Patents by Inventor Curtis Berlinguette

Curtis Berlinguette has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11761105
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for producing hydrogen peroxide by performing coupled chemical and electrochemical reactions are disclosed. An electrochemical cell has a chemical reaction chamber configured to hydrogenate a shuttle molecule and an electrochemical chamber configured to electrochemically dissociate water to form hydrogen ions at an anode, and to reduce the hydrogen ions to atomic hydrogen at a cathode. The chemical reaction chamber and the anode chamber are separated by a metallic membrane. The metallic membrane acts as a cathode of the cell, a hydrogen-selective layer and a catalyst. The metallic membrane may comprise a layer of palladium or a palladium alloy. A layer of co-catalyst may optionally be electrodeposited on the layer of palladium or palladium alloy. An ion exchange membrane separates the metallic membrane and the anode chamber. The hydrogenated shuttle molecule may be supplied to a reactor for contacting an oxygen-containing gas to yield hydrogen peroxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: The University of British Columbia
    Inventors: Aoxue Huang, Roxanna Delima, Ryan Jansonius, Curtis Berlinguette
  • Publication number: 20230257325
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for performing coupled chemical and electrochemical reactions are disclosed. An electrochemical cell has a first reaction chamber configured to perform a chemical reaction and an anode chamber configured to perform an electrochemical reaction. The first reaction chamber and the anode chamber are separated by a first membrane. The first membrane acts as a cathode of the cell, a hydrogen-selective layer and a catalyst. The first membrane may comprise a layer of palladium or a palladium alloy. An ion exchange membrane separates the first membrane and the anode chamber. The chemical and electrochemical reactions may respectively be hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventors: Curtis BERLINGUETTE, Rebecca SHERBO
  • Publication number: 20230183873
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for producing hydrogen peroxide by performing coupled chemical and electrochemical reactions are disclosed. An electrochemical cell has a chemical reaction chamber configured to hydrogenate a shuttle molecule and an electrochemical chamber configured to electrochemically dissociate water to form hydrogen ions at an anode, and to reduce the hydrogen ions to atomic hydrogen at a cathode. The chemical reaction chamber and the anode chamber are separated by a metallic membrane. The metallic membrane acts as a cathode of the cell, a hydrogen-selective layer and a catalyst. The metallic membrane may comprise a layer of palladium or a palladium alloy. A layer of co-catalyst may optionally be electrodeposited on the layer of palladium or palladium alloy. An ion exchange membrane separates the metallic membrane and the anode chamber. The hydrogenated shuttle molecule may be supplied to a reactor for contacting an oxygen-containing gas to yield hydrogen peroxide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2023
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Inventors: Aoxue HUANG, Roxanna DELIMA, Ryan JANSONIUS, Curtis BERLINGUETTE
  • Patent number: 11667592
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for performing coupled chemical and electrochemical reactions are disclosed. An electrochemical cell has a first reaction chamber configured to perform a chemical reaction and an anode chamber configured to perform an electrochemical reaction. The first reaction chamber and the anode chamber are separated by a first membrane. The first membrane acts as a cathode of the cell, a hydrogen-selective layer and a catalyst. The first membrane may comprise a layer of palladium or a palladium alloy. An ion exchange membrane separates the first membrane and the anode chamber. The chemical and electrochemical reactions may respectively be hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: The University of British Columbia
    Inventors: Curtis Berlinguette, Rebecca Sherbo
  • Publication number: 20230158459
    Abstract: A hydrogen permeable membrane comprises a dense layer of a hydrogen permeable metal having first and second faces. The first face of the dense layer has a rough surface which may be formed for example by electrodeposition of a hydrogen permeable metal such as palladium. One or more co-catalysts are provided on the rough surface. The co-catalysts may comprise thin sputtered layers. The one or more co-catalysts have an area density not exceeding 20 µg per cm2; and/or a majority of the co catalysts are in an outer portion of the rough surface, the outer portion of the rough surface being less than one half of a thickness of the rough surface defined by peaks of the rough surface. The membrane may be used in a cell to facilitate chemical reactions including hydrogenation, dehydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation reactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2021
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Inventors: Curtis BERLINGUETTE, Ryan JANSONIUS, Aiko KURIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20230151501
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus incorporating porous metallic electrodes for electrolytic conversion of carbon-containing ions are disclosed. A electrochemical cell has an anode, a porous metallic electrode which serves as a cathode, and an ion exchange membrane between the anode and the porous metallic electrode. Water dissociates into hydroxide ions and hydrogen ions at the ion exchange membrane. The hydroxide ions permeate towards the anode, and the hydrogen ions permeate towards the porous metallic electrode. A carbon-containing solution is supplied to the porous metallic electrode. The carbon-containing solution reacts with the hydrogen ions to form one or more carbon-containing intermediate products. One of the carbon-containing intermediate products participate in a reduction reaction at the porous metallic electrode to form one or more carbon-containing resulting products. In some embodiments, the carbon-containing solution comprises a solution containing bicarbonate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: Curtis BERLINGUETTE, Zishuai ZHANG
  • Publication number: 20210151206
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for sourcing nuclear fusion products uses an electrochemical loading process to load low-kinetic-energy (low-k) light element particles into a target electrode, which comprises a light-element-absorbing material (e.g., Palladium). An electrolyte solution containing the low-k light element particles is maintained in contact with a backside surface of the target electrode while a bias voltage is applied between the target electrode and an electrochemical anode, thereby causing low-k light element particles to diffuse from the backside surface to an opposing frontside surface of the target electrode. High-kinetic-energy (high-k) light element particles are directed against the frontside, thereby causing fusion reactions each time a high-k light element particle operably collides with a low-k light element particle disposed on the frontside surface. Fusion reaction rates are controlled by adjusting the bias voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventors: Thomas Schenkel, Ross Koningstein, Peter Seidl, Arun Persaud, Qing Ji, David K. Fork, Matthew D. Trevithick, Curtis Berlinguette, Philip A. Schauer, Benjamin P. MacLeod
