U.S. patent application number 13/617921 was filed with the patent office on 2014-03-20 for cell module, ozone generator thereof and methods for generating ozone using the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to CASHIDO CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is SHIH-CHANG CHEN, LIANG-CHIEN CHENG, CHUN-LUNG CHIU, XIN-YING HAN, TAI-FANG HUNG, I-CHIAO LIN, RU-SHI LIU, CHIEN-MIN SUNG. Invention is credited to SHIH-CHANG CHEN, LIANG-CHIEN CHENG, CHUN-LUNG CHIU, XIN-YING HAN, TAI-FANG HUNG, I-CHIAO LIN, RU-SHI LIU, CHIEN-MIN SUNG.
Application Number | 20140076724 13/617921 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50273333 |
Filed Date | 2014-03-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140076724 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHENG; LIANG-CHIEN ; et
al. |
March 20, 2014 |
CELL MODULE, OZONE GENERATOR THEREOF AND METHODS FOR GENERATING
OZONE USING THE SAME
Abstract
A cell module includes an anode, a cathode and a proton exchange
membrane. The anode adheres to one side of the proton exchange
membrane while the cathode adheres to the opposite side thereof.
The anode comprises a substrate and at least one diamond-like
carbon layer covering the substrate. The present disclosure further
provides an ozone generator and a method using the same.
Inventors: |
CHENG; LIANG-CHIEN;
(KAOHSIUNG CITY, TW) ; HUNG; TAI-FANG; (CHIAYI
CITY, TW) ; LIN; I-CHIAO; (TAIPEI CITY, TW) ;
CHIU; CHUN-LUNG; (HSINCHU COUNTY, TW) ; HAN;
XIN-YING; (HSINCHU CITY, TW) ; LIU; RU-SHI;
(NEW TAIPEI CITY, TW) ; CHEN; SHIH-CHANG; (HSINCHU
COUNTY, TW) ; SUNG; CHIEN-MIN; (NEW TAIPEI CITY,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CHENG; LIANG-CHIEN
HUNG; TAI-FANG
LIN; I-CHIAO
CHIU; CHUN-LUNG
HAN; XIN-YING
LIU; RU-SHI
CHEN; SHIH-CHANG
SUNG; CHIEN-MIN |
KAOHSIUNG CITY
CHIAYI CITY
TAIPEI CITY
HSINCHU COUNTY
HSINCHU CITY
NEW TAIPEI CITY
HSINCHU COUNTY
NEW TAIPEI CITY |
|
TW
TW
TW
TW
TW
TW
TW
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
CASHIDO CORPORATION
MIAOLI COUNTY
TW
|
Family ID: |
50273333 |
Appl. No.: |
13/617921 |
Filed: |
September 14, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
204/263 ;
204/252 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C25B 1/13 20130101; C25B
11/0447 20130101; C25B 9/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
204/263 ;
204/252 |
International
Class: |
C25B 9/10 20060101
C25B009/10; C25B 13/08 20060101 C25B013/08; C25B 11/14 20060101
C25B011/14; C25B 1/13 20060101 C25B001/13 |
Claims
1. A cell module comprising: a proton exchange membrane; an anode,
including a substrate and at least one diamond-like carbon layer
formed on a surface thereof, adhered to one side of the proton
exchange membrane; a cathode, corresponding to the anode, adhered
the opposite side of the proton exchange membrane.
2. The cell module according to claim 1, wherein the proton
exchange membrane material is formed by a sulfonated
tetrafluoroethylene based material.
3. The cell module according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is
made of a material selected from the group consisting of carbon
cloth, carbon paper and the combination thereof, and the anode is
made of a material selected from the groups consisting of platinum,
copper, silicon dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon cloth, carbon
paper, carbon materials and the combination thereof.
4. The cell module according to claim 1, wherein the diamond-like
carbon layer further comprises a dopant.
5. The cell module according to claim 4, wherein the dopant is
nitrogen and the mass fraction is between 10 to 30 percentages of
the diamond-like carbon layer.
