Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Apparatus – Electrolytic
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-07
2003-07-29
Nguyen, Nam (Department: 1741)
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Apparatus
Electrolytic
Reexamination Certificate
active
06599403
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrochemical device using solid polymer electrolytic film based on an electrochemical reaction. In particular, the present invention relates to an electrochemical device which generates gases such as an ozone gas, an oxygen gas and a hydrogen gas by an electrochemical reaction in the process of inducing direct current voltage by facing an anode with a cathode having a solid polymer electrolytic film therebetween. The present invention also relates to an electrochemical device such as a dehumidifying device which dehumidifies moisture in air, or a gas detection sensor which detects a leaked gas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior Art Embodiment 1
FIG. 42
shows a constructional view of a dehumidifying device which is an example of the conventional electrochemical device using a solid electrolytic film disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 216714/1986. In the figure, numeral
101
indicates an anode, numeral
102
a cathode, numeral
103
a solid polymer electrolytic film, numeral
105
a collector, numeral
106
and
107
a terminal plate, numeral
108
a case, numeral
109
a pump, numeral
110
a cathode room, numeral
111
an anode room, numeral
112
a water pool, numeral
113
an exhaust port for remaining gas and numeral
114
an oxygen exhaust port.
Anode
101
and cathode
102
are jointed to each surface of a solid polymer electrolytic film
103
comprising perfluorocarbon sulfonate resin as a whole. The anode
101
comprises platinum and is jointed to solid polymer electrolytic film
103
by non-electrolytic plating. The cathode
102
is constituted by jointing a composition comprising carbon powder having platinum catalyst, poly(tetra-fluoroethylene), perfluorocarbon sulfonic acid resin and the like to solid polymer electrolytic film
103
by a hot press method. Wave-shaped collectors
104
and
105
are placed behind anode
101
and cathode
102
, respectively. Further, titanium terminal plates
106
and
107
are placed behind the collectors
104
and
105
, respectively. These elements are fixed by a case
108
. Additionally, air for dehumidification is introduced by a pump
109
into cathode room
110
and anode room
111
which are formed in each space around anode collector
104
and cathode collector
105
, respectively.
Water vapor in the introduced air is absorbed by solid polymer electrolytic film
103
. If a direct current voltage of 1.4 V is induced between the cathode terminal plate
106
and the anode terminal plate
107
in this condition, electrolytic reductive reaction of oxygen is observed at the cathode
102
, while oxygen is generated at the anode
101
, leading to leakage of water from the back of the cathode
102
. The leaked water is pooled in water pool
112
and the remaining gas deoxidated at the cathode
102
is released into air through the remaining gas exhaust port
113
set on the water pool
112
. Also, oxygen generated from the anode
101
is released into air through oxygen exhaust port
114
together with redundant air. In this manner, water vapor in air is condensed and is collected in the water pool
112
in liquid condition.
However, a dehumidifying device according to Prior art Embodiment 1 had a problem in that the electrochemical device became heavy and thick since solid polymer electrolytic film
103
is contacted to the anode
101
and the cathode
102
with surface pressure by inserting the solid polymer electrolytic film
103
jointed with the anode
101
and the cathode
102
sandwiched by the collectors
104
and
105
and the terminal plates
106
and
107
into the case
108
.
Prior Art Embodiment 2
In order to solve the above problems, there is provided a dehumidifying device which is an example of the conventional electrochemical device using a solid electrolytic film as disclosed for example in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 325983/1993 and 63343/1994, in which a solid polymer electrolytic film with an anode and a cathode is closely contacted to each other without the collectors
104
and
105
, the terminal plates
106
and
107
or the case
108
. Also, an ozone generating device is proposed which is an example of the conventional electrochemical device using a solid electrolytic film as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 131276/1999.
In these electrochemical devices, on either side of a solid polymer electrolytic film, there are placed an anode having an anode catalytic layer on an anode base substrate comprising conductive porous material and a cathode having an cathode catalytic layer on cathode base substrate comprising conductive porous material. Thermocompression bonding (hot press) is carried out at a temperature of at least 130° C. to less than 210° C. so as to insert the anode and cathode base substrate into a solid polymer electrolytic film. A catalytic layer is formed in the inserted part to achieve close contact.
For example,
FIG. 43
shows a construction view of an ozone generator disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 131276/1999, being an example of the conventional electrochemical device using a solid electrolytic film. An electrochemical device is formed by hot press at 160° C. placing, on both surfaces of a solid electrolytic film, an anode
1
having an anode catalytic layer on an anode base substrate comprising conductive porous material and a cathode
2
having an cathode catalytic layer on a cathode base substrate comprising conductive porous material.
When about 3 V of direct current voltage by using current power
6
is induced to the electrochemical device formed in unity, water in air is electrolyzed at the jointed surface of the anode
1
and solid polymer electrolytic film
3
to generate an ozone gas, an oxygen gas and electrons. The generated ozone gas and oxygen gas are released outside through the anode
1
which is a porous material. On the other hand, the hydrogen ions generated by electrolysis of water move to the cathode
2
through the solid polymer electrolytic film
3
and water is generated at the jointed surface of the cathode
2
and the solid polymer electrolytic film
3
by reacting the hydrogen ions, oxygen gas in air and electrons led to the cathode
2
from the outside circuit.
The electrochemical device of the Prior art Embodiment 2 using a solid electrolytic film has an advantage of omitting the collectors
104
and
105
, the terminal plates
106
and
107
and the case
108
, leading to a light and thin solid electrolytic film since the anode
1
, the cathode
2
and the solid electrolytic film
3
are unified as a whole by using hot press.
However, there was a problem in that performance of the electrochemical device of Prior art Embodiment 2 decreases in a short period of time if it is used at a high humidity condition wherein relative humidity is more than 70%.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been conducted to solve the problems with the above conventional devices, and the object of the present invention is to provide an electrochemical device comprising a thin and light solid polymer electrolytic film whose properties can be maintained steadily for a long time even at a high humidity condition and a process for preparing the same.
The first electrochemical device of the present invention is obtained by inserting and pressuring a jointed electrochemical device between a pair of pressing plates, wherein the jointed electrochemical device is obtained by jointing an anode and a cathode having a catalytic layer on a base substrate of conductive porous material to both sides of the solid polymer electrolytic film, and wherein the pressing plate has an opening part having an area smaller than an electrochemical reaction part formed by facing the anode and the cathode.
The second electrochemical device of the present invention is a device in which an area of the opening part is 5 to 90% to an area of the electrochemical reaction part in the first device.
The third elect
Fukumoto Hisatoshi
Ikeda Akira
Kitazaki Kuraki
Mitsuda Kenro
Nguyen Nam
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Parsons Thomas H.
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