TWI255579B - Fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a fuel cell, which is portable and its unit volume and/or unit weight has high output electrical power value. The fuel cell comprises a closed loop of electrolyte film by deflection, a plurality of reaction units mutually and separately disposed at the electrolyte film and correspondingly connected in series, and a fuel supply unit disposed in the tubular space defined by the electrolyte films. The electrolyte film is used as a conductor of ion. Every reaction unit has flexible inner reaction piece and outer reaction piece disposed at the two opposite sides of the electrolyte films. Inner reaction piece adopts the hydrogen provided by the fuel supply unit to carry out the electrochemical reaction, while the outer reaction piece adopts the oxygen from the outside world to carry out the electrochemical reaction in order to generate high voltage which can be exported externally for further application.

Description

1255579 IX. Description of the Invention: [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a fuel cell, and more particularly to a fuel cell using hydrogen as a fuel and oxygen as a catalyst. [Prior Art] The basic principle of a fuel cell is to transfer hydrogen gas to the anode for catalytic decomposition. After the oxygen is transferred to the cathode, an electrochemical reaction occurs, and water and a voltage of 1.229 volts are generated. The chemical reaction formula is as follows: Hydrogen side): H2 2H+ +2e — Cathode (oxygen side)·· 2H++2e—+202 H20 Total reaction: H2 + l/2〇2 H20 Since the combustion process is not carried out during the reaction, it does not occur. > Dyeable, unlike traditional firepower or nuclear power generation, it has to be converted several times before it is a high-efficiency power supply system that meets environmental requirements, and it has gradually been valued and developed by all walks of life. 4 'Fig. 1 @ 2 'The current fuel cell X with hydrogen as fuel and oxygen as oxidant belongs to the flat-plate structure, which is composed of the membrane electrode group 2 ((10) ran out of ASSemMy, MEA), and a plurality of bipolar plates 3 (Mpolar (4)) is formed by staggered stacking, and can output electrical energy to the outside. Here, for the sake of clarity of explanation, only the staggered stack of the three-pole group 2 and the four-pole plate 3 is taken as an example, the group 2 includes a proton exchange membrane 21 as a conductor of ions, and two = exchange membrane 21 The reaction layer (4) is sandwiched, the reaction layer 22, the knife is supplied with hydrogen, and the oxygen diffuses into and dissociates to perform electrochemical reaction to produce 1255579.

The mother-bipolar plate 3 is made of a rigid and electrically conductive material such as graphite, and collects and conducts electrons generated when an electrochemical reaction occurs, having opposite first faces 31 and second faces 32, and a plurality of strips are disposed at intervals The ribs 3 3, 3 3 on the first and second sides are joined to the reaction layer 22 of the membrane electrode group 2 opposite to the surface of the first surface 31 such that the first surface 31 is disposed on the first surface 31 The ribs 33 cooperate with the reaction layer 22 to define a plurality of channels 34 spaced apart from one another for subsequent supply of hydrogen; and at the second, force bars 33 to oppose the surface of the second face 31 and another set of membranes The reaction layer 22, the surfaces are joined such that the second φ 31, the strip 33 disposed on the second side 31 and the reactive layer 22 together define a plurality of channels 34' spaced apart from one another for subsequent supply of oxygen. ▲Hydrogen and oxygen enter the channels 34 and 34 respectively, and then diffuse into the reaction layers 22 and 22 of the membrane electrode group 2, and electrochemical reactions are performed, and the generated electrons are respectively connected to the reaction layers 22 and 22. The ribs 33, 33, the surface collects, conducts 'and then outputs voltage to the outside. According to the structure of the battery, each of the bipolar plates 3 of the above fuel cell may have a series structure, and the generated „ can be superimposed and combined, and each bipolar plate is made of a conductive material body. Therefore, the above fuel cell If you have to output Nandian, you must increase the number of the sickle; the number of membranes 2 and the number of bipolar plates 3, and thus the volume and weight of the fuel cell will increase significantly, not in line with the actual situation. In addition, the bipolar plate 3 is formed by using a rigid material such as conductive graphite, and therefore, in addition to being resistant to collision, it must be staggered after the film electrode group 2 and the double 1255579 plate 3 are stacked. The ribs 33, 33 of the first and second faces 31, 32 of the bipolar plate 3 are tightly joined to the membrane electrode group 2 by means of insulating bolts, sealing rings, etc. to avoid an increase in electrical resistance or even a short circuit due to poor contact. The problem, but also because of the extra structure of insulating bolts, sealing gaskets, etc., thus increasing the size and weight of the battery itself.

