Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Audi Ag

University of Miyazaki

Naoki Takehiro

Tatsuya Arai

Hiroko Kimura

Keiichi Kaneko

Takumi Taniguchi

Makoto Adachi

Manabu Kato

Kazutaka Kimura

Shinji Jomori

Atsuo Iio

Koshi Sekizawa

Masaaki Matsusue

Masayuki Ito

Hideo Nagaosa

Noriyuki Kitao

Norimitsu Takeuchi

Tetsuya Ogawa

Go Sakai

A fuel cell is provided with: a membrane electrode assembly (MEA); and a cathode-side separator assembled to the MEA, the cathode-side separator including first passages on a first surface of the cathode-side separator on a side closer to the MEA, and second passages on a second surface of the cathode-side separator on an opposite side, the first and second passages allowing oxidant gas to flow through the first and second passages, respectively. The first passages include first recessed portions on the first surface so as to extend from one end of the cathode-side separator to the other end, the second passages include second recessed portions on the second surface so as to extend from the one end to the other end and to be arranged alternately with the first recessed portions, and a penetration hole on a bottom face of the second recessed portion penetrating through the cathode-side separator.

Fuel cell and fuel cell separator

The present invention is to provide a method for producing a catalyst for fuel cells with excellent durability, and a fuel cell comprising a catalyst for fuel cells produced by the production method. Disclosed is a method for producing a catalyst for fuel cells, the catalyst comprising fine catalyst particles, each of which comprises a palladium-containing core particle and a platinum-containing outermost layer covering the core particle, and carbon supports on which the fine catalyst particles are supported, wherein the method comprises the steps of: preparing carbon supports on which palladium-containing particles are supported; fining the carbon supports; and covering the palladium-containing particles with a platinum-containing outermost layer after the fining step.

Method for producing catalyst for fuel cells, and fuel cell containing catalyst for fuel cells produced by the production method

A fuel cell includes a power-generation channel provided on a surface of a cathode-side separator which faces a MEA and a cooling channel provided on a surface of the cathode-side separator opposite to the MEA. Air flows through the power-generation channel and the cooling channel. The cooling channel is separated from the power-generation channel by a side wall. The cross-sectional area of the power-generation channel on the air outlet side is smaller than that of the power-generation channel at a position upstream of the air outlet side, and the cross-sectional area of the cooling channel on the air outlet side is larger than that of the cooling channel at a position upstream of the air outlet side. A through-hole is provided in a side wall that separates the power-generation channel from the cooling channel.

Fuel cell

A catalyst particle is composed of an inner particle and an outermost layer that includes platinum and covers the inner particle. The inner particle includes on at least a surface thereof a first oxide having an oxygen defect.

Catalyst particles, carbon-supported catalyst particles and fuel cell catalysts, and methods of manufacturing such catalyst particles and carbon-supported catalyst particles

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing fine catalyst particles, a method for producing carbon-supported fine catalyst particles, a method for producing a catalyst mix, and a method for producing an electrode, all of which are configured to inhibit, when used in fuel cells, etc., performance deterioration during operation at especially high temperature. Disclosed is a method for producing fine catalyst particles each comprising a core particle and an outermost layer, the core particle containing palladium and the outermost layer containing platinum and covering the core particle, the method comprising the steps of: preparing palladium-containing particles; preparing an acid solution configured to dissolve palladium more preferentially than platinum; covering each palladium-containing particle with an outermost layer containing platinum; and bringing the palladium-containing particles each covered with the outermost layer into contact with the acid solution.

Method for producing fine catalyst particles, method for producing carbon-supported fine catalyst particles, method for producing catalyst mix and method for producing electrode

The present invention is to provide fine catalyst particles to which sulfate ions are less likely to be adsorbed, and a carbon-supported catalyst to which sulfate ions are less likely to be adsorbed. Disclosed is a method for producing fine catalyst particles comprising a fine palladium-containing particle and a platinum-containing outermost layer covering at least part of the fine palladium-containing particle, wherein the method comprises: a copper covering step of covering at least part of the fine palladium-containing particle with copper by preparing a second dispersion by mixing a first dispersion comprising fine palladium-containing particles being dispersed in an acid solution with a copper-containing solution, and applying a potential that is nobler than the oxidation reduction potential of copper to the fine palladium-containing particles in the second dispersion, and a platinum covering step of covering at least part of the fine palladium-containing particle with platinum by substituting the copper covering at least part of the fine palladium-containing particle with platinum by mixing the second dispersion and a platinum-containing solution after the copper covering step, with applying a constant potential that is in a range between a potential that is nobler than the oxidation reduction potential of copper and a potential that is less than the oxidation reduction potential of platinum, to the fine palladium-containing particles.