6. The cell module according to claim 1, wherein the diamond-like
carbon layer is multi-layered.
7. The cell module according to claim 1, wherein the diamond-like
carbon layer has two to six layers.
8. An ozone generator, including: a tank with a plurality of water
inlets and a plurality of water outlets; a cell module disposed in
the tank, including a proton exchange membrane, an anode and a
corresponding cathode, wherein the anode adheres to one side of the
proton exchange membrane, the anode includes a substrate and at
least one diamond-like carbon layer, the cathode adheres to the
other side of the proton exchange membrane, and at least two
conduction plates disposed on either side of the cell module.
9. The ozone generator according to claim 8, wherein the
diamond-like carbon layer further comprises a dopant.
10. The ozone generator according to claim 8, wherein the dopant is
nitrogen and the mass fraction is between 10 to 30 percentages of
the diamond-like carbon layer.
11. The ozone generator according to claim 8, wherein the
diamond-like carbon layer is a multi-layered.
12. The ozone generator according to claim 8, wherein the
diamond-like carbon layer has two to six layers.
13. The ozone generator according to claim 8, wherein the tank is
made of anti-oxidized materials and the tank includes a anode water
tank and a cathode water tank, wherein the first and cathode water
tank have a plurality of corresponding fastening holes.
14. The ozone generator according to claim 8, wherein the plurality
of water inlets open at lower halves on one side of the first and
cathode water tank and the plurality of water outlets open at upper
halves, opposite to the water inlets, of the first and cathode
water tank.
15. The ozone generator according to claim 8, wherein the proton
exchange membrane is formed by a material based on sulfonated
tetrafluoroethylene.
16. The ozone generator according to claim 8, wherein the substrate
is made of a material selected from the group consisting of carbon
cloth, carbon paper and the combination thereof, and the anode is
made of a material selected from the groups consisting of platinum,
copper, silicon dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon cloth, carbon
paper, carbon materials and the combination thereof.
17. The ozone generator according to claim 8, wherein each of the
conduction plates includes a frame portion and a connection portion
formed by an extension from the frame portion.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a cell module; in
particular, the cell module utilizes a diamond-like carbon anode in
an ozone generator to produce ozone.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] The conventional way to sanitize an object is by boiling the
object in the water to destroy the bacteria. Another commonly used
way is adding sanitizer, which comprises chlorides or the like, in
the washing water. Due to extensive pollution, the number of
microorganisms in the tap water has increased every year so the
concentration of chlorides in the sanitizer increases altogether.
High concentration chlorides cause a peculiar odor and may result
in secondary pollution to the environment like detergent does.
[0005] Like chlorides, fluorides and ozone are strong oxidants
which are prone to gain electrons. However, fluorides are highly
toxic to human, thus cannot be used in the drinking or washing
water. In the contrary, ozone is less toxic compared to fluorides
meanwhile a potent oxidizing agent, which is 3000 times more
effective than chlorides, and therefore in the water ozone can
significantly reduce the bacterial number and decompose chemical
remains. The ozone not reacted will automatically decompose to
oxygen without secondary contamination to the environment.
[0006] Nevertheless, ozone production is a costly process which
prevents the public implementation of ozone. The conventional ozone
generators are ultraviolet (UV) light ozone generator, corona
discharge method and electrolysis of water. The UV light ozone
generator employs a lamp emitting UV light at approximately 185
nanometers (nm) to energize oxygen molecules (O.sub.2). The
energized, highly reactive oxygen free radicals combine with other
oxygen molecules to form ozone (O.sub.3). However the ozone
concentration produced is usually low and higher wavelength UV
light tends to decay ozone.
[0007] The corona discharge method uses high voltage currents to
ionize gas oxygen and form ozone molecules, which is in relation to
the UV light ozone generator. The corona discharge method requires
considerable preparation in advance because the yield of ozone is
in directly proportional to the air dryness and oxygen
concentration. In moist air, yields of oxides and other particles
increase, which are not easy to separate from ozone. The high
voltage current is mostly converted to heat in the process so
cooling devices are essential. Therefore the entry requirement of
corona discharge method is high because of the need of complex
instrument and regular maintenance.
