Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Asahi Glass Company, Limited

Matushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Kazuhito Hatoh

Hideo Ohara

Eiichi Yasumoto

Junji Niikura

Teruhisa Kanbara

Hisaaki Gyoten

Hiroki Kusakabe

Toshihiro Matsumoto

Shinsuke Takeguchi

Makoto Uchida

Kazufumi Nishida

Yasushi Sugawara

Noboru Taniguchi

Takaharu Gamo

Nobuhiro Hase

Soichi Shibata

Susumu Kobayashi

Osamu Sakai

Masato Hosaka

Yasuo Takebe

Yoichiro Tsuji

Takeshi Tomizawa

Takaiki Nomura

Junji Morita

Tomohiro Kuroha

Takahiro Suzuki

Satoru Fujii

Yoshihiro Hori

Norihiko Kawabata

Shinya Kosako

Yoshio Morita

Yukiyoshi Ono

Yukihiro Okada

Nobuhiko Hojo

Akihiko Yoshida

Atsuo Okaichi

Kenichi Tokuhiro

Takayuki Urata

Yoshiki Nagao

Takeou Okanishi

Yoshio Moriwaki

Hiroshi Shimoda

Tsutomu Iwaki

Kohji Yuasa

Masao Yamamoto

Satoshi Shibutani

Tsutomu Kawashima

Shinji Kinoshita

Satoru Tamura

Hikaru Murakami

Takaharu Gamou

Masaaki Miyoshi

Shinichi Arisaka

Masayo Sugou, Legal Representative

Kinichi Adachi

Shigeyuki Unoki

Katsuzou Kokawa

Shuzo Tokumitsu

Kouji Nakagawa

Mikio Takezawa

Takayuki Onishi

Masayo Sugou

Hiroaki Matsuoka

Yoshiaki Yamamoto

Takahiro Umeda

Takeshi Yonamine

Hideo Kasahara

So Kuranaka

Tomohiro Kijima

Mikiko Yoshimura

Toru Sukawa

Tatsuto Yamazaki

Norihiro Miyamura

Atsushi Mukoyama

Aoi Tanaka

Sou Kuranaka

Yasuhiro Seki

Yasutaka Noguchi

Jo Suzuki

Mamoru Hamanishi

Yukinobu Kitano

Sadao Nagai

Junji Nikura

Hiroshi c/o Asahi Glass Company Ltd Shimoda

Shinji c/o Asahi Glass Company Ltd Kinoshita

Atsushi c/o Asahi Glass Company Ltd Mukoyama

Yasumoto Eiichi

Takaika Nomura

Noburu Taniguchi

Masatoshi Teranishi

Tatsuo Nagasaki

Tatsuto (deceased) Yamazaki

The optically pumped semiconductor according to the present invention is an optically pumped semiconductor that is a semiconductor of a perovskite oxide. The optically pumped semiconductor has a composition represented by a general formula: BaZrMO, where M denotes at least one element selected from trivalent elements, x denotes a numerical value more than 0 but less than 0.8, and &#x3b1; denotes an amount of oxygen deficiency that is a numerical value more than 0 but less than 1.5. The optically pumped semiconductor has a crystal system of a cubic, tetragonal, or orthorhombic crystal. When lattice constants of the crystal system are referred to as a, b, and c, provided that a&#x2266;b&#x2266;c, conditions that 0.41727 nm&#x2266;a, b, c&#x2266;0.42716 nm and a/c&#x2267;0.98 are satisfied.

Optically pumped semiconductor and device using the same

A hydrogen generation device () of the present invention includes: a transparent substrate (); a photocatalytic electrode () formed of a transparent conductive layer () and a photocatalytic layer () disposed on the transparent substrate (); a counter electrode () connected electrically to the transparent conductive layer (); a water-containing electrolyte solution layer provided between the photocatalytic electrode () and the counter electrode (); a separator () that separates the electrolyte solution layer into a first electrolyte solution layer () in contact with the photocatalytic electrode () and a second electrolyte solution layer () in contact with the counter electrode (); a first gas outlet () for discharging a gas generated in the first electrolyte solution layer (); and a second gas outlet () for discharging a gas generated in the second electrolyte solution layer (). The photocatalytic electrode () and the counter electrode () are arranged so that a surface of the photocatalytic layer () and a surface of the counter electrode () face each other. The separator () allows an electrolyte in the electrolyte solution layer to pass therethrough and prevents hydrogen gas and oxygen gas in the electrolyte solution layer from passing therethrough.

