Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Jsr Corporation

Honda Giken Kabushiki Kaisha

Gorika Giken Co., Ltd.

Nobuhiro Saito

Takeyoshi Nakamura

Masaaki Nanaumi

Nagayuki Kanaoka

Yoichi Asano

Kaoru Fukuda

Takeshi Sugawara

Hiroshi Sohma

Haruo Shiina

Teruyuki Ohtani

Kazuo Kikawa

Kiyonobu Mizoue

Takashi Idegomori

Junji Matsuo

Keisuke Andou

Yasuhiro Watanabe

Masahiro Mohri

Masaru Oda

Makoto Tsuji

Kohei Goto

Masao Utsunomiya

Hiroshi Saito

Masayuki Takahashi

Satoshi Tanimoto

Kazuhide Terada

Hiroaki Ohta

Fusazumi Masaka

Yuji Naito

Yoshiyuki Fujikawa

Teruyuji Ohtani

A polymer electrolyte membrane obtained by subjecting a sulfonated polyarylene membrane having an initial water content of 80-300 weight % to a hot-water treatment. A composite polymer electrolyte membrane comprising a matrix made of a first sulfonated aromatic polymer having a high ion exchange capacity, and a reinforcing material constituted by a second sulfonated aromatic polymer having a low ion exchange capacity in the form of fibers or a porous membrane.

Polymer electrolyte membrane and polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising same

An oxygen-containing gas supply passage and an oxygen-containing gas discharge passage extend through a set of diagonal positions of a first metal separator, and a fuel gas supply passage and a fuel gas discharge passage extend through the other set of diagonal positions of the first metal separator. A fuel gas flow field is connected to the fuel gas supply passage through an inlet buffer at an upper position, and connected to the fuel gas discharge passage through an outlet buffer at a lower position. The inlet buffer includes a first inlet buffer area adjacent to the fuel gas supply passage and a second inlet buffer area adjacent to the fuel gas flow field. Grooves of the first inlet buffer area are deeper than grooves of the second inlet buffer area in the stacking direction.

Fuel cell

The present invention provides a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, which is inexpensive and has an excellent efficiency of generating electric power, by using a material alternative to a perfluoroalkylene sulfonic acid polymer. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprises a pair of electrodes () consisting of an oxygen electrode () and a fuel electrode () both having a catalyst layer () containing a catalyst and an ion conducting material; and a polymer electrolyte membrane () sandwiched between the two catalyst layers () of the both electrodes (). The above ion conducting material contained in the above polymer electrolyte membrane () or in the catalyst () layer of at least one of the above electrodes () comprises a sulfonated polyarylene having sulfonic acid side-chain groups.

Solid polymer type fuel cell

A solid polymer fuel cell includes an electrolyte membrane having a polymer ion-exchange component, and an air electrode and a fuel electrode between which the electrolyte membrane is sandwiched. Each of the air electrode and the fuel electrode can be formed of a polymer ion-exchange component and a plurality of catalyst particles including a catalyst metal carried on surfaces of carbon black particles, and includes no third component. When a moistening for maintaining the electrolyte membrane in a wet state is carried out from both of the side of the air electrode and the side of the fuel electrode, the carbon black particles have a water-repellent property such that an amount A of water adsorbed under a saturated steam pressure at 60&#xb0; C. is equal to or smaller than 80 cc/g, and a ratio Wp/Wc of a weight Wp of polymer ion-exchange component incorporated to a weight Wc of carbon black particles incorporated is set in a range of 0.4&#x2266;Wp/Wc&#x2266;1.25.

Solid polymer fuel cell

A composite polymer electrolyte membrane is formed from a first polymer electrolyte comprising a sulfonated polyarytene polymer and a second polymer electrolyte comprising another hydrocarbon polymer electrolyte. In the first polymer electrolyte, 2-70 mol % constitutes an aromatic compound unit with an electron-attractive group in its principal chain, while 30-98 mol % constitutes an aromatic compound unit without an electron-attractive group in its principal chain. The second polymer electrolyte is a sulfonated polyether or sulfonated polysulfide polymer electrolyte.

Polymer electrolyte membrane and solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell using same

Polymer electrolyte membrane, method for producing same, and membrane electrode assembly and polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising same

A solid polymer fuel cell () has an electrolyte membrane (), and an air electrode () and a fuel electrode () that closely contact to opposite sides of the electrolyte membrane () respectively. The electrolyte membrane () has a membrane core () comprising a polymer ion-exchange component, and a plurality of phyllosilicate particles () that disperse in the membrane core () and are subjected to ion-exchange processing between metal ions and protons, and proton conductance Pc satisfies Pc&#x3e;0.05 S/cm. Owing to this, it is possible to provide the solid polymer fuel cell equipped with the electrolyte membrane () that has excellent high-temperature strength and can improve power-generating performance.

An ingot I made of a light alloy is produced using a continuous casting apparatus including a cylindrical water-cooled casting mold which is disposed immediately below a spout having an upward-turned molten metal receiving port and a downward-turned molten metal outlet, and which has an inside radius rlarger than an inside radius rof the molten metal outlet, and lubricating oil discharge passages provided below the spout to supply a lubricating oil to between the water-cooled casting moldand a molten metal m brought into contact with the water-cooled casting mold. In this production, a lubricating oil having a vaporization rate of 30% or more at 300&#xb0; is used, and an annular gas accumulation for spacing the molten metal apart from outlets of the lubricating oil discharge passages is defined below an annular protrusion of the spout by vaporization of the lubricating oil. Thus, it is possible to avoid the generation of a casting skin failure in a light alloy ingot due to the outlets of the lubricating oil discharge passages.

