11 , and the curved protrusion 11 is protruded in a streamlined convex shape at the lower part of one surface of the electrode catalyst 10 as shown in FIG. 4 . The formed one-sided lower protrusion 10c, as shown in FIG. 5, a double-sided central protrusion 10d in which the curved protrusions 11 protrude in a streamlined convex form at the center of both sides of the electrode catalyst 10, as shown in FIG. As shown in the double-sided upper protrusion 10e, in which the curved protrusions 11 are formed to protrude in a streamlined convex shape on both surfaces of the electrode catalyst 10 as shown in FIG. It may be formed in a protruding double-sided lower protrusion type (10f).

The curved protrusion 11 forms a streamlined curved surface from the upper end to the lower end, but the position of the most protruding portion may be changed. As such, since the curved protrusion 11 is formed in a streamlined shape, the convection phenomenon is accelerated due to the generation of lift, so that the air bubbles do not stick to the surface of the electrode catalyst 10 . As a result, since the bubble is not attached, the surface area of the electrocatalyst 10 in contact with water can be maintained as it is, thereby maintaining high-efficiency performance.

In addition, the electrolyzed water is accelerated by contacting all the surfaces of the electrode catalyst 10 by the streamlined curved protrusion 11 , so that even if bubbles are attached to the surface of the electrode catalyst 10 , they are quickly removed by the accelerated convection phenomenon.

The electrode catalyst 10 is molded using a titanium (Ti) material or a plastic CNT material.

When the electrode catalyst 10 is used as a titanium material, the titanium material is melt-molded in a curved frame, or the titanium material is cut into a curved shape. Then, a metal or noble metal catalyst 15 of one or two or more types of platinum, ruthenium, and iridium is coated to a thickness of 0.5 to 8 μm. The thickness of the coating can be different depending on the use, electrolysis time, and capacity.

When the electrode catalyst 10 is used as a plastic CNT material, a material selected from among thermoplastic materials such as PP, PE, SEBS, PC, ABS, PA66, PET, and SAN may be used, but preferably PP with excellent chemical resistance A plastic CNT composite with a surface resistance of 0.5Ω/□ (ohm) or less with a material selected from among , PE, and SEbs, and CNT with one or more selected from Al, Cu, Fe, Ti, ferrite, and graphene use the material In addition, it is possible to manufacture and use a cell stack by injection molding a material in the form of compounded and extruded pellets with a material having magnetic properties. Plastic CNT composite material is more economical than metal-based material, and it is preferable to use plastic CNT composite material because molding convenience and free design are possible.

For the CNT, MW CNT is used, and a mold is manufactured according to the shape designed in the drawing to prepare an electrode catalyst cell stack at a screw temperature of 210 to 250° C. As shown in FIG. 2 , the thickness of the electrode catalyst 10 is 0.5 to 8 mm, and the difference in thickness between the curved protrusion 11 and the upper and lower end lines is 0.5 to 2 mm. Of course, it is pointed out that it can be done differently depending on the use, electrolysis time, and capacity. Here, if the protrusion of the curved protrusion of the electrode catalyst is 2 mm or more, the function of electrolysis may be reduced, and if it is 0.5 mm or less, the curved portion is gentle and the flow of convection and generated hydrogen and oxygen gas is lowered, thereby reducing the efficacy. there is.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , when the thickness of the curved protrusion 11 of the electrode catalyst 10 is 6 mm, the thickness of the upper and lower ends is 5.5 to 4 mm. Therefore, when the thickness of the upper and lower ends is 5.5mm, the deviation is 0.5mm, when the thickness of the upper and lower ends is 5mm, the deviation is 1mm, and when the thickness is 4mm, the deviation is 2mm.

A plurality of electrode catalysts 10 having such a shape are erected in a vertical form and installed in a lateral direction to form the cells stack 100 . At this time, the arrangement of the electrode catalyst 10 may be arranged in various forms according to the shape of the electrode catalyst 10 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 . If the electrode catalyst 10 is installed in a horizontal form, the intended function may be lost, so the electrode catalyst 10 is installed in a vertical form.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the distance between the cell stack 100 and the adjacent electrode catalyst 10 is 0.2 to 2.2 mm based on the curved protrusion 11, the distance between the ends is 0.7 to 4.2 mm. Preferably, when the distance between the curved protrusions 11 is 2 mm during water electrolysis, the distance between the upper and lower ends of the electrode catalyst 10 is 2 mm.

And as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a planar electrocatalyst 10g having a planar shape on both sides may be provided between each electrocatalyst 10, and a metal-based electrode catalyst and a plastic CNT composite electrode catalyst are mixed. can also be used.

12 is an exemplary view showing the structure of an electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, vertical grooves ( 12) is formed. The groove 12 is made of a cross section such as a square, a triangle, a semicircle, and is formed in several lines.

