Patent ID: 8835343
Filing Date: 2014-09-16
Classification: B01J,H01M,Y02E,Y02T

Abstract:
1. A method of preparing a high surface area electrode catalyst free of platinum group metals (PGM) for use in a fuel cell, comprising: preparing a metal-organic framework (MOF) material consisting of a plurality of pores and also a non-PGM first transition metal catalytic center chemically bonded via a metal-nitrogen containing bond to an organic multidentate ligand in of the MOF material, the organic multidentate ligand and a first organic solvent contained within a portion of the plurality of pores, comprising: substituting at least a portion of the contained first organic solvent with a second chemical moiety to enhance formation of electrocatalytic active sites in the MOF material; and thermally treating the MOF material for a predetermined period within an environment at a thermal conversion temperature to form the high surface area electrode catalyst having a plurality of uniformly distributed electrocatalytic active sites with catalytic centers arising from the non-PGM first transition metal chemically bonded in the thermally converted MOF material.