Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Asahi Glass Company, Limited

Matshushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

The Japan Iron and Steel Federation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Makoto Uchida

Yasushi Sugawara

Eiichi Yasumoto

Hisaaki Gyoten

Teruhisa Kanbara

Akihiko Yoshida

Osamu Sakai

Yoshihiro Hori

Kazuhito Hatoh

Hideo Ohara

Junji Morita

Nobuo Eda

Yasuo Takebe

Shinya Kosako

Kazufumi Nishida

Yuko Fukuoka

Toshihiro Matsumoto

Yoichiro Tsuji

Junji Niikura

Masaki Yamauchi

Hiroki Kusakabe

Masao Yamamoto

Masato Hosaka

Takeshi Yonamine

Mikiko Yoshimura

Kouji Nakagawa

Masataka Ozeki

Akinari Nakamura

Soichi Shibata

Shinji Kinoshita

Yukiyoshi Ono

Takayuki Urata

Yoshikazu Tanaka

Takahiro Umeda

Hidenobu Wakita

Hiroshi Shimoda

Hirokazu Wakabayashi

Yasuhiro Ueyama

Yusuke Ozaki

Yasutomo Funakoshi

Shinichi Arisaka

Masahiko Ogawa

Keiichi Iiyama

Atsushi Mukoyama

Shuhei Yoshida

Yuko Aoyama

Syoji Takase

Takafumi Saji

Hiroyuki Koyama

Hiroshi c/o Asahi Glass Company Ltd Shimoda

Shinji c/o Asahi Glass Company Ltd Kinoshita

Atsushi c/o Asahi Glass Company Ltd Mukoyama

Hideo Room A-402 Ohara

Kazuhito Room 714 Suminodou Paaku-Haitsu Hatoh

Kazufumi Room 202 Haitsu-Nishiguchi Nishida

Yoshikazu c/o Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd Tanaka

Yoshikazu Ip Development Center Tanaka

Kazutoshi Higashiyama

Naoto Koizumi

Akihiro Iiyama

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell; a fuel gas supplying unit supplying the fuel gas into the fuel cell on the anode side thereof; an oxidizing agent gas supplying unit supplying the oxidizing agent gas into the fuel cell on the cathode side thereof; a raw material gas supplying unit supplying the raw material gas into the fuel cell; and a controlling unit controlling the supply of the fuel gas, the oxidizing agent gas and the raw material gas. After switching the output of electric power or the fuel cell off, the fuel gas supplying unit suspends the supply of the fuel gas, the oxidizing agent gas supplying unit suspends the supply of the oxidizing agent gas and the raw material gas supplying unit supplies the raw material gas into the fuel cell to purge the fuel cell on the cathode side.

Fuel cell system and method for stopping operation of fuel cell system

Problems of acceleration of drying of electrolyte membrane and local reaction, etc. can be properly coped with to attain the stabilization of performance of fuel cell. There are provided a fuel cellwhich generates electric power from a fuel gas and an oxidizing agent gas, a fuel gas feed pipeand a first switch valveas fuel gas supplying unit which supplies the said fuel gas into the said fuel cell on the anode side thereof, an oxidizing gas supplying pipeand a second cut-off valveas oxidizing agent gas supplying unit which supplies the said oxidizing agent into the said fuel cell on the cathode side thereof, a raw material gas supplying pipeand a third switch valveas raw material gas supplying unit which supplies raw material of the said fuel gas into the fuel cell and a control portionwhich controls the supply of the said fuel gas, the supply of the said oxidizing agent and the supply of the said raw material and the control portioncontrols during the starting of electricity generation of the fuel cellsuch that the said raw material gas supplying unit purges the fuel cellat least on the cathode side thereof with the said raw material gas before the oxidizing agent gas supplying unit and the fuel gas supplying unit supply the fuel gas and the said oxidizing agent gas into the fuel cell, respectively.