Hydrogen generation device

A membrane-membrane reinforcing member assembly () of the present invention includes: a polymer electrolyte membrane () having a pair of first main surface (F) and second main surface (F) which face each other and each has a substantially rectangular shape; a pair of first membrane reinforcing membersandwhich are disposed on portions, respectively, extending along a pair of opposed sides of four sides of the first main surface (F), each has a main surface smaller than the first main surface (F) and each has a film shape; and a pair of second membrane reinforcing members () and () which are disposed on portions, respectively, extending along a pair of opposed sides of four sides of the second main surface (F), each has a main surface smaller than the second main surface (F) and each has a film shape, wherein the pair of first membrane reinforcing members () and () and the pair of second membrane reinforcing members () and () are disposed so as to extend along four sides as a whole, respectively, of the polymer electrolyte membrane () and so as to sandwich four corners of the polymer electrolyte membrane ().

Method for manufacturing membrane-membrane reinforcing member assembly, membrane-catalyst layer assembly, membrane-electrode assembly, and polymer electrolyte fuel cell

A photoelectrochemical cell () is a photoelectrochemical cell for decomposing water by irradiation with light so as to produce hydrogen. This photoelectrochemical cell () includes: a conductive substrate; a first electrode (optical semiconductor electrode ()) including an optical semiconductor and disposed on a first main surface of the conductive substrate; a second electrode (counter electrode ()) disposed in a region on the first main surface of the conductive substrate where the first electrode is not disposed; an electrolyte containing water and disposed in contact with a surface of the first electrode and a surface of the second electrode; a rib () formed to separate a space above the surface of the second electrode from a space above the surface of the first electrode and to extend along a flow direction of a gas produced on the surface of the second electrode, the rib being formed of a material that allows ions to pass therethrough and prevents a gas from passing therethrough; and a container () containing the conductive substrate, the first electrode, the second electrode, the electrolyte, and the rib.

Photoelectrochemical cell

The invention provides a fuel cell comprising one or more cells () stacked therein, each of the cells () including:

Fuel cell having improved contact between separators and gas diffusion layers

A photoelectrochemical cell () includes: a semiconductor electrode () including a conductor () and an n-type semiconductor layer (); a counter electrode () connected electrically to the conductor (); an electrolyte () in contact with the surfaces of the n-type semiconductor layer () and the counter electrode (); and a container () accommodating the semiconductor electrode (), the counter electrode () and the electrolyte (). The photoelectrochemical cell () generates hydrogen by irradiation of the n-type semiconductor layer () with light. In the semiconductor electrode (), relative to the vacuum level, (I) the band edge levels of the conduction band and the valence band in the surface near-field region of the n-type semiconductor layer (), respectively, are equal to or higher than the band edge levels of the conduction band and the valence band in the junction plane near-field region of the n-type semiconductor layer () with the conductor (), (II) the Fermi level of the junction plane near-field region of the n-type semiconductor layer () is higher than the Fermi level of the surface near-field region of the n-type semiconductor layer (), and (III) the Fermi level of the conductor () is higher than the Fermi level of the junction plane near-field region of the n-type semiconductor layer ().

Photoelectrochemical cell and energy system using the same

Even if reaction gas flows into a substantially rectangular anode-side and cathode-side gaps formed between an annular main body portion and a membrane electrode assembly in an anode side and a cathode side of a fuel cell, the reaction gas is prevented from flowing out from an outlet without passing through an electrode to cause degradation of power generation efficiency. At least one of anode-side gasket and cathode-side gasket in the fuel cell is provided with an extra sealing portion connected to an annular main body portion in such a manner that, among two pairs of gap portions opposing to each other in the anode-side gap and the cathode-side gap, the extra sealing portion intersects with one pair of gap portions having a larger pressure gradient of fuel gas and oxidant gas in a direction from an upstream side to a downstream side of a fuel gas flow channel and an oxidant gas flow channel.

