Patent · US Expired

Method of manufacture employing electrochemically dispersed platinum catalysts deposited on a substrate

US4490219A · kind A · utility

13Cited by
4References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 7, 1982
Grant dateDec 25, 1984
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 7, 2002

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S204/09
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A substrate such as carbon, graphite, or various semiconductors is coated with a "two-dimensional" thin film form of flat isolated crystallites of platinum, palladium or silver to form a catalyst useful in a fuel cell. The method of formation of the catalyst is to place the substrate in an electrolyte such as H.sub.2 PtCl.sub.6 about 1% and one molar sulfuric acid. The potentiostatic pulse plating method is employed. A high potential pulse of very short duration is followed by a low potential of substantial duration. The very high potential nucleates crystals at various randomly distributed nucleation sites such as imperfections in the surface of the substrate. The resulting catalyst has a large surface area of hexagonal crystals about 20 to 40 Angstroms in diameter.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.