Process for continuously casting light alloy and apparatus for continuously casting light alloy

An membrane electrode assembly for a fuel cell composed of a pair of electrode catalyst layers and an electrolyte membrane sandwiched between the electrode catalyst layers is configured so that the catalyst of at least one surface of the electrode catalyst layers enters in the electrolyte membrane whereby the electrode catalyst layer and the electrolyte membrane are unified with each other. In this configuration, no exfoliation occurs at the interface between the electrode catalyst layer and the electrolyte membrane, and the durability of the membrane electrode assembly can be increased even during the course of heat cycles.

Membrane electrode assembly for fuel and process for producing the same

A separator for a fuel cell comprises a plate-shaped electrode having a pair of gas diffusion electrode plates and an electrolytic layer held by the gas diffusion electrode plates. The separator being layered on both surfaces of the electrode and forming gas passages cooperating with the gas diffusion electrode plate. The separator comprising: a metallic plate; protrusions made from a material of the carbon type, the protrusion having a projected surface projecting from the metallic plate toward the gas diffusion electrode plate so as to contact therewith and to form the gas passages; and intermetallic compounds precipitated on the projected surface of the protrusion. The gas passage is formed by a surface of the metallic plate and a pair of side surfaces of adjoining protrusions.

Separator for fuel cell

An active solid polymer electrolyte membrane in a solid polymer type fuel cell comprises a solid polymer electrolyte membrane and a plurality of precious metal catalyst particles supported on the surfaces of the aforementioned solid polymer electrolyte membrane by ion exchange and distributed uniformly over the surfaces thereof. In accordance with the use of this active solid polymer electrolyte membrane the ability to generate power can be enhanced.

Active solid polymer electrolyte membrane in solid polymer type fuel cell and process for the production thereof

When a continuous casting is carried out while applying an electromagnetic agitating force to a molten metal of an aluminum alloy composition, the molten metal of the aluminum alloy composition has an Fe content in a range of 0.75% by weight &lE;Fe<2% by weight. Thus, a hard Fe-based intermetallic compound can be crystallized as a primary crystallized product, and an acicular intermetallic compound can be pulverized and finely divided by cooperation of the hard Fe-based intermetallic compound with the electromagnetic agitating force.

Agitated continuous casting process for aluminum alloy

An agitated continuous casting apparatus includes a spout having an upward-turned molten metal receiving port and a downward-turned molten metal outlet, a cylindrical water-cooled casting mold disposed immediately below the spout, and an agitator for applying an electromagnetic agitating force to the molten metal in the spout. The agitator has a function to form, in the spout, an upper area for moving the molten metal in a substantially radiate direction, and a lower area for rotating the molten metal in a circumferential direction. An upper area forming portion of an inner peripheral surface of the spout is formed into a tapered shape with its inside diameter gradually increased from its upper peripheral edge toward its lower peripheral edge. Thus, the molten metal moved in the substantially radiate direction to collide against the upper area forming portion can be moved toward the lower area, and crystallized products having a higher melting point in the molten metal can be spheroidized and collected into an outer periphery of a continuous casting material, and a shape retention effect of the crystallized products can be utilized. Therefore, the continuous casting material has a good rheologic property and an excellent shape maintaining property in its semi-molten state.

Agitated continuous casting apparatus

In carrying out of a thixocasting process, a material in a semi-molten state is produced by heating an aluminum alloy material which has a thermal characteristic that a first angled endothermic section generated by the melting of a eutectic crystal and a second angled endothermic section generated by the melting of a component having a melting point higher than an eutectic point exist in a differential calorimetric curve. A start point of a primary pressing stage is established at a point when the temperature T of the material is in a range of T.sub.1 &lt;T.ltoreq.T.sub.4 in the relationship between the temperature T.sub.1 of a rise-start point in the first angled endothermic section and the temperature T.sub.4 of a peak of the second angled endothermic section. At the primary pressing stage, the charging of the material into the cavity in a casting mold is completed. A start point of a secondary pressing stage is established at a point when the temperature T of the material is in a range of T.sub.1 &lt;T.ltoreq.T.sub.3 in the relationship between the temperature T.sub.1 of the rise-start point in the first angled endothermic section and the temperature T.sub.4 of a drop-end point in the first angled endothermic section. At the secondary pressing stage, the material is solidified.

Thixocasting process of an alloy material

In a thixocasting process, the following steps are used: a step of subjecting, to a heating treatment, an Al-Si based alloy material having a hypo eutectic crystal composition and a characteristic that a first angled endothermic section appearing due to the melting of a eutectic crystal and a second angled endothermic section appearing due to the melting of a component having a melting point higher than a eutectic point exist in a differential calorimetric curve, thereby preparing a semi-molten Al-Si based alloy material having solid and liquid phases coexisting therein; a step of pouring the semi-molten Al-Si based alloy material into a cavity in a casting mold under pressure; and a step of solidifying the semi-molten Al-Si based alloy material under pressure. When the temperature of a rise-start point in the first angled endothermic section is represented by T.sub.1, and the temperature of a drop-end point the first angled endothermic sections is represented by T.sub.2, the casting temperature T for the semi-molten Al-Si based alloy material is set in a range of T.sub.1 .ltoreq.T.ltoreq.T.sub.2. Thus, the fine precipitation of a primary crystal Si phase can be realized to provide an increase in strength of an aluminum alloy cast product.

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Wako, Japan

Nobuhiro Saito