ELECTRODE ELECTROLYTE FOR USE IN SOLID POLYMER FUEL CELL

摘要

Disclosed is an electrode electrolyte for use in a solid polymer fuel cell or the like. A solid polymer fuel cell has a pair of electrodes on both sides of a proton-conductive solid polymer electrolyte film and can generate electricity by feeding a fuel gas (e.g., pure hydrogen) to one electrode and feeding an oxidizing agent (e.g., air) to the other electrode, in which the electrodes are composed of an electrode electrolyte having an electrode catalytic component (e.g., platinum) dispersed therein. In a conventional solid polymer fuel cell, a perfluoroalkylsulfonate polymer has been used as the electrode electrolyte. This material has excellent proton conductivity, but is very expensive. Further, because of a large amount of fluorine atoms present in the molecule, the material is poor in combustion property and therefore makes it difficult to collect or recycle platinum or the like used in the electrode electrolyte. These problems can be overcome by using an electrode electrolyte which comprises a polymer having a polyphenylene backbone and a side chain having a sulfonate group and a side chain having a nitrogenated heterocyclic group or the like.