Fuel cell

Provided is a method of preserving a PEFC stack, which is capable of controlling degradation of performance of the PEFC stack during a time period that elapses from when the stack is placed in an uninstalled state until it is placed in an installation position and is practically used. Provided is a preservation assembly of the PEFC stack which is capable of sufficiently inhibiting degradation of performance of the PEFC stack particularly during a time period that elapses from when the stack is placed in the uninstalled state until it is placed in the installation position and is practically used. A method of preserving a PEFC stack that is provided with an oxidizing agent passage () having an inlet and an outlet and extending through a cathode and a reducing agent passage () having an inlet and an outlet and extending through an anode, comprising preserving the PEFC () stack in an uninstalled state in such a manner that an interior of the oxidizing agent passage () and an interior of the reducing agent passage () are set in a pressure-reduced state.

Method of preserving polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack and preservation assembly of polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack

A method for manufacturing a membrane-electrode assembly of the present invention includes: a reinforcing member disposing step of disposing a reinforcing member (A,B), whose frame portion is formed to surround an opening of the reinforcing member, on a polymer electrolyte membrane () such that the frame portion covers a peripheral portion of at least one surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane; a catalyst layer applying step of applying a coating of a catalyst layer (A,B) on at least an entire surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane () which surface is exposed from the opening of the reinforcing member (A,B); and a gas diffusion layer disposing step of disposing a gas diffusion layer (A,B) such that the gas diffusion layer covers the catalyst layer (A,B).

Method for manufacturing membrane-electrode assembly

An MEA having an MEA body partC; a framemade of a plate-like thermoplastic resin; and gasketsformed on opposed surfaces of the frameso as to hold the framebetween. The gasketseach have an annular portionA that is annularly formed so as to extend along the inner periphery of the frameand elongated portionsBtoBthat extend from the annular portionA and come into contact with the side faces of an associated electrode layerC after passing over the inner periphery of the frameand a peripheral regionD of a polymer electrolyte membrane.

MEA, MEA manufacturing method, and polymer electrolyte fuel cell

A preservation assembly of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack is provided. The assembly includes an uninstalled polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack and sealing units. The uninstalled polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack is provided with an oxidizing agent passage having an inlet and an outlet and extending through a cathode and a reducing agent passage having an inlet and an outlet and extending through an anode. The sealing units include sealing plugs or containers and are configured to seal the inlet and the outlet of the oxidizing agent passage within which an oxygen concentration has been decreased and to seal the inlet and the outlet of the reducing agent passage within which the oxygen concentration has been decreased. The uninstalled polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack is in a state before an assembled polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack is incorporated into a fuel cell system.

Preservation assembly of polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack

The durability of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell is very significantly improved by using a tightening pressure of about 2 to 4 kgf/cmof area of electrode; or a tightening pressure of about 4 to 8 kgf/cmof contact area between electrode and separator plate; or by selecting a value not exceeding about 1.5 mS/cmfor the short-circuit conductivity attributed to the DC resistance component in each unit cell; or by selecting a value not exceeding about 3 mA/cmfor the hydrogen leak current per area of electrode of each MEA. Further, in a method of manufacturing or an inspection method for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack, fuel cells having high durability can be efficiently manufactured by removing such MEAs or unit cells using such MEAs or such cell stacks having short-circuit conductivity values and/or hydrogen leak current values exceeding predetermined values, respectively.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell provided with a tightening pressure

A method of preserving a PEFC stack of the present invention is a method of preserving a PEFC stack that is provided with an oxidizing agent passage having an inlet and an outlet and extending through a cathode and a reducing agent passage having an inlet and an outlet and extending through an anode. The method comprises preserving the polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack in an uninstalled state under a condition in which an oxygen concentration within the oxidizing agent passage and within the reducing agent passage is lower than an oxygen concentration in atmospheric air.

A method of operating a fuel cell capable of suppressing degradation of a fuel cell caused by starting and stopping of the fuel cell, including carrying out a restoring operation by decreasing a voltage of the cathode following termination of the fuel cell.

Method of operating fuel cell system and fuel cell system

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Kazuhito Hatoh