Nissan Motor Company Limited

Fuminori Satou

Keiko Kushibiki

Itaru Shibata

Makoto Uchiyama

Masaharu Hatano

Mitsugu Yamanaka

Naoki Hara

Tatsuhiro Fukuzawa

Yasushi Nakajima

Yoshiko Hishitani

Shigeo Ibuka

Dong Song

Tatsuo Sugiyama

Masao Yoshida

Masaki Hirota

Maki Shimada

Yoshimi Ohta

Shunta Nabetani

A liquid crystal optical element includes an optical function layer and two transparent substrates. The optical function layer is sandwiched between two transparent substrates. The optical function layer contains liquid crystal molecules and a photoisomerization material. The liquid crystal optical element switches between a light-transmitting state and a light-scattering state according to an orientation state of the liquid crystal molecules. The optical function layer holds the liquid crystal molecules and the photoisomerization material within a mesh structure formed of a resin-particle aggregate. Therefore, light can be strongly scattered when the liquid crystal optical element is in a screen state, and a high-contrast image is obtained when visible light is projected onto the liquid crystal optical element.

Liquid crystal optical element

An air battery includes: a cell frame of an insulating material having a bottomed frame shape in which an electrolytic solution and an anode are stored; a cathode that is disposed opposite the anode across the electrolytic solution stored in the cell frame; and a current collecting member that is electrically connected to the anode, wherein the anode and the current collecting member are electrically connected to each other via a plurality of electrically conducting members that penetrate a bottom of the cell frame.

Air battery cell with electrically conductive members and battery pack

A solid electrolyte fuel cell plate structure includes a cell element layer composed of a solid electrolyte, an air electrode layer and a fuel electrode layer, a porous base body supporting the cell element layer, and a gas-impermeable member having electric conductivity. The cell element layer is arranged such that the solid electrolyte layer is sandwiched between the air electrode layer and the fuel electrode layer, with the air electrode layer or the fuel electrode layer being joined to the porous base body. The gas-impermeable member is associated with the solid electrolyte layer to allow gas internally passing through the porous base body to be separated from gas flowing outside the porous base body. Such a cell plate structure can be employed in a solid electrolyte fuel cell stack, which in turn can be employed in a solid electrolyte fuel cell electric power generation unit.

Solid oxide electrolyte fuel cell plate structure, stack and electrical power generation unit

An aspect of the present invention provides a fuel cell that includes, hollow structural bodies each provided with an internal space for reacting a fuel gas and an oxidant gas, each hollow structural body including, a separator having a perimeter wall section that follows along a rim, a cell plate having an electricity-generating cell having its outer perimeter joined to the separator such that a space for a gas to flow through is formed between the separator and the cell plate, a gas supply manifold to supply one of the reactant gases, a gas discharge manifold to discharge the reactant gas, and a gas introducing flow passage to introduce said reactant gas from the gas supply manifold to the perimeter wall section of the separator, wherein the reactant gas introduced into the gas introducing passage flows from the vicinity of the perimeter wall section of the separator to the gas discharge manifold.

Fuel cell

A fuel cell comprises: a cell plate (A,B); an electroconductive gas separator (A;B) which cooperates with the cell plate, to form a gas passage; and a holder member (A;B) which holds a part of the cell plate. The cell plate includes a supporting body (A;B), and a cell (A;B) formed on the supporting body. The cell includes a solid electrolyte (), a cathode substance layer () formed on one surface of the solid electrolyte, and an anode substance layer () formed on the other surface of the solid electrolyte.

A solid oxide fuel cell includes a plurality of electric power-generating elements stacked in a stack direction, each including a solid oxide electrolyte and a porous electrode section. A plurality of first current collector layers are connected to the porous electrode sections, respectively. At least one separator is provided for separating the plurality of electric power-generating elements. A gas supply channel is defined between the at least one separator and is associated with one of the plurality of first current collector layers. A plurality of gas supply branch passages branch off from the gas supply channel and reach the electrode section of the associated one of the plurality of electric power-generating elements. The fuel cell further includes a plurality of gas exhaust channels for exhausting consumed gas via the associated one of the plurality of first current collector layers.

Solid oxide fuel cell with improved gas exhaust

A fuel cell collector structure of the present invention includes a single cell which is formed by sandwiching a plate-shaped solid electrolyte between a fuel electrode and an air electrode, a collector which is provided at a position adjacent to the single cell, and a separator which is provided at the position adjacent to the collector. In the fuel cell collector structure, the collector is made of a porous electric conductor having a plurality of apertures on a surface, the single cell and/or the separator has a plurality of electrically conductive projections on the surface, and the projections intrude into the apertures to come into contact with the collector.