[0008] The conventional electrolysis of water for ozone is by
adding water to appropriate electrolytes and supplying DC power to
the device. The metallic electrodes are easily corroded because in
the production of ozone many highly reactive molecules are formed
as well, thus quickening the electrodes decaying. One way is to
replace the metallic electrodes by conductive diamond which is
hard, resistant to corrosion and chemically inert yet the cost is
considerably high so that diamond electrodes are not widely,
commercially implemented.
SUMMARY
[0009] The object of the present disclosure is to provide a cell
module with a diamond-like carbon electrode and ozone generator
using the same, which is highly efficient, low in cost and having
physical properties in accordance with diamond.
[0010] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a cell
module, which includes a proton exchange membrane (PEM), an anode
and a corresponding cathode. The anode comprises a substrate and at
least one diamond-like carbon (DLC) layer formed on the substrate.
The DLC layer is doped with nitrogen to form the nitride
diamond-like carbon (DLC/N). The anode adheres to one side of
lateral faces of the PEM and the cathode adheres to the other
thereof.
[0011] Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an
ozone generator, which includes a tank, a cell module disposed in
the tank and at least two conduction plates. The tank has a
plurality of water inlets and a plurality of water outlets. The
cell module has a proton exchange membrane, an anode and a
corresponding cathode. The anode comprises a substrate and at least
one diamond-like carbon (DLC) layer formed on the substrate. The
anode adheres to one side of lateral faces of the PEM and the
cathode adheres to the other thereof. The cell module is flanked by
the two conduction plates at either side respectively.
[0012] Still another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide
a method for ozone production.
[0013] In summary, the anode covered by the DLC layer, which is
highly conductive and inexpensive, requires lower voltage current
and less power, thus significantly reducing energy consumption. The
cell module is also suitable for long period operation because of
the stability contributed by the DLC layer. Additionally, the cell
module has simplified layout with high sterilizing rate.
[0014] In order to further understand the present disclosure, the
following embodiments are provided along with illustrations to
facilitate the appreciation of the present disclosure; however, the
appended drawings are merely provided for reference and
illustration, without any intention to be used for limiting present
disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a cell
module in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0016] FIG. 2 is an electronic microscope diagram of a diamond-like
layer on a substrate in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an ozone
generator in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a graph showing a relationship between the current
(A) and potential (V) of nitride diamond-like carbon and
platinum.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a graph showing ozone concentration (ppm) versus
time (min) of a first embodiment in accordance with the present
disclosure.
[0020] FIG. 6 is a graph showing E. coli cell count (%) versus time
(min) of a first embodiment in accordance with the present
disclosure.
[0021] FIG. 7 is a graph showing a relationship between the redox
potential (mV) and time (min) of a second embodiment in accordance
with the present disclosure.
[0022] FIG. 8 is a graph showing a relationship between the redox
potential (mV) and time (min) of a third embodiment in accordance
with the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] The aforementioned illustrations and following detailed
descriptions are exemplary for the purpose of further explaining
the scope of the present disclosure. Other objectives and
advantages related to the present disclosure will be illustrated in
the subsequent descriptions and appended drawings.
[0024] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a cell module 10 in accordance
with the instant disclosure. The cell module 10 includes an anode
11, cathode 12 and a proton exchanger membrane (PEM) 13. The anode
11 has a substrate 111 and at least one diamond-like carbon layer
(DLC) 112 formed on the substrate. The cathode 12 connects to the
other side of the PEM 13 opposite to the anode 11. The anode 11
adheres to one side of lateral faces of the PEM 13 and the cathode
12 adheres to the other thereof.