Fuel cell system, method of starting fuel cell system

A solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly having an anode, a cathode arranged facing the anode, and a polyelectrolyte membrane arranged between the anode and the cathode, and a pair of separator plates that are arranged facing each other so as to sandwich the membrane electrode assembly, and have an anode side gas channel for supplying a fuel gas to the anode, and a cathode side gas channel for supplying an oxidant gas to the cathode, formed thereon, wherein the catalyst layer of the anode contains at least one electrode catalyst selected from the group consisting of Pt particles and Pt alloy particles, having a particle diameter of from 6 to 10 nm, the catalyst layer of the anode has a thickness of from 1 to 5 &#x3bc;m, Pt volume density in the catalyst layer of the anode is from 1 to 5 g/cm, the catalyst layer of the cathode has a thickness of 10 &#x3bc;m or more, and Pt volume density in the catalyst layer of the cathode is from 0.1 to 0.5 g/cm.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell

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

In a conventional polymer membrane electrode assembly, particularly when operated for a long period of time, a portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane to be in contact with the gas diffusion layer has suffered significant degradation. In order to address this, in a membrane electrode assembly including a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane, a pair of catalyst layers arranged on both surfaces of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and a pair of gas diffusion layers, each including a fibrous substrate, arranged on the outer surfaces of the catalyst layers, a thickness Tof a center portion that faces the catalyst layer and a thickness Tof a peripheral portion surrounding the center portion are set to satisfy a expression (1):0.7&#x2266;&#x2266;0.9.

Membrane electrode assembly with a fibrous substrate, method for producing the same and polymer electrolyte fuel cell

To provide a polymer electrolyte membrane having excellent size stability and excellent mechanical strength that can sufficiently prevent the size change due to the swelling condition, the displacement of the polymer electrolyte membrane and the formation of wrinkles during the production of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell, and can prevent damage during the production and operation of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell. In a composite electrolyte membrane including a porous reinforcement layer made of a resin and an electrolyte layer made of a polymer electrolyte and laminated at least one main surface of the reinforcement layer, the direction having a high tensile modulus of elasticity in the reinforcement layer is substantially corresponded with the direction having a high rate of size change in the electrolyte layer.

Composite electrolyte membrane, catalyst-coated membrane assembly, membrane-electrode assembly and polymer electrolyte fuel cell

To provide a gas diffusion layer excellent in micro short-circuit resistance and anti-flooding characteristics by optimizing the surface shape of a gas diffusion layer. In a gas diffusion layer for a gas diffusion electrode including at least a catalyst layer containing an electrode catalyst and a gas diffusion layer having electron conductivity and gas diffusibility, a second surface of the gas diffusion layer, which is positioned opposite to a first surface thereof to be in contact with the catalyst layer, is made rougher than the first surface. The first surface has a maximum height Ryof 10 to 50 determined by JIS B 0601 surface roughness measurement method, and the second surface has a maximum height Ryof 100 to 500 determined by JIS B 0601 surface roughness measurement method.

Gas diffusion layer and fuel cell using the same

An object of the present invention is to provide a catalyst-coated membrane suitable for achieving a polymer electrolyte fuel cell that sufficiently prevents a decrease in the initial characteristics and also exhibits sufficient cell performance for a long period of time and has excellent durability. In at least the cathode catalyst layer, the ratio (W/W) of the weight of the polymer electrolyte (W) to the weight of the catalyst-carrying carbon (W) is decreased from an innermost layer positioned closest to the polymer electrolyte membrane toward an outermost layer positioned farthest from the polymer electrolyte membrane. The ratio (W/W) in the innermost layer is 0.8 to 3.0, and the ratio (W/W) in the outermost layer is 0.2 to 0.6.

