Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Hitachi Powdered Metals Co., Ltd.

Makoto Tsuji

Masao Utsunomiya

Teruyuki Ohtani

Yoshikazu Fujisawa

Takeshi Narishige

Takahiro Gunji

Kazuhisa Okamoto

Ryoichi Yoshitomi

Koji Kotani

Ayumu Ishizuka

Masahiko Sato

Shuhei Goto

Keitaro Suzuki

Nobuhiro Saito

Kaoru Fukuda

Satoru Terada

Nobuaki Kimura

Hideo Urata

Yutaka Ikenoue

Yoshimasa Aoki

Takahiro Takai

Koji Koishikawa

Takashi Kuwayama

Hayato Kaji

Masajirou Inoue

Taku Eguchi

Yositaka Hattori

Shigeru Maniwa

Teruyuji Ohtani

Daisuke Nakagawara

A stack hinge is formed by stacking a plurality of plate hinge parts each having the same shape. Each of the plate hinge parts has a tab having a pin through hole for engagement with a joint pin and a joint portion joined to a panel of a unit box. The plate hinge parts are stacked by aligning the pin through holes and fixed together to assemble the plate hinge parts into a single hinge member.

Fuel cell unit box and fuel cell

The present invention provides a metallic separator for fuel cells capable of suppressing dropping out of conductive inclusions due to gaps formed at the interface of a base material and the conductive inclusions due to press-forming, thereby decreasing the contact resistance and enhancing the power generation performance, and also provides a method for producing the same.

Metal separator for fuel cell and its production method

A fuel cell stack includes a stack body formed by stacking a plurality of unit cells in a horizontal direction. The stack body is held in a casing including end plates. Further, the casing includes a plurality of side plates provided on sides of the stack body. The end plates and the side plates are coupled by coupling pins. Each of the side plates has a plurality of separate second coupling portions, and the coupling pins are inserted into the coupling portions.

Fuel cell stack

A terminal plate, an insulating plate, and an end plate are stacked on a stack body. The terminal plate has current collectors at least at lower portions of an oxygen-containing gas supply passage, a coolant supply passage, a fuel gas discharge passage, a fuel gas supply passage, a coolant discharge passage, and an oxygen-containing gas discharge passage. The current collectors contact the water generated in the reaction or a coolant for collecting electricity.

Fuel cell stack comprising current collector provided at least at one fluid passage

A polymer electrolyte fuel cell consists of plural units, and the unit has an anode side separator, an anode diffusion layer, an anode catalytic layer, polymer electrolyte membrane, a cathode catalytic layer, a cathode diffusion layer, and a cathode side separator. The cathode catalytic layer further includes a catalyst in which platinum or platinum alloy is supported on a carbon supporting body having an average lattice space d002 of [002] surface of 0.338 to 0.355 nm and specific surface area of the supporting body of 80 to 250 m/g, electrolyte containing ion exchange resin, and vapor grown carbon fiber. Furthermore, a water holding layer containing ion exchange resin, carbon particles, and vapor grown carbon fiber is arranged at an interface of the cathode diffusion layer and the cathode catalytic layer.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell

A metallic separator in which falling off of the conductive inclusions projecting from a matrix surface is prevented, whereby the contact resistance is decreased, resulting in increasing the characteristics for generation of electrical energy. A metallic separator for a fuel cell comprises conductive inclusions in a metal structure, and the conductive inclusions project from a surface of a matrix to a height of 1 to 3 micrometers.

A metallic separator according to a first embodiment is formed by obtaining a blank by rolling a metallic material having conductive inclusions, and removing a surface of the blank by 2% or more of the thickness of the blank. A metallic separator according to a second embodiment is formed by pressing a metallic plate so as to have a cross section including ridges and grooves alternatively, and removing parts of the ridged portions so as to make flattened surfaces. A metallic separator having conductive inclusions in its metal texture according to a third embodiment is formed by blasting a liquid containing two or more kinds of abrasives having different particle diameters to a blank after it has been rolled. A metallic separator having conductive inclusion in its metal texture according to a fourth embodiment is formed by blasting a passivation treatment liquid mixed with abrasives to the separator.

Method for manufacturing fuel cell metallic separator

A metallic separator for a fuel cell has excellent corrosion resistance and contact resistance, even when a gold coating is applied directly without a surface treatment by a nickel coating. The metallic separator for a fuel cell, comprising stainless steel having a surface, can be obtained by coating at 2.3 to 94% of area rate on the surface without a surface treatment.