At the same time, A allows sufficient supply of hydrogen and oxygen. Therefore, it is necessary to use additional auxiliary equipment such as pumping to deliver hydrogen and oxygen to all parts of the fuel cell, and make full use of the membrane electrode group 2 and the bipolar plate. The overall structure of 3, but in this way, more additional equipment, larger volume and weight, further reduce the actual carrying value of the fuel cell, resulting in a major technical bottleneck in practical applications. Therefore, the current fuel cell is still Improvements need to be made to reduce volume and weight while increasing the output electrical power value for practical portable applications. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell that is portable and has an output electrical power value of 13⁄4 voltage, high unit volume (or unit weight). Thus, a fuel cell of the present invention comprises an electrolyte membrane and a plurality of reaction units. The electrolyte membrane is flexible and has opposite first and second faces as conductors of ions. a plurality of reaction units disposed on the electrolyte membrane at a distance from each other, each reaction unit having a flexible reaction block and an outer reaction block, the inner 1255579 reaction block including a first reaction coupled to the first surface a layer, and a first conductor layer coupled to the first reaction layer, the outer reaction block comprising a second reaction layer coupled to the second surface, and a second conductor layer coupled to the second reaction layer, The first reaction layer electrochemically reacts a fuel, and the second reaction layer electrochemically reacts an oxidant, and the first and second conductor layers collect/transmit electrons generated when an electrochemical reaction occurs, thereby externally outputting electric energy. [Embodiment]

The foregoing and other technical aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A first preferred embodiment of a fuel cell of the present invention, which illustrates a basic structure of a fuel cell that can be a portable type and can output a high voltage, has an electrolyte membrane 4, and is disposed at a plurality of intervals. The reaction unit 5' on the electrolyte membrane 4 can be subjected to an electrochemical reaction after supplying hydrogen by a fuel (here, methanol and water as a fuel), and the oxidant is subjected to an electrochemical reaction to generate a voltage for external output application. The electrolyte membrane 4 is a solid membrane made of i - 疋 as a conductor of ions, having a first surface 41 and a second surface 42 opposite to each other, and is flexed and joined into a closed loop, where only the curve is divided into curves. Part of the construction instructions. The reaction unit 5 has a flexible reaction block 5ι and an outer reaction block 52, and an inner reaction layer 511 connected to the first surface 41, and a disk g"" The first conductor layer 512 to which the reaction layer 511 is connected, the first reaction layer 5 11 can be reacted from the sterol and the water which are used as a fuel to react with hydrogen to generate hydrogen faster and diffuse nitrogen into the y- In the electrochemical reaction, the first conductor layer 512 is made of a carbon fiber of 1255579 == Γ, which is used for collecting/conducting electrons in the electrochemical reaction. The outer reaction block 52 is constructed similarly to the inner reaction block 51 and contains a fish. The second surface is connected to the second reaction layer 521, and the second reaction layer μ; and the 尨n "& layer 521 allows the oxygen in the money to diffuse into the hawthorn, chemical reaction' second conductor The layer 522 is formed of a rollable and guideable two:: dimension material for collecting/conducting generated electrons. τ ^ It should be particularly noted that any material that is electrically conductive and not easily corroded is smashed into the first and second The material of the conductor layer, which needs to be flexed by the flexural flexibility of the electrolyte membrane 4, is carbon fiber Graphite fiber is preferred. The reaction unit 5 can be as shown in FIG. 2, and the first conductor layer 512 of the reaction block 51 in the reaction unit 5 is reacted with another adjacent one... The first-to-all is a series connection of < ^, a, the brother-conductor layer 522 connected in series with each other, and the first and second conductor layers 512, 522 of the reaction 5 are collected/conducted for output application. , the 4th connection form may also be a parallel connection in which the first conductor layers 512 of the inner reaction block 51 are connected in series with each other, and the second conductor layers 522 of the outer reaction block 52 are connected in series with each other. Concatenation, you can also collect / conduct electrons and lose