Method for producing fine catalyst particles and method for producing carbon-supported catalyst

The present invention is to provide such a carbon-supported catalyst that an activity expected from a catalytic activity by rotating disk electrode (RDE) evaluation is maintained even after the formation of a membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Disclosed is a carbon-supported catalyst wherein the carbon-supported catalyst includes fine catalyst particles that have a palladium-containing particle and a platinum-containing outermost layer covering at least part of the palladium-containing particle, and a carbon support supporting the fine catalyst particles, and wherein, in a cyclic voltammogram that is obtained by measuring, in an acid solution, the carbon-supported catalyst applied to a measurement electrode made of an electroconductive material, the proportion of the area of a hydrogen adsorption region that appears in a reduction current region to the total area of the hydrogen adsorption region and a hydrogen occlusion region that appears in the reduction current region, is 29% to 36%.

Carbon-supported catalyst

An object of the present invention is to provide a production method which can increase the activity of a catalyst particle comprising a core particle and an outermost layer, the core particle comprising at least one of palladium and a palladium alloy, and the outermost layer comprising at least one of platinum and a platinum alloy and covering the core particle. The method is for producing a catalyst for fuel cells, in which a catalyst particle is supported by an electroconductive carrier, the method comprising the steps of: preparing a supported catalyst in which a catalyst particle comprising a core particle and an outermost layer is supported by an electroconductive carrier, the core particle comprising at least one of palladium and a palladium alloy, and the outermost layer comprising at least one of platinum and a platinum alloy and covering the core particle; acid treatment to bring the supported catalyst into contact with an acid solution which dissolves palladium more preferentially than platinum; and firing the supported catalyst at 80&#xb0; C. or more and less than 200&#xb0; C. in a reducing gas atmosphere after the acid treatment step.

Method for producing a catalyst for fuel cells

A particle size distribution creating method includes a particle size range determining step, an integrating step of integrating the frequency of appearance of particles within the particle size range determined in the particle size range determining step, a division point determining step of determining particle sizes that provide division points, using the integral of the frequency of appearance obtained in the integrating step, and a typical point determining step of determining the minimum particle size, maximum particle size and the particle sizes of the division points as typical points. This method is characterized by assuming a particle size distribution which contains particles having the particle sizes of the respective typical points and is plotted such that the frequency of appearance of the particles having the particle size of each of the typical points is equal to the integral over each of the regions defined by the typical points, and obtaining the assumed particle size distribution as a particle size distribution model.

Method of predicting degradation of fuel cell catalyst using the method of creating particle size distribution model

Method of controlling fuel cell using the method of predicting degradation of fuel cell catalyst

The present invention provides a fuel cell which is capable of improving electric power generation efficiency at a time of high-temperature operation. The fuel cellcomprising: a membrane electrode assembly; and a pair of gas separators,sandwiching the membrane electrode assemblytherebetween, wherein at least one of the gas separator(s)and/orcomprises a compact layer(s)and/orwhich is capable of preventing permeation of fluid and a porous layer (s)and/orwhich allows permeation of fluid, and the porous layer(s)and/oris impregnated with a water-soluble liquid having higher boiling point than that of water.

A fuel cell including a single fuel cell which includes a membrane electrode including a polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode electrode on one surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and a cathode electrode on another surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane, the anode electrode including an anode catalyst layer and a gas diffusion layer and the cathode electrode including a cathode catalyst layer and a gas diffusion layer. At least one of the anode cathode catalyst layers includes core-shell type catalyst particles, each having a core and a shell covering the core and including a shell metallic material. At least one of the polymer electrolyte membrane, anode catalyst layer, gas diffusion layer at the anode side, cathode catalyst layer and gas diffusion layer at the cathode side includes metallic nanoparticles having an average particle diameter different from that of the core-shell type catalyst particles and including the shell metallic material.

Method of creating particle size distribution model, method of predicting degradation of fuel cell catalyst using the method of creating particle size distribution model, and method of controlling fuel cell using the method of predicting degradation of fuel cell catalyst

A fuel cellincludes an MEA, an anode separatorand a cathode separator. The anode separatorforms alternate first and second flow channelsand. The first flow channelis blocked in the middle. The second flow channelis blocked in the both ends. The anode separatorforms alternate first and second flow channelsand. The first flow channelis blocked in the middle. The second flow channelis blocked in the both ends.

The present invention provides a fuel cell capable of inhibiting desiccation and flooding of a membrane electrode assembly. The fuel cell has a laminated body having a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane sandwiched by an anode catalyst layer and a cathode catalyst layer. A pair of separators sandwiches the laminated body, and between at least one separator and the laminated body, inlet and outlet passages are formed. The inlet passage is blocked at a downstream end of the reaction gas supplied to the laminated body and the outlet passage is blocked at an upstream end of the reaction gas having passed through the laminated body. The inlet passage and the outlet passage are arranged separately from each other. The depth of the upstream region of the inlet passage is larger than that of the downstream region of the inlet passage.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka-ken, Japan

Naoki Takehiro