  • Publication number: 20210123146
    Abstract: Processes and apparatus for electrocatalytically converting carbon dioxide emissions and/or ambient carbon dioxide into useful chemicals are described. The process may include: removing carbon dioxide from ambient air through a carbon capture technique, supplying a carbonate or bicarbonate aqueous solution as cathode feed to a cathode of an electrolytic cell comprising a membrane electrode assembly which includes a bipolar membrane separating an anode from the cathode, and applying an electrical potential difference between the cathode and the anode of the membrane electrode assembly to electrocatalytically reduce the carbonate or bicarbonate aqueous solution to carbon monoxide or another useful chemical.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2019
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventors: Curtis BERLINGUETTE, Danielle SALVATORE, Tengfei LI, Maxwell GOLDMAN, Eric LEES
  • Publication number: 20210040017
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for performing coupled chemical and electrochemical reactions are disclosed. An electrochemical cell has a first reaction chamber configured to perform a chemical reaction and an anode chamber configured to perform an electrochemical reaction. The first reaction chamber and the anode chamber are separated by a first membrane. The first membrane acts as a cathode of the cell, a hydrogen-selective layer and a catalyst. The first membrane may comprise a layer of palladium or a palladium alloy. An ion exchange membrane separates the first membrane and the anode chamber. The chemical and electrochemical reactions may respectively be hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Publication date: February 11, 2021
    Inventors: Curtis BERLINGUETTE, Rebecca SHERBO
  • Publication number: 20200208278
    Abstract: An electrochemical device and method can include techniques involving bipolar membrane electrolysis to transform an input product into an output product. Some embodiments can include a gas-diffusion electrode as a cathode, a bipolar membrane configured to facilitate autodissociation, and an anode that can be configured as a liquid-electrolyte style electrode or a gas-diffusion electrode. In some embodiments the electrochemical device can be configured as a CO2 electrolyzer that is designed to utilize input product including carbon dioxide gas and water to generate output products that can include gaseous carbon monoxide or other reduction products of carbon dioxide and gaseous oxygen or the oxidation products of a depolarizer such as hydrogen, methane, or methanol. Embodiments can be utilized in the production of fuels or feedstocks for fuels and carbon-containing chemicals, in air purification systems, flue gas treatment devices, and other machines and facilities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Yuguang C. Li, Zhifei Yan, Thomas E. Mallouk, Curtis Berlinguette, Danielle Salvatore
  • Publication number: 20200165161
    Abstract: The present invention provides scalable, solution based processes for manufacturing electrochromic materials comprising metal oxide films for use in electrochromic devices. The electrochromic material comprises a transparent conductive substrate coated with an electrochromic metal oxide film, wherein the metal oxide film is formed by a process comprising the steps of: a) providing the conductive substrate; b) coating the substrate with a solution of one or more metal precursors; and c) exposing the coated substrate to near-infrared radiation, UV radiation and/or ozone in an aerobic atmosphere. The present invention also provides electrochromic devices incorporating these electrochromic materials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Inventors: Curtis Berlinguette, Wei Cheng
  • Patent number: 10173210
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for making materials and electrocatalytic materials comprising amorphous metals or metal oxides. This method provides a scalable preparative approach for accessing state-of-the-art electrocatalyst films, as demonstrated herein for the electrolysis of water, and extends the scope of usable substrates to include those that are non-conducting and/or three-dimensional electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Click Materials Corp.
    Inventors: Curtis Berlinguette, Danielle Salvatore, Kevan Dettlebach, Jesse Hudkins
  • Publication number: 20170368545
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for making materials and electrocatalytic materials comprising amorphous metals or metal oxides. This method provides a scalable preparative approach for accessing state-of-the-art electrocatalyst films, as demonstrated herein for the electrolysis of water, and extends the scope of usable substrates to include those that are non-conducting and/or three-dimensional electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Inventors: Curtis BERLINGUETTE, Danielle SALVATORE, Kevan DETTLEBACH, Jesse HUDKINS
  • Patent number: 9803287
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrocatalytic material and a method for making an electrocatalytic material. There is also provided an electrocatalytic material comprising amorphous metal or mixed metal oxides. There is also provided methods of forming an electrocatalyst, comprising an amorphous metal oxide film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Click Materials Corp.
    Inventors: Simon Trudel, Curtis Berlinguette
  • Publication number: 20160369410
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrocatalytic material and a method for making an electrocatalytic material. There is also provided an electrocatalytic material comprising amorphous metal or mixed metal oxides. There is also provided methods of forming an electrocatalyst, comprising an amorphous metal oxide film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2016
    Publication date: December 22, 2016
    Applicant: Click Materials Corp.
    Inventors: Simon TRUDEL, Curtis BERLINGUETTE
  • Patent number: 9433928
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrocatalytic material and a method for making an electrocatalytic material. There is also provided an electrocatalytic material comprising amorphous metal or mixed metal oxides. There is also provided methods of forming an electrocatalyst, comprising an amorphous metal oxide film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Click Materials Corp.
    Inventors: Simon Trudel, Curtis Berlinguette
  • Publication number: 20140213441
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrocatalytic material and a method for making an electrocatalytic material. There is also provided an electrocatalytic material comprising amorphous metal or mixed metal oxides. There is also provided methods of forming an electrocatalyst, comprising an amorphous metal oxide film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2012
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Inventors: Simon Trudel, Curtis Berlinguette