Membrane Electrode Assembly and Organic Hydride Manufacturing Device

Abstract

There is provided a membrane electrode assembly and an organic hydride manufacturing device capable of obtaining higher energy efficiency even if manufacturing organic hydride in one step with a single device. A membrane electrode assembly in which a cathode catalyst layer and an anode catalyst layer are placed to sandwich a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, wherein the cathode catalyst layer includes catalytic metal which causes hydrogenation of unsaturated hydrocarbons to organic hydrides, and a carrier of the catalytic metal, and the carrier provides on its surface a functional group which decreases wettability of the unsaturated hydrocarbons.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A membrane electrode assembly in which a cathode catalyst layer which reduces an unsaturated hydrocarbon and an anode catalyst layer which oxides water are placed to sandwich a solid polymer electrolyte membrane which is proton conductive,
 wherein the cathode catalyst layer includes a catalytic metal which causes hydrogenation of a unsaturated hydrocarbon to organic hydride, a carrier which supports the catalytic metal, and the solid polymer electrolyte membrane which is proton conductive; and   a functional group which decreases wettability of the unsaturated hydrocarbons is introduced onto a surface of the carrier.   
     
     
         2 . An organic hydride manufacturing device, comprising the membrane electrode assembly according to  claim 1 , a member supplying the unsaturated hydrocarbon to the cathode catalyst layer, and a member supplying water or steam to the anode catalyst layer. 
     
     
         3 . The membrane electrode assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the functional group includes at least one of a sulfonate group, a phosphonate group, a hydroxyl group, a sulfomethyl group, a carboxyl group, a carbonyl group, and a carboxylate group. 
     
     
         4 . The membrane electrode assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the catalytic metal consists of platinum, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, iridium, molybdenum, rhenium, wolfram, and an alloy including at least some of these. 
     
     
         5 . The membrane electrode assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon is benzene, toluene, xylene, mesitylene, naphthalene, methylnaphthalene, or anthracene. 
     
     
         6 . The organic hydride manufacturing device according to  claim 2 , wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon is benzene, toluene, xylene, mesitylene, naphthalene, methylnaphthalene, or anthracene. 
     
     
         7 . An organic hydride manufacturing device comprising a cathode catalyst layer, an anode catalyst layer, and a separator which supplies an unsaturated hydrocarbon to the cathode catalyst layer to remove organic hydride, and supplies H 2 O to the anode catalyst layer to evacuate oxygen and water,
 wherein the cathode catalyst layer is placed on one surface of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and the anode catalyst layer is placed on another surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane,   the cathode catalyst layer includes a catalytic metal which causes hydrogenation of an unsaturated hydrocarbon to the organic hydride, and a carrier which supports the catalytic metal, and   the carrier has on its surface a functional group which decreases wettability of the unsaturated hydrocarbon.   
     
     
         8 . The organic hydride manufacturing device according to  claim 7 , wherein hydrogen is supplied from the anode catalyst layer to the cathode catalyst layer. 
     
     
         9 . The organic hydride manufacturing device according to  claim 7 , wherein the carrier is electron-conductive carbon. 
     
     
         10 . The organic hydride manufacturing device according to  claim 7 , wherein the functional group is a sulfonate group. 
     
     
         11 . The organic hydride manufacturing device according to  claim 7 , wherein the separator has electroconductivity as well as a channel groove through which unsaturated hydrocarbons and H 2 O flow. 
     
     
         12 . The organic hydride manufacturing device according to  claim 7 , wherein supply of unsaturated hydrocarbons onto the cathode catalyst layer and supply of H 2 O onto the anode catalyst layer are feasible via a diffusion layer. 
     
     
         13 . The organic hydride manufacturing device according to  claim 12 , wherein the diffusion layer is carbon paper or carbon cloth. 
     
     
         14 . The organic hydride manufacturing device according to  claim 7 , wherein the cathode catalyst layer includes a solid polymer electrolyte.