Mitsubishi Materials Corporation

The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.

Japan Fine Ceramics Center

Kei Hosoi

Koji Hoshino

Jun Akikusa

Norikazu Komada

Kazuhiro Miura

Takashi Yamada

Kazunori Adachi

Takehisa Fukui

Satoshi Ohara

Toru Inagaki

Hiroyuki Yoshida

Tsunehisa Sasaki

A solid oxide fuel cell is formed by arranging a fuel electrode layer and an air electrode layer on both surfaces of a solid electrolyte, respectively, a fuel electrode current collector and an air electrode current collector outside the fuel electrode layer and the air electrode layer, respectively, and separators outside the fuel electrode current collector and the air electrode current collector. A fuel gas and an oxidant gas are supplied from the separators to the fuel electrode layers and the oxidant electrode layers, respectively, through the fuel electrode current collectors and the air electrode current collectors, respectively. Alternatively, indents are provided on the surface of each of the separators, which surface is in contact with one of the current collectors, to increase the dwell volume and hence the retaining time of the gas in the interior of the current collectors.

Solid oxide fuel cell and separator

An electric power generation cellis constituted by arranging a fuel electrode layeron one side of a solid electrolyte layerand an air electrode layeron the other side of the solid electrolyte layer. The solid electrolyte layeris constituted of an oxide ion conductor mainly composed of a lanthanum gallate based oxide. The fuel electrode layeris constituted of a porous sintered compact having a highly dispersed network structure in which a skeletal structure formed of a consecutive array of metal grains is surrounded by mixed conductive oxide grains. For the air electrode layer, a porous sintered compact mainly composed of cobaltite is used. This configuration reduces the overpotentials of the respective electrodes and the IR loss of the solid electrolyte layer, and accordingly can actualize a solid oxide type fuel cell excellent in electric power generation efficiency.

Solid oxide fuel cell and manufacturing method thereof

A solid oxide fuel cell provided with a power cell () in which a fuel electrode layer () is arranged on one surface of a solid electrolyte layer () and an air electrode layer () is arranged on the other surface thereof, wherein the solid electrolyte layer () has a two layer structure including a first electrolyte layer () made of a ceria based oxide material and a second electrolyte layer () made of a lanthanum gallate based oxide material, and the second electrolyte layer is formed on the side of the air electrode layer. Preferably, the material composition for the fuel electrode layer () is a mixture of Ni and CeSmO, wherein the composition ratio of component materials is graded along the thickness thereof in such a way that the quantity of Ni is made less than the quantity of CeSmOnear the boundary interface with said solid electrolyte layer, and the mixing ratio of Ni is gradually increased with an increasing distance away from the interface.

Solid oxide fuel cell

A solid oxide fuel cell is formed by arranging a fuel electrode layer and an air electrode layer on both surfaces of a solid electrolyte, respectively, a fuel electrode current collector and an air electrode current collector outside the fuel electrode layer and the air electrode layer, respectively, and separators outside the fuel electrode current collector and the air electrode current collector. In a first embodiment, a fuel gas and an oxidant gas are supplied from the separators to the fuel electrode layer and the oxidant electrode layer, respectively, through the fuel electrode current collector and the air electrode current collector, respectively. Each separator is formed by laminating a plurality of thin metal plates at least including a thin metal plate in which a first gas discharge opening is arranged in a central part and second gas discharge openings are circularly arranged in a peripheral part, and a thin metal plate with an indented surface. Gases discharged from the separators can be supplied to entire areas of the electrode layers through the current collectors, so that electric power generation can be performed.

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Naka-gun, Japan

Kei Hosoi