DE19902970A1 - Fuel cell with ion-conducting ceramic electrodes has anode and cathode walls of permeable or semi-permeable, electron-conducting or non-conducting and/or ion conducting materials - Google Patents

Abstract

The fuel cell has two electrodes and an electrolyte enclosing or flowing through them. The walls of the anode (3) and cathode (11), which are mounted with their ends in the container (9) so as to be insulated with respect to the container walls, consist of permeable or semi-permeable and simultaneously electron-conducting or non-conducting and /or ion conducting materials or a combination. The inner sides of the electrodes are electrically connected to catalyzers (2,6) and the current connections (1,7) are directly electrically connected to the anode and cathode.

Description

The invention relates to a fuel cell operated with liquid electrolytes, the electrodes of which are perme abler electron-conducting ceramics exist, as in the type specified in the preamble of claim 1. Fuel cells with proton-conducting liquid electrolytes come in many different designs shape well-known and in use.

Because of the sometimes high chemical, thermal and mechanical stress, electrodes, in particular especially with catalytically active coatings, a significant time-limiting factor.

The invention is therefore based on the object, by using durable, mechanically simple and powerful electrodes, fuel cells with liquid electrolytes to use even more economically can.

This object is achieved by the characterizing features of claim 1.

Advantageous developments of the invention are ge by the claims dependent on this claim indicates.

In the following the invention based on a preferred embodiment in connection with two Described drawings. It shows:

Fig. 1 is a simplified sectional drawing of the fuel cell in front view. In the container ( 9 ) with the electrolyte ( 10 ), the anode ( 3 ) and the cathode ( 11 ) are suspended in isolation or the container wall is made of insulating material. Via the fuel supply ( 5 ) and oxygen supply / air supply ( 12 ), the reaction media are supplied to the catalysts ( 2 , 6 ), which are in conductive connection with the electrodes. The temperature and the composition of the electrolyte can be checked and changed via the electrolyte inflow ( 4 ) and the electrolyte outflow ( 8 ). In a preferred embodiment, the material of the anode ( 3 ) and the cathode ( 11 ) consists of electron-conducting permeable or semipermeable ceramic. This double function means that the otherwise customary metallic electrode current arresters are missing, since the current can be tapped at the electrodes via the current connections ( 1 , 7 ). This results in advantages such as less mechanical effort, less electrical losses, good ion conductivity and thus overall good efficiency with higher cell voltage.

Fig. 2 shows a variant in which the catalysts ( 2 , 6 ) by the anode ionization section ( 15 ) and the cathode denionization section ( 16 ) are replaced. If the anode ionization voltage ( 13 ) and the cathode ionization voltage ( 14 ) are activated, the supplied reaction media can be selectively ionized and discharged to the inner walls of the anode ( 17 ) and the cathode ( 11 ). A heater can optionally be integrated into the electrical system. 1 power connector
2 catalyst
3 anode
4 Electrolyte inflow
5 fuel supply
6 catalyst
7 power connection
8 Electrolyte drain
9 containers
10 electrolyte
11 cathode
12 Oxygen supply / air supply
13 Anode ionization voltage
14 cathode ionization voltage
15 anode ionization path
16 cathode ionization path
17 anode
18 cathode

Claims (6)

1. Fuel cell with two electrodes and an electrolyte surrounding or flowing through them, characterized in that the walls of the anode ( 3 ) and the cathode ( 11 ), which are mounted with their respective ends in the container ( 9 ) in an electrically insulated manner with respect to the container wall, consist of permeable or semi-permeable and at the same time electron-conducting or non-electron-conducting and / or ion-conducting substances or combinations thereof, the inside of the electrodes being electrically conductively connected to the catalysts ( 2 , 6 ) and the current connections ( 1 , 7 ) directly to the Anode ( 3 ) and the Ka method ( 11 ) are electrically connected. 2. Fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that the anode ( 3 ) and the cathode ( 11 ) are directly flowed through by the electrolyte ( 10 ), the catalysts ( 2 , 6 ) are now attached to the outside of the electrodes and here separately be washed around by the respective reaction media. 3. Fuel cell according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the anode ( 3 ) and the cathode ( 11 ) in preferred embodiments consist of conductive ceramic, proton-conductive oxide ceramic, conductive glass or conductive plastic, the respective catalyst also pore-related and here too effective on the surface, can be chemically and / or physically integrated into the respective electrode material. 4. Fuel cell according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the anode ( 3 ) and the cathode ( 11 ) with their now open lower ends so immersed in the electrolyte ( 10 ) that they are in direct flow connection therewith and the hydrostatic pressure or another positive pressure can take effect in it. 5. Fuel cell according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the anode ( 17 ) and the cathode ( 18 ) of the anode ionization path ( 15 ) and the cathode ionization path ( 16 ) are gene, on which the controllable anode ionization voltage ( 13 ) and the cathode ionization voltage ( 14 ) are present, which derive the resulting streamer on the inside of the electrodes as a mass or ionize it in a controllable manner with respect to the electrolyte, whereby an electric heater with additional or exclusive thermal ionization function can also be integrated. 6. Fuel cell according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the ionized Media can be ionized by laser, radio frequency or radiation.