In the section in which the grooves 12 are formed, the flow rate is increased due to the low pressure state, which prevents air bubbles from sticking to the surface of the electrode catalyst 10, and the surface area in contact with water becomes wider compared to the cell stack of the same size, so that the efficiency is further increased get better As a result, since the bubble is not attached, the surface area of the electrocatalyst 10 in contact with water can be maintained as it is, thereby maintaining high-efficiency performance.

The water electrolysis electrode catalyst cell stack 100 made of such a structure can be applied to various fields such as fuel reduction devices such as industries, washing markets, household appliances, hydrogen-oxygen generators, and hydrogen cars, and is of great help to the hydrogen energy market.

[Experiment 1] Water electrolysis amount test

A. An electrode catalyst with a surface resistance of 0.5Ω/□ (ohm) is manufactured by injection molding a plastic CNT composite material at a screw temperature of 210°C to 250°C in an injection machine, but the width is 100mm, the length is 100mm, the thickness of the curved protrusion is 6mm, and the Electrocatalyst cell stack formed with a thickness of 5 mm.

B. Comparative experiment by flat injection of the material with a width of 100 mm, a length of 100 mm, and a thickness of 6 mm.

C. The electrode catalyst of condition A was prepared in the shape of FIG. 3 and arranged in the shape of FIG. 7, but the electrode electrodes were connected in parallel so that the distance between the upper and lower ends of the electrode catalyst was 2 mm and the protrusion of the curved protrusion was 1 mm. A cell stack in which three electrode catalysts are assembled.

D. A cell stack in which the three electrode catalysts of the condition B are connected in parallel with electrodes and the electrode catalysts are separated by 2 mm.

Experimental conditions: After putting the cell stack into 8,000 g of water in an insulated container (TDS 110 water temperature 23° C.), DC 12V is applied to measure the amount of electrolysis.

Test Water temperature 23℃ when DC 12V is applied

Current (A) Electrolyzed ( H₂/O₂) evaporation (g) after 10 minutes after 20 minutes 30 minutes later average per minute Water temperature after 60 minutes C 2.57A 2.61 5.31 8.12 0.26g 32.4℃ D 1.62A 1.74 3.49 5.24 0.17g 27.1℃

The above data is the average value after 3 repeated experiments under the same conditions. As a result, when DC 12V is applied, flat type D is 1.62A and flat type C is 2.57A, which is 50% better power efficiency of C than D. The average evaporation rate per minute electrolyzed was 0.26 g for C and 0.17 g for D, and the efficiency of C was 55% better.

In addition, the fact that the power efficiency and the electrolysis efficiency do not match is a loss due to an increase in the temperature of the water.

10: electrode catalyst
11: curved protrusion
12: groove
100: cell stack

Claims (5)

A plurality of electrode catalysts 10 made of a plate shape are continuously provided at regular intervals,
The electrode catalyst 10,
One-sided central protrusion (10a) in which the curved protrusion 11 is formed to protrude in a streamlined convex form in the center of one surface;
One-surface upper protrusion (10b), in which the curved protrusion 11 is formed to protrude in a streamlined convex shape on the upper part of one surface;
One surface lower protrusion (10c) in which the curved protrusion 11 is formed to protrude in a streamlined convex form on the lower side of one side,
A double-sided central protrusion (10d) in which the curved protrusion 11 protrudes in a streamlined convex form at the center of both sides;
A double-sided upper protrusion type (10e) in which the curved protrusion (11) protrudes in a streamlined convex shape on both sides of the upper portion,
Electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis capable of high-efficiency electrolytic water circulation, characterized in that one of the double-sided lower protrusions 10f in which the curved protrusions 11 are protruded in a streamlined convex shape on the lower sides are used.
The electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis capable of high-efficiency electrolysis water circulation according to claim 1, wherein a planar electrode catalyst (10 g) of a planar shape is provided between the electrode catalyst (10) and the electrode catalyst (10), respectively. .
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the electrode catalyst (10) is formed by melt-molding a titanium (Ti) material in a curved frame or cutting a titanium material into a curved shape, and includes platinum, ruthenium, and iridium. Electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis capable of high-efficiency electrolytic water circulation, characterized in that it is coated with one or two or more catalysts with a thickness of 0.5 to 8㎛.
The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the electrode catalyst (10) is Al, Cu, Fe, ferrite, Ti in a material selected from among the thermoplastic materials of PP, PE, SEbs, PC, ABS, PA66, PET, and SAN. Electrocatalyst cell stack for water electrolysis capable of high-efficiency electrolysis water circulation, characterized in that it is a plastic CNT composite material with a surface resistance of 0.5Ω/□(ohm) or less by adding CNT and at least one material selected from graphene.
The electrode catalyst cell stack for water electrolysis with high efficiency according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the electrode catalyst (10) has vertical grooves (12) formed on one or both sides thereof.

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