[0025] The substrate 111 is made from carbon cloth, carbon paper,
other carbon materials and the combination thereof. At least one
DLC layer 112 is formed on the surface of substrate 111 by chemical
vapor deposition (CVD). The substrate 111 and DLC layer 112
together form the anode 11. In this embodiment, the substrate 111
is made from carbon paper. As shown in FIG. 2a, the carbon paper of
the substrate 111 is constructed by alternatively woven carbon
fabric. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2b, the substrate 111 is
completely covered by the DLC layer 112 after CVD. The preferred
thickness of the DLC layer 112 ranges from 2 to 1000 .mu.m.
Furthermore, the properties of the DLC layer 112 can be modified by
adding trace of different dopants; for example, to increase the
conductivity of the anode 11, boron and nitrogen are used. When
hydrogen and fluoride are doped, the DLC layer 112 becomes more
hydrophobic. The mass percentage of the dopant is preferably
between 10 to 30 percentages of the DLC layer 112 mass.
[0026] The cathode 12 is made of conductive materials, selected
from platinum (Pt), copper (Cu), silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2),
carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), carbon cloth, carbon paper, carbon
materials and the combination thereof. In this embodiment, the
cathode 12 is made from carbon paper. The size of the anode and
cathode is about 3 by 3 cm.sup.2. The PEM 13 is made of Nafion,
which is a sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene based synthetic polymer.
The preferred thickness of the PEM 13 ranges from 2 to 1000 .mu.m.
The cell module 10 is assembled by hot pressing (temperature:
130.degree. C.) the anode 11 and cathode 12 to tightly adhere on
either side of the PEM 13 separately and using CVD to accumulate
DLC layer 112 over the anode 11.
[0027] The present disclosure also provides an ozone generator 1
based on the aforementioned cell module 10. The ozone generator 1
includes the cell module 10, a tank unit 20 and at least two
conduction plates 30. The tank unit 20 has a plurality of water
inlet 23 and a plurality of water outlet 24. The ozone module 10 is
fixed and flanked by the conduction plates 30 over anode 11 and
cathode 12 respectively.
[0028] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the ozone generator in
accordance with the present disclosure. The tank unit 20 is made of
anti-oxidized materials; for example, poly(methyl methacrylate)
(PMMA). The tank unit 20 includes a anode water tank 21 and a
cathode water tank 22. The first and cathode water tank 21, 22 have
a plurality of corresponding fastening holes respectively (not
shown in the diagram). The water inlets 23 are arranged on one side
of the first and cathode water tank 21, 22 over the lower halves
thereof. On the other hand, the water outlets 24 are arranged
opposite to the water inlets 23 over the same side of the first and
cathode water tank 21, 22.
[0029] The conduction plates 30 are made of metallic materials; for
example, stainless steel and aluminum. The conduction plates 30
have a frame portion 31 and a connection portion 32 extending from
the frame portion 31. In this embodiment, the frame portion 31 is a
rectangle slab. Suitable material for the frame portion 31 includes
stainless steel and aluminum. The connection portion 32 is
preferably a rod made of the same material. The detail regarding
the cell module 10 can be referred to the foregoing
description.
[0030] The ozone generator 1 is assembled in the following order in
a stacked configuration: the anode water tank 21, one of the
conduction plates 30, the cell module 10, another one of the
conduction plates 30 and the cathode water tank 22. After the
initial assembly, the first and cathode water tank 21, 22 are
bolted together via the corresponding fastening holes. Inside the
tank unit 20 the cell module 10 is sandwiched between the
conduction plates 30. In other words, the frame portion 31 of one
of the conduction plates 30 contacts the DLC layer 112 of the anode
11; the frame portion 31 of another one of the conduction plates 30
contacts the cathode. The connection portion 32 of the conduction
plates 30 protrudes out of the tank unit 20, and is configured to
establish electrical connection from a power source to the ozone
generator 1.
[0031] The present disclosure further provides a method for ozone
production by the aforementioned ozone generator 1, which includes
steps of adding tap water to the tank unit 20 at a rate of 1 L/min
via the water inlets 23 and supplying DC power to the anode 11 and
the cathode 12 through the connection portion 32 respectively. The
preferred voltage level of the DC power ranges between 3 to 15
volts.
