Toto Ltd.

Osamu Okamoto

Naoki Watanabe

Yutaka Momiyama

Nobuo Isaka

Shigeru Ando

Masaki Sato

Seiki Furuya

Kiyoshi Hayama

Shuhei Tanaka

Takuya Hoshiko

Yasuo Kakinuma

Hironori Hatono

Masahiro Mizukane

Jun Miyaji

Tetsuo Kitabayashi

Hironobu Murakami

Masami Ando

A composite structure formation method includes the steps of storing a plurality of pre-formed controlled particles in a storage mechanism, supplying the controlled particles from the storage mechanism to an aerosolation mechanism constantly, disaggregating the supplied controlled particles into a plurality of the fine particles in the aerosolation mechanism to form an aerosol in which an entire contents of the controlled particles including the fine particles are dispersed in the gas; and spraying all of the fine particles in the aerosol toward the substrate to form a composite structure of the structure and the substrate. The controlled particles are controlled so that bonding strength between the fine particles includes a mean compressive fracture strength sufficient to substantially avoid disaggregation during the supply step, but which permits the controlled particles to be substantially completely disaggregated in the disaggregation step.

Composite structure formation method using pre-formed controlled particles formed of fine particles non-chemically bonded together

To provide SOFC and method for manufacturing same, capable of preventing breakage of fuel cell electrodes, and of securing an electrical connection between fuel cells and a current collector. SOFCcomprising a cell array composed of fuel cells, and current collectorconnected to electrodes formed on fuel cells, wherein current collectoris a metal plate on which attaching holesare formed; elastic piecesare provided on each attaching hole; current collectoris attached to the cell array using elastic pieces, by the insertion of fuel cellinto attaching holes; and elastic piecesare affixed to fuel cellsby electrode protective layerso that the positions of elastic piecesare not displaced relative to the electrodes on fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cell device and method for manufacturing same

A solid oxide fuel cell stack includes a support, a plurality of power generation elements provided on a surface of the support, the plurality of power generation elements connected in series, each including at least a fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an air electrode stacked in that order, and an interconnector that electrically connects an air electrode in one of adjacent power generation elements to a fuel electrode in the other power generation element. A solid electrolyte in adjacent one power generation element is provided between a fuel electrode in the adjacent one power generation element and the fuel electrode in the adjacent other power generation element, and an insulating member is provided at a position that is on the solid electrolyte in the adjacent one power generation element and between the air electrode in the adjacent one power generation element and the solid electrolyte therein.

Solid oxide fuel cell stack

To provide a method for manufacturing SOFC, capable of preventing breakage of fuel cell electrodes, and of securing an electrical connection between fuel cells and a current collector. Step for forming electrode protective layerson electrodes formed on fuel cells, modularization step for forming a cell array, and attaching step for attaching a current collectorto the cell array, wherein current collectoris a metal plate on which attaching holesare formed for the insertion of fuel cells, elastic piecesare formed at each attaching hole, fuel cellsare inserted into attaching holes, and current collectoris attached to the cell array by the elastic force; and protective layeris constituted to prevent damage to electrodes caused by contact with elastic pieces.

Method for manufacturing a solid oxide fuel cell device

A solid oxide fuel cell stack includes a support, a plurality of power generation elements connected in series, each including a fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an air electrode stacked in that order on the support, and an interconnector electrically connecting an air electrode in one of the two adjacent power generation elements to a fuel electrode in the other power generation element. A solid electrolyte for one of the power generation elements is provided on the downside of the interconnector provided on the downside of the air electrode in the one power generation element so that the solid electrolyte is joined to the interconnector, and a solid electrolyte for the other power generation element is provided on the upper side of the interconnector provided on the upper side of the fuel electrode for the other power generation element so that the solid electrolyte is joined to the interconnector.

Provided is a solid oxide fuel cell unit comprising an insulating support, and a power generation element comprising, at least, a fuel electrode, an electrolyte and an air electrode, which are sequentially laminated one another, the power generation element being provided on the insulating support, wherein an exposed insulating support portion, an exposed fuel electrode portion, and an exposed electrolyte portion are provided in an fuel electrode cell end portion.