Catalyst-coated membrane, membrane-electrode assembly, and polymer electrolyte fuel cell

A carbon fiber woven fabric for use as a gas diffusion layer base material in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell has a surface that is smoothed and further optimized to inhibit non-uniform infiltration of a coating for water-repellent-layer formation, to provide an electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly suitable for operation under a high humidification condition. The gas diffusion layer base material may be a carbon fiber woven fabric, wherein a ratio of the area of gap portions where neither warp thread nor weft thread exists: (10/W&#x2212;Y)(10/Z&#x2212;X) to the area of portions where warp thread is crossing weft thread: XY mmis in the range of about 1/1500 to about 1/5, where the carbon fiber woven fabric has a warp density of Z threads/cm, a weft density of W threads/cm, a warp thickness of X mm and a weft thickness of Y mm.

Electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly for fuel cell and operation method of fuel cell using the same

The present invention provides a polymer electrolyte fuel cell having an increased reaction area by forming a gas channel, a proton channel and an electron channel very close to each other inside a catalyst layer. This polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane; and a pair of electrodes having catalyst layers sandwiching the hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane between them and gas diffusion layers in contact with the catalyst layers, in which the catalyst layer of at least one of the electrodes comprises carbon particles supporting a noble metal catalyst, and the carbon particles include at least two kinds of carbon particles adsorbing a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte in mutually different dispersed states.

Method for manufacturing polymer electrolyte fuel cell

The present invention provides a gas diffusion layer for a fuel cell which has proper rigidity, is easy to handle and contributes to the improvement of the productivity of fuel cells. A method for producing a gas diffusion layer for a fuel cell including a first step of: impregnating a conductive porous substrate made of a conductive carbon fiber cloth or conductive carbon fiber felt with a first dispersion containing a first fluorocarbon resin having thermoplasticity; and baking the first conductive porous substrate at a first baking temperature of not less than the melting point of the first fluorocarbon resin and less than the decomposition temperature of the first fluorocarbon resin to enhance the rigidity of the conductive porous substrate.

Gas diffusion layer, electrode and membrane electrode assembly for fuel cell, and production methods thereof

A fuel cell is disclosed having a separator that can minimize damage to a membrane electrode assembly. The separator advantageously has a groove therein approximately positioned over an outer edge of an electrode of the fuel cell to reduce any pressure between the separator and the outer edge of the electrode upon assembly and during use thereafter.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell and conductive separator for the same

A polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising: a hydrogen ion-conductive polymer electrolyte membrane; an anode and a cathode with the electrolyte membrane interposed therebetween; an anode-side conductive separator having a gas flow channel for supply of a fuel gas to the anode; and a cathode-side conductive separator having a gas flow channel for supply of an oxidant gas to the cathode, wherein each of the anode and the cathode comprises at least a catalyst layer in contact with the electrolyte membrane and a gas diffusion layer in contact with the catalyst layer and the separator, and at least one of the anode and the cathode contains a compound represented by the formula (I):R&#x2014;O&#x2014;{(CHO)&#x2014;(CHO)}&#x2014;R&#x2003;&#x2003;(I)where Rand Rare independent of each other and each represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having not less than 5 and not more than 15 carbon atoms, n and m are integers which satisfy 0&#x2266;n&#x2266;5, 0&#x2266;m&#x2266;5 and 1&#x2266;n+m&#x2266;5, and when neither n nor m is 0, at least one of the ethylene oxide group and at least one of the propylene oxide group are arranged in a random fashion.

Polymer electrolyte fuel cell and production method of the same

In a polymer electrolyte fuel cell including a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane; a pair of electrodes composed of catalyst layers sandwiching the hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane between them and gas diffusion layers in contact with the catalyst layers; a conductive separator plate having a gas flow channel for supplying a fuel gas to one of the electrodes; and a conductive separator plate having a gas flow channel for supplying an oxidant gas to the other electrode, in order to bring a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte and a catalyst metal of the catalyst layers containing the hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte and conductive carbon particles carrying the catalyst metal sufficiently and uniformly into contact with each other, the polymer electrolyte is provided in pores of an agglomerate structure of the conductive carbon particles. Consequently, the reaction area inside the electrodes is increased, and higher performance is exhibited.

Growing community of inventors

Hirakata, Japan

Makoto Uchida