Metallic separator for fuel cell and production method for the same

Gold is coated on a surface of a stainless steel plate containing an intermetallic compound forming element which forms an intermetallic compound by reacting with gold, and then the entirety is heated to form an intermetallic compound layer comprising the intermetallic compound at the interface between the stainless steel plate and the gold coated layer. In this way, exfoliation of the gold coated layer which is arranged on the surface of the stainless steel plate to obtain extremely high corrosion resistance can be prevented for a long time, and thus great durability can be maintained.

Separator for fuel cell and method for preparation thereof

A fuel cell comprises an membrane electrode assembly formed by holding an electrolyte membrane between a pair of electrodes and a separator layered on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly for forming gas passages between the separator and the electrode. The separator includes protrusions formed on both surfaces thereof for contacting with the electrode, and a spacer portion disposed between the protrusions for substantially forming the gas passage. The protrusions and the spacer portions are arranged along a surface direction of the separator so as to form a corrugated plate. At least two drawn portions in which thickness of the spacer portion changes to a thin portion are formed between the protrusions in the spacer portion.

Fuel cell and separator therefor

A metal separator for fuel cells and a production method for the separator balances high corrosion resistance and high performance of electric generation due to low contact resistance. In the metal separator for fuel cells, a passivation film is formed on the surface thereof and x (M&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm) calculated by an equation: (V)/(B&#x2212;A) is in a range of 0.0026&#x2266;x&#x2266;0.04, wherein in a sulfuric acid solution at 90&#xb0; C. and pH 3, V(V) is the highest voltage; V(V) is the lowest voltage; A (&#x3bc;A/cm) is corrosion current density in power generation at the lowest voltage V; and B (&#x3bc;A/cm) is corrosion current density in power generation at the highest voltage V.

Metal separator for fuel cell and production method therefor

A separator for fuel cells which has a gold covering layer on the surface of a metal plate and is formed by plastic working, wherein the relationship (R+D)/R&#x2266;1.025 (50 &#x3bc;m&#x2266;R&#x2266;1000 &#x3bc;m) is satisfied assuming the minimum bending radius R at a plastic worked portion is R (&#x3bc;m), and the thickness of the gold covering layer is D (&#x3bc;m). According to the separator for fuel cells, exfoliation or cracking is prevented in the gold covering layer after plastic working, whereby corrosion resistance and durability can be remarkably improved.

Separator for fuel cell

A separator for a fuel cell includes a gold covering layer formed on the surface of stainless steel plate. A method for producing a separator, prevents exfoliation and fracture of the gold covering layer but obtains corrosion resistance and durability. Voids are formed by intergranular corrosion treatment at a surface of the stainless steel plate, and the gold covering layer is formed so as to be embedded in the voids. Limit value of radius of curvature in bends in which exfoliations or fractures in the gold covering layer is formed can be reduced by satisfying the equation 0.2&#x2266;4/d/L&#x2266;80 wherein L(&#x3bc;m) is the average grain size of the surface of stainless steel plate, and d(&#x3bc;m) is the thickness of the gold covering layer.

Separator for fuel cell and method for producing the same

A press separator made of a stainless steel sheet, for providing excellent corrosion resistance and electric conductivity by a combination of a passive coating and a deposition of boride or boron carbide, restriction corrosion without separation or coming-off, by press forming, of depositions, and ensuring an extended service. A stainless steel sheet, containing 0.005-1.5 wt. %, of B and having deposited on the surface thereof at least one kind out of M(C, B)type boron carbide, and MB type and MB type borides, is press-formed in a corrugated shape having continuous irregularities, with angles of bent portions formed by bending or unbending by press forming being set at at least 15 degrees and an outward bending R-value at up to 1 mm.

Press separator for fuel cell made of stainless steel press formed in contiguous corrugations

A method for treating the surface of a stainless steel product for a fuel cell containing, in wt %, 0.15% or less of C, 17 to 36% of Cr, 0.005 to 3.5% of B, which comprises the first step of forming in advance a passive film with an oxidizing acid on the surface of the stainless steel product, the second step of allowing an aqueous acid solution to corrode the passive film, to thereby project one or more of a MCtype carbide, a M(C, B)type borocarbide and MB type boride, which are inclusions having good electroconductivity, the third step of forming a passive coating film with an oxidizing acid on the surface of the steel product except that of the inclusion above projected, and the fourth step of washing with water and drying. The method of treatment allows, without the use of a method requiring a high cost such as gold plating, the improvement in the contact resistance of the stainless steel product for a fuel cell, which results in the retention of excellent characteristics of a stainless steel product over a long period of time.

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Wako, Japan

Makoto Tsuji