Out of the application. W. Because of the portable primary battery (the battery that can be used for continuous or intermittent discharge) or the secondary battery (the electric discharge that can be discharged), the external shape is mostly cylindrical or cross-section. In the basic invention configuration described in the above-mentioned preferred embodiment of the fuel cell of the present invention, the first embodiment of the fuel cell of the present invention, the portable structure can be easily and inexpensively manufactured. The fuel cell and the secondary battery are identical fuel cells. Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a second preferred embodiment of the fuel cell of the present invention comprises an insulated first tube 61 and a set of surrounding the first tube 61. The insulated second tube 62, an electrolyte membrane 7, the reaction unit 8 on the electrolyte membrane 7, and a fuel supply unit 9 are provided at intervals.

The first and second tubes 61, 62 are respectively circular tubes having different tube diameters, and the tube walls of the first tube 61 are spaced apart from the plurality of slots 63 and define a cylindrical first space 64. The first tube 62 has a larger diameter than the first tube 61 and surrounds the first tube 61. The tube wall is similar to the tube wall of the first tube 61, and is also provided with a plurality of spaced apart slots 63'. The first and second tubes 61 The wall of the tube 62 defines a second space 65. The second space 65 communicates with the outside by a slot 63' opened in the wall of the second tube 62, and the first and second spaces 64 and 65 are borrowed. It is communicated by a slot 63 formed in the wall of the first tube 61. The electrolyte membrane 7 is formed into a closed circular tube shape to be accommodated in the second space 65, having opposite first faces 71 and second faces 72 as conductors of ions. Each reaction unit 8 has a flexible reaction block 81 and an outer reaction block 82. The inner reaction block 81 includes a first reaction layer 811 coupled to the first surface 71, and a first conductor layer 812 coupled to the first reaction layer 811. The first reaction layer 811 is correspondingly located in the second space 65 and can assist The methanol and water in the fuel react faster to generate hydrogen, and the hydrogen is diffused into the electrochemical reaction. The first conductor layer 812 is made of a rollable and electrically conductive carbon fiber, for example, 10 1255579 = carbon cloth. Two adjacent grooves 63 are formed in the wall of the first tube 61 and partially correspondingly exposed in the second "65" and electrons can be collected/conducted when an electrochemical reaction occurs.