[0032] FIG. 4 shows a graph of the current versus electrical
potential of Pt and the nitride DLC (DLC/N) layer 112. The redox
potential of the DLC/N layer (2.7V) is higher than the redox
potential of Pt (1.7V). A full reaction potential of electrolysis
of water to generate oxygen and hydrogen is 1.23V while a higher
potential, 1.51V, is needed to generate oxygen, hydrogen and ozone.
Furthermore, a half reaction potential of the molecular oxygen
reacting with oxygen free radicals to form ozone is 2.07V. That is
to say Pt can act as an electro-catalyst for electrolysis of water
to produce hydrogen and oxygen yet the DLC/N layer can sustain
higher potential to produce hydrogen, oxygen and ozone
altogether.
[0033] FIG. 5 shows a graph of ozone concentration in the tank unit
20 versus time. As voltage is applied to the cell module 10, ozone
and hydrogen ions are formed over the anode 11. The generated ozone
dissolves in the water, which can be used for washing purposes, and
the hydrogen ions pass through the PEM 13 to the cathode 12 to form
hydrogen and complete the full reaction. The ozone concentration
may be determined by measuring the corresponding redox potential in
the tank unit 20.
[0034] FIG. 6 shows a graph of E. coli cell count in a solution.
The solution is mixed with the water containing ozone. After 10
minutes, the E. coli cell count reduced 15%, showing that the ozone
in the water is potent to sterilize in a solution. In addition,
using the water containing ozone to wash vegetables with pesticides
can greatly reduce the pesticides concentration to a level
substantially close to none.
[0035] A second embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in
FIG. 7, which is a graph showing redox potential versus time. This
embodiment shows ozone production rate with different numbers of
the DLC/N layer 112. In FIG. 7, a line with square data points has
a single layer of the DLC/N layer 112 on the substrate 111, a line
with round data points has two layers of the DLC/N layer 112 and a
line with triangle data points has six layers of DLC/N layer
112.
[0036] The result shows that when multiple layers of DLC/N layer
112 are formed on the substrate 111, the anode 11 has higher redox
potential. The preferred number of layers is between 2 to 6 so the
ozone generator 1 can produce high concentration ozone and prolong
the lifespan of anode 11 because of the stability of the plurality
DLC/N layers 112.
[0037] A third embodiment is shown in FIG. 8, which shows a graph
of another redox potential versus time. In this embodiment, the
anode 11 has 6 layers of the DLC/N layer 112, but the cell module
10 has different sizes of reaction area. The reaction area is
equivalent to the area combination of the anode 11 and cathode 12.
In FIG. 8, a line joined by round data point represents the
reaction area of 64 cm.sup.2; a line joined by square data points
represents the reaction area of 9 cm.sup.2. The result shows that
as the reaction area increases, the redox potential increases as
well. That is to say the ozone concentration produced by the ozone
generator 1 is in directly proportional to the reaction area.
[0038] In summary, the instant disclosure provides the cell module
10 and the ozone generator 1 using the same is simple in structure,
lower in manufacturing cost, and stable. The materials used for the
ozone generator 1 also have the feature of low environmental
impact. The anode 11 is inexpensive yet having higher conductivity
compared to the conventional metallic or conductive boron diamond
anodes. The physical properties of the DLC layer 112 are in
accordance with the diamond, which is resistant to corrosion and
strong solutes so to prolong the lifespan of the ozone generator 1.
Also, the ozone generator 1 is suitable for long period operation
because the voltage and power required thereof are lower.
Additionally, the method for ozone production yields higher
concentration ozone without toxic side products.
[0039] The descriptions illustrated supra set forth simply the
preferred embodiments of the present disclosure; however, the
characteristics of the present disclosure are by no means
restricted thereto. All changes, alternations, or modifications
conveniently considered by those skilled in the art are deemed to
be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure
delineated by the following claims.
* * * * *