Solid oxide fuel cell unit

Composite structure formation method, pre-formed controlled particles formed of fine particles non-chemically bonded together, and composite structure formation system involving controlled particles

The present invention provides a novel manufacturing method for a solid oxide fuel cell apparatus in which members of the apparatus are joined together with an adhesive, such as a ceramic adhesive. The method implements first and second types of drying and hardening steps. The first type of step may be called a workable hardening step and gives an assembly of members in the solid oxide fuel cell apparatus structural rigidity to go through assembling of the solid oxide fuel cell apparatus. The second type of step may be called a solvent elimination and hardening step and gives the assembled members property to withstand the operation temperature of the solid fuel oxide cell apparatus. The first type of step is performed at a first temperature lower than a second temperature at which the second type of step is performed. The second type of step is performed only after the first type of step is performed at multiple times.

Solid oxide fuel cell and manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus for same

Provided is a solid oxide fuel cell which includes a fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an air electrode, each being sequentially laminated on the surface of a porous support. The porous support comprises forsterite and a nickel element. Ni and/or NiO fine particles are exposed on a surface of a sintered compact of the forsterite constituting the porous support.

Solid oxide fuel cell and method for producing the same

Disclosed is a solid oxide fuel cell which includes an inner electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an outer electrode, each being sequentially laminated on the surface of a porous support. The porous support contains forsterite, and further has a strontium element concentration of 0.02 mass % to 1 mass % both inclusive in terms of SrO based on the mass of the forsterite.

A plurality of pre-formed controlled particles for use in an aerosol deposition method by which an aerosol with brittle material fine particles dispersed in a gas is sprayed toward a substrate to form a structure made of the brittle material fine particles. Each of the controlled particles includes an assembly packed with a plurality of fine particles which are not chemically bonded together, which include the brittle material fine particles, and have a mean primary particle diameter of 0.1 &#x3bc;m or more and 5 &#x3bc;m or less. The controlled particles have a mean circle-equivalent diameter of 20 &#x3bc;m or more.

Pre-formed controlled particles formed of fine particles non-chemically bonded together, pre-formed controlled particles for use in an aerosol deposition method, and composite structure formation system involving controlled particles

An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell preventing formation of a diffusion layer containing Ca and other elements, and having an excellent power generation performance at low temperature by preventing breakdown of a crystal structure of an electrolyte by firing. Disclosed is a solid oxide fuel cell which includes an inner electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an outer electrode, each being sequentially laminated on the surface of a porous support. The porous support contains forsterite, and has a Mg/Si molar ratio of 1.90 to 2.2 both inclusive, and an A-to-B ratio (A/B) of 0.0% to 9.0% both inclusive, where A denotes a maximum peak height which appears at a diffraction angle 2&#x3b8;=26.5&#xb0; to 27.0&#xb0; and B denotes a maximum peak height which appears at 36.5&#xb0; to 37.0&#xb0; in a powder X-ray diffraction pattern obtained by using Cu-K&#x3b1; radiation.

Solid oxide fuel cell

The present invention is a solid oxide fuel cellincluding a reforming section, disposed inside a fuel gas supply flow pathabove a vaporizing sectionto surround the upper portion of a fuel cell stack, for steam reforming raw fuel gas F introduced from a fuel gas introducing portionusing steam S produced in a vaporizing section; and a circulating flow path portiondisposed in a fuel gas supply flow path between the vaporizing section and the reforming section for circulating rising raw fuel gas introduced from a fuel gas introducing section into a fuel gas supply flow path and rising steam produced in the vaporizing section along the circumferential direction of the fuel gas supply flow path so as to form a flow supplying mixed raw fuel gas and steam uniformly over the entire circumference of the reforming section.

Solid oxide fuel cell device

An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell preventing formation of a diffusion layer containing Ca and other elements, and having an excellent power generation performance at low temperature by preventing breakdown of a crystal structure of an electrolyte by firing. Disclosed is a solid oxide fuel cell which includes a fuel electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an air electrode, each being sequentially laminated on the surface of a porous support. The porous support contains forsterite, and further has a calcium element (Ca) content of more than 0.2 mass % but not more than 2 mass % in terms of CaO.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell preventing formation of a diffusion layer containing Ca and other elements, and having an excellent power generation performance at low temperature by preventing breakdown of a crystal structure of an electrolyte by firing. Disclosed is a solid oxide fuel cell which includes an inner electrode, a solid electrolyte, and an outer electrode, each sequentially laminated on the surface of a porous support. The porous support contains forsterite, and has a Ca element content of 0.2 mass % or less in terms of CaO in a surface region at the inner electrode side.

Growing community of inventors

Chigasaki, Japan

Osamu Okamoto