The structure of the μ ghost 82 is similar to that of the inner reaction block μ, and includes a second surface; a second reaction layer 821, and a second and second reaction layer 82; The second conductive layer 822 ′′ of the second reaction layer 821 also corresponds to a carbon fiber in the second space 65 that dissociates and electrochemically reacts oxygen in the oxidant, and the second conductor θ 乂 can be folded and electrically conductive, such as carbon cloth. For the material composition, two adjacent slots are formed on the wall of the second tube 62, and a portion is correspondingly exposed in the second space 65, and electrons can be collected/conducted when an electrochemical reaction occurs. η - the reaction unit 8 is connected in parallel with the second conductor layer 822 of the outer reaction block 82 of the adjacent reaction unit 8 in the first conductor layer 8 ΐ 2 of the inner reaction block 81, and is further outputted in parallel High voltage applications. The fuel supply sheet it 9 is filled in the first space 64 and contains methanol and water: it can flow from the slot 63 of the wall of the tube 61 to the second space "the reaction provides the wind" and the #差第一-reaction layer 811 The reaction rapidly generates a large amount of hydrogen to diffuse and carry out an electrochemical reaction. In this example, the oxygen contained in the outside air is used as an oxidant from the majority of the slots 63 of the second tube 62, into the second space 65, the layer 821 Oxygen is diffused and electrochemically reacted. ~ When methanol (CH3〇H) and water in the fuel supply unit A9 flow from the groove 63 of the first tube 61 to the second space 65 as a fuel, the reaction provides chlorine. And the oxygen contained in the outside air is diffused into the first reaction layer 811, s 91 , s The chemical reaction of the sin and milk is collected, and the electrons generated by the first and second conductive collection/conduction, and the high voltage that can be utilized by the nuclear type of the reaction, the secret is to be specifically explained. It is based on the fuel supply of methanol and water as fuel, and the self-supply as an example. μ and 4 taken from the outside of the oxygen transfer of the gas as the oxidizing agent and qe fuel supply unit may be provided only as a fuel

It is not necessary to provide oxygen in combination with the oxidant. It is not necessary to carry out the method in the proposed manner. Since there are many types of oxidation-related types of fuel cells, no more examples are given here. In addition, the first and second tubes 61 and 62 are mainly used as the fixed electrolyte membrane 7, the reaction unit 8, and the fuel supply unit 9, so that the structural style is not As described in the above example, 'there are a grooved tube shape, respectively, and may be configured such as a thin ring that is spaced apart, for example, to fix the electrolyte membrane 7, the reaction unit 8, and the fuel supply unit. The use of 9 'because of the variety of such changes, and easy to promote thinking, here is no longer detailed examples. As can be seen from the above description, the fuel cell of the present invention mainly utilizes the electrolyte membrane 7 which is bent into a closed loop, and the reaction unit 8 which is disposed on the electrolyte membrane 7 at intervals, and is disposed on the first and second tubes 6i which are disposed on each other. And Q, in combination with the fuel supply unit 9 that supplies hydrogen as a fuel, and the oxygen as an oxidant from the outside air, and can be formed under the premise that the current primary battery or the secondary battery has the same appearance and is convenient to carry and use. The fuel cell is prepared to meet the output voltage. 12 1255579 The fuel cell of the present invention has the following advantages in the fuel cell of the conventional flat structure: 1. The present? Ming's fuel cell is a complete structure that can be operated without circulating pumps or fans to supply oxygen and hydrogen. It meets the basic requirements of portable batteries. 2. The structure of the closed-line-shaped structure is smaller than the flat-plate structure. Not only the two edges are the same as the outer diameter of the electrolyte membrane and the material of the reaction unit, but the tight fit does not require additional locking, so the most Heavy baffles, screw seals and other structures are constructed. Therefore, the weight can be greatly reduced under the premise of the same output electric power. 3. The fuel supply unit 8 is filled in the first space 64 forming the tubular shape, and the reaction block 81 can be supplied at a constant speed. The hydrogen is supplied to the external reaction block at any time, and the electrochemical reaction is rapidly generated, so that no electrochemical reaction occurs. As is conventionally known as a flat-plate type fuel cell, it is necessary to additionally supply oxygen and chlorine to the fruit of the chestnut to generate an electrochemical reaction, so that not only the volume is greatly reduced, but also the reaction rate is greatly increased. 4. Since the fuel cell of the present invention has an assembly structure, it does not require an assembly member such as a separator, a bolt, a sealing gasket, and the like, and at the same time, it is not necessary to adjust the tightness of the contact between the bipolar plate 3 and the membrane electrode group 2 as a flat fuel cell. Therefore, the production cost can be drastically reduced. 5. For the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC, this (10) μ (4) μ Cell', that is, the fuel phantom of the invention described in the second preferred embodiment above, has better performance at high temperatures, and the fuel of the present invention The fuel supply unit 9 of the battery is filled in the center of the first tubular space 64 13 1255579, and the outer ring encloses the electrolyte membrane 7 which generates heat of reaction, so that the heat loss is small, the temperature control is better, and the electric power is better. Output efficiency 6. Since the main idea of the fuel cell of the present invention is to enclose the electrolyte membranes 4, 7 in a closed ratio with the reaction unit 8 disposed at intervals, it is possible to easily form a variety of portable primary batteries that are currently in existence for many years. The appearance of the secondary battery, and the fuel cell without pollution, quickly cut into and occupy the market. In summary, the fuel cell of the present invention has a simple structure and low cost, and is superior to the current fuel cell of the flat structure. It does reduce the size and weight, and at the same time increase the output voltage, while meeting the needs of portable applications, it does achieve the creative purpose of the present invention. The present invention is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, that is, the simple equivalent changes and modifications made by the scope of the present invention and the contents of the specification are still BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a fuel cell of a conventional flat structure. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fuel cell of FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a second preferred embodiment of a fuel cell of the present invention; and 14 1255579. FIG. 5 is a side view, and FIG. The construction of the fuel cell shown 0