Fuel cell collector structure and solid oxide fuel cell stack using the same

A single cell for a fuel cell in which an air electrode or a fuel electrode includes at least two layers. The air electrode includes an adhering cathode layer formed on one surface of the solid electrolyte layer and configured to show a function to allow the air electrode and the solid electrolyte layer to adhere electrically and mechanically to each other, and an electricity collecting cathode layer formed on the adhering cathode layer and configured to show an electricity collecting function of the air electrode. Alternatively, the fuel electrode includes an adhering anode layer formed on the other surface of the solid electrolyte layer and configured to show a function to allow the fuel electrode and the solid electrolyte layer to adhere electrically and mechanically to each other, and an electricity collecting anode layer formed on the adhering anode layer and configured to show an electricity collecting function.

Solid oxide fuel cell

A unit cell for a solid electrolyte fuel cell is provided with an air electrode, a fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte sandwiched between the air electrode and the fuel electrode, and a porous metallic base body joined to at lease one of the air electrode and the fuel electrode. The porous metallic base body includes a plurality of porous base body layers stacked to form a laminated structure in which one layer joined to at least one of the air electrode and the fuel electrode has porosity lower than that of the other layer not joined to at least one of the air electrode and the fuel electrode.

Unit cell for solid oxide electrolyte type fuel cell and related manufacturing method

A fuel cell of the present invention includes a fuel cell stack () for being formed by stacking a plurality of cell plates () having a flat shape, the cell plates () being configured by arranging a plurality of cells, the cell having an electrolyte layer (), a fuel electrode layer () and an air electrode layer (). A combustion heater plate () includes a porous combustion plate () and a gas non-pass layer () covering a surface of the porous combustion plate (). The combustion heater plate () is disposed between the cell plates ().

A unit cell for a solid electrolyte type fuel cell is provided with a fuel electrode, an air electrode making a pair with the fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte interposed between the fuel electrode and the air electrode, a porous metallic base body disposed on at lease one of a surface of the fuel electrode on the far side from the solid electrolyte and a surface of the air electrode on the far side from the solid electrolyte such that the fuel electrode, the electrolyte, and a plurality of concave portions formed in the porous metallic base body so as to extend, in a laminating direction in which the fuel electrode, the electrolyte, the air electrode and the porous metallic base body are laminated, from a surface of the porous metallic base body.

Unit cell for solid electrolyte type fuel cell and related manufacturing method

A cell plate structure for a fuel cell is provided with a porous substrate, a lower electrode layer formed on the porous substrate, an upper electrode layer opposed to the lower electrode layer, a solid electrolyte layer having a layer element placed between the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer and composed of a plurality of divided electrolyte regions, a gas impermeable layer correspondingly covering an area where the solid electrolyte layer is absent on the porous substrate or on the lower electrode layer. The gas impermeable layer separates gas passing inside the porous substrate and gas passing outside the porous substrate. Such a cell plate structure is suited for use in a solid electrolyte type fuel cell.

Cell plate structure for fuel cell, manufacturing method thereof and solid electrolyte type fuel cell

A cell plate structure for a solid oxide electrolyte type fuel cell is provided with a lower electrode layer, an upper electrode layer provided in opposition to the lower electrode layer, a solid electrolyte layer provided between the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer, and an area provided in at least one of the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer. The area has a portion which is formed by removing a substance, contained in the at least one of the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer during formation thereof, after the at least one of the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer has been formed. Such a fuel cell plate structure can be applied to a solid electrolyte fuel cell representatively by being disposed between a pair of separators that have gas flow passages supplying the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer with gasses, respectively.

Cell plate structure for solid electrolyte fuel cell, solid electrolyte fuel cell and related manufacturing method

An SOFC is provided with an oxidizing electrode layer, a reducing electrode layer opposite to the oxidizing electrode layer, a solid electrolyte layer between the oxidizing electrode layer and the reducing electrode layer, and an alternating laminated structural section between the oxidizing electrode layer and the solid electrolyte layer or between the reducing electrode layer and the solid electrolyte layer. The alternating laminated structural section has a first thin film layer including a material of corresponding one of the electrode layers and a second thin film layer having a phase including the material of the corresponding one of the electrode layers and that of the solid electrolyte layer. The first thin film layer and the second thin film layer are alternately laminated.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa-ken, Japan

Fuminori Satou