Kabushikikaisha Equos Research

Taizo Yamamoto

Yasuhiro Suzuki

Hideto Miyazaki

Munehisa Horiguchi

Hidemi Kato

Masafumi Kobayashi

Masataka Ueno

Kenji Yamana

The present invention is directed to improving a catalyst applied to a reaction layer having a structure (PFF structure) in which a polymer electrolyte phase surrounds a periphery of a catalyst with a hydrophilic region interposed therebetween and reducing the amount of catalyst metal particles used. A method for producing a catalyst for a fuel cell, in which a catalyst metal particle is supported on a carrier, includes the steps of: preparing an unmodified catalyst in which a catalyst metal particles is supported on a carrier; and modifying the catalyst metal particle in the unmodified catalyst with at least one type of modifying group selected from a nitric acid group, an amino group, a sulfonic acid group, a hydroxy group, and halogen groups.

Catalyst production method and catalyst production apparatus, and method for controlling characteristics of reaction layer for fuel cell using the catalyst

The purpose of the present invention is to grasp the state in which hydrophilic groups of an electrolyte are distributed in a reaction layer for fuel cells. Nitric acid groups are bonded to hydrophilic groups (sulfonic acid groups) contained in a reaction layer for fuel cells, and metal ions capable of forming a nitrosyl complex with the nitric acid groups, e.g., ruthenium ions, are introduced into the reaction layer to dye the nitric acid groups bonded to the hydrophilic groups contained in the reaction layer. When the hydrophilic groups have agglomerated, the nitric acid groups bonded thereto also agglomerate. When said nitric acid groups are dyed with ruthenium, the ruthenium also agglomerates to make it possible to examine said nitric acid groups with an electron microscope.

Method for examining reaction layer for fuel cell

There is provided a fuel cell system which is efficient and does not cause reduction in output even when operation and stopping of a fuel cell are repeated for a long period of time. The fuel cell system is provided with a fuel cell stack including a fuel chamber for supplying a hydrogen gas to a hydrogen electrode and an oxygen chamber for supplying air to an oxygen electrode. The system is provided with gas supply ports for supplying the hydrogen gas into the fuel chamber, gas discharge ports for discharging the hydrogen gas from the fuel chamber, a hydrogen suction pump and the like for sucking the hydrogen gas from the gas discharge ports, a hydrogen circulation pipe and the like for interconnecting the gas discharge ports and the gas supply ports through the hydrogen suction pump and the like, and a first hydrogen discharge pipe and the like for interconnecting the gas discharge ports and an outside gas release port through the hydrogen suction pump and the like.

Fuel cell system

A fuel cell with enhanced cell output includes a fuel electrode which has a fuel-diffusion layer for diffusing fuel and a fuel-reactive layer for reaction of the fuel; an oxygen electrode which has an oxygen-diffusion layer for diffusing oxygen and an oxygen-reactive layer for reaction of the oxygen; and an electrolyte layer between the fuel electrode and the oxygen electrode. The fuel-reactive layer is in contact with the fuel-diffusion layer, and the oxygen-reactive layer is in contact with the oxygen-diffusion layer. Further, the fuel-diffusion layer has high water-repellency than the oxygen-diffusion layer.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Taizo Yamamoto