15 1255579 [Main component symbol description]

2 Membrane pole set 61 First tube 21 Proton exchange membrane 62 Second tube 11, IV Reaction layer 63, 63? Slot 3 Bipolar plate 64 First space 31 First side 65 Second space 32 Second side 7 Electrolyte membrane 33 ^ 33? rib 71 first face 34, 34' channel 72 second face 4 electrolyte membrane 8 reaction unit 41 first face 81 inner reaction block 42 second face 811 first reaction layer 5 reaction unit 812 first conductor layer 51 inner reaction block 82 outer reaction block 511 first reaction layer 821 second reaction layer 512 first conductor layer 822 second conductor layer 52 outer reaction block 9 fuel supply unit 521 second reaction layer 522 second conductor layer 16

Claims (1)

1255579 X. Patent Application Range: 1 · A fuel cell comprising: a flexible electrolyte membrane having opposite first and second faces as conductors of ions; and plural reaction units ' spaced apart from each other Provided on the electrolyte membrane, each reaction unit has a flexible reaction block and an outer reaction block, and the reaction block includes a first reaction layer coupled to the first surface, and a first a first conductor layer coupled to the reaction layer, the outer reaction block comprising a second reaction layer coupled to the second surface, and a second conductor layer coupled to the second reaction layer, the first reaction layer enabling a fuel The electrochemical reaction is carried out. The second reaction layer electrochemically reacts an oxidant, and the first and second conductor layers collect/conduct electrons generated by the electrochemical and output electrical energy. 2. The fuel cell according to claim 1, further comprising a first tube that is insulated and defines a first space, and a first tube that insulates and surrounds the first tube. a wall of the tube and a second space defining a space for the electrolyte membrane to communicate with the first space, the first conductor layer of each reaction unit being fixedly spaced on the first tube wall The second conductor layer of each reaction unit is fixedly spaced on the wall of the second tube. The fuel cell according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the first tube is provided with at least one slot corresponding to each of the two first conductor layers, so that the first and second spaces are connected, and The second tube is provided with a slot between each of the two second conductor layers disposed to connect the second space to the outside. 17 1255579 4 · The fuel cell according to the Φ Τ Μ Μ 范围 范围 , , , 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料 燃料And the second reaction layer receives the air from the outside and the gas acts as an edge oxidant for the electrochemical reaction. The fuel cell according to the fourth aspect of the invention, wherein the fuel In the first space: According to the fuel cell of claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, the first and second conductor layers are made of a conductive carbon fiber material. 7 · According to the patent application, the fuel cell of the first, second, third, fourth or fifth type is consumed, and the cross section of the electrolyte membrane is a closed loop. 8.=:=: two = one ^ 18