Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Kabuhsiki Kaisha Toshiba

Tomoaki Arimura

According to one embodiment, a direct methanol fuel cell includes an anode to which an aqueous methanol solution is supplied as the fuel, a cathode to which oxidizing gas is supplied, an electrolyte membrane interposed between the anode and the cathode, a first separator disposed on the surface of the anode on the side opposite to the electrolyte membrane side and a second separator disposed on the surface of the cathode on the side opposite to the electrolyte membrane side, wherein the first and second separators are respectively made of a membrane containing a copolymer of a first vinyl monomer having a cyclic functional group bonded with a carbonyl group, a second vinyl monomer having a carboxyl group and a third vinyl monomer having an aromatic group, and a carbon powder dispersed in the copolymer.

Direct methanol fuel cell

According to one embodiment, a direct methanol fuel cell includes an anode having a current collector and a catalyst layer formed on the current collector, a cathode having a current collector and a catalyst layer formed on the current collector, and an electrolyte membrane placed between the catalyst layers of the anode and the cathode. The anode-side catalyst layer includes a catalyst and a sheet-like organic compound consisting of a plurality of molecules having an aliphatic cyclic skeleton in which two carbon atoms are bonded to a cationic functional group and an anionic functional group, respectively. The sheet-like organic compound has a layered branch structure in which the molecules are layered by bonding different ions of the aliphatic cyclic skeleton to one another so that the molecules are displaced from one another, and a plurality of units each having the layered branch structure are present in the catalyst layer.

According to one embodiment, a direct-methanol fuel cell includes an anode into which an aqueous methanol solution is introduced as fuel, a cathode into which an oxidizing agent is introduced, an electrolyte membrane interposed between the anode and the cathode, an anode separator which is disposed on the anode side and includes a fuel passage formed on a surface facing the anode, and a cathode separator which is disposed in the cathode side and includes an oxidizing gas passage formed on a surface facing the cathode. At least the cathode separator is provided with a coating film including a macromolecular polymer having a water-repellent functional group and an ionic functional group, the coating film being formed on at least an inside surface of the oxidizing gas passage.

Direct-methanol fuel cell

According to one embodiment, a direct-methanol fuel cell includes an anode which includes a current collector and a first catalytic layer formed on the current collector and into which an aqueous methanol solution is introduced, a cathode which includes a current collector and a second catalytic layer formed on the current collector and into which an oxidizer is introduced and an electrolyte membrane interposed between the anode and the cathode. The second catalytic layer includes a catalyst, a perfluoroalkylsulfonic acid polymer, and a ternary metal-containing copolymer. The ternary metal-containing copolymer includes a first vinyl monomer containing an organic metal complex of Pt, a second vinyl monomer containing an organic metal complex of M1, where M1 is a metal selected from Sn, Zn, Ni, Fe, Co, Al and Cu and a third vinyl monomer containing an organic metal complex in which M2 is ionically bonded, where M2 is Eu or La.

According to one embodiment, fuel cell includes an anode, into which an aqueous methanol solution is introduced as fuel, includes a current collector and a catalyst layer formed on the current collector, a cathode, into which an oxidizing agent is introduced, includes a current collector and a catalyst layer formed on the current collector, and an electrolyte membrane interposed between the catalyst layer of the anode and the catalyst layer of the cathode. The catalyst layer of at least one of the anode and the cathode contains carbon particles having pores on the surface thereof, catalyst microparticles which are supported by these carbon particles and are finer than the carbon particles, a perfluoroalkylsulfonic acid polymer and a high-molecular compound having a repeating unit of a high-molecular chain fixed to the surface of the carbon particles.

Fuel cell

A proton conductive polymer comprising a repeating unit represented by formula (1): wherein R, Rand Reach independently represents a substituent; and V, W and X each independently represents a positive integer.

Proton conductive polymer and fuel cell

According to one embodiment, a polymer electrolyte medium is represented by the following general formula (I) where R is sulfonic acid or phosphoric acid, and n is an integer from 1 to 8000.

Polymer electrolyte medium and direct methanol fuel cell

A fuel cell comprises a single cell including a membrane assembly electrode unit comprising a fuel electrode to which an aqueous methanol solution is supplied as a fuel, an air electrode to which an oxidizing gas is supplied, and an electrolyte membrane interposed between the electrodes, a fuel separator and an oxidizing gas separator disposed at both sides of the membrane assembly electrode unit, and seal members respectively disposed between the membrane assembly electrode unit and the fuel separator and between the membrane assembly electrode unit and the oxidizing gas separator. The seal member includes a specific copolymer of a monomer containing a metal element.

A fuel cell comprises a cell unit in which a plurality of single cells are laminated, each of which has a membrane type electrode unit including a fuel electrode to which an aqueous methanol solution is supplied as a fuel, an air electrode to which an oxidizing gas is supplied, and an electrolyte membrane interposed between the fuel electrode and the air electrode, and a fuel absorbing member disposed around the cell unit, the fuel absorbing member being composed of a polymer represented by the following formula (I) where Rdenotes a cationic aromatic functional group, Rdenotes an anion, and n is an integer of 2 or more.

Fuel cell with polymer-based fuel absorbing member

A fuel for a fuel cell comprises a mixed solution of water and methanol, and an organic compound represented by the following formula (I) dissolved in the mixed solution as an antifreeze:(OH)&#x2014;R&#x2014;R&#x2014;(OH)&#x2003;&#x2003;(I)where Rand Reach denote a radical having an indan or indene structure, which are either the same or different; and m and n are integers of 1 to 20.

Fuel for fuel cell

A proton conductive polymer comprising: a methanol exclusive compound unit; and a proton conductive compound unit.

Proton conductive polymer and fuel cell using the same

A fuel cell comprises a unit cell having a membrane-like electrode unit including an electrolyte membrane, a fuel electrode consisting essentially of a catalyst layer and a diffusion layer, which are formed in the order mentioned on one surface of the electrolyte membrane, and an air electrode consisting essentially of a catalyst layer and a diffusion layer, which are formed in the order mentioned on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane. The diffusion layer of at least the fuel electrode includes a carbon paper prepared by laminating carbon fibers, and a specified water repellent polymer is arranged to cover the surface of the carbon fiber of the carbon paper or is loaded in the clearance among the carbon fibers.

A polymer electrolyte medium expressed by the following formula (I):  where Rin the formula represents an aromatic radical-containing functional group, Rrepresents an alkyl functional group, Rrepresents an ion exchange aromatic functional group, and u represents an integer of 1 to 450.

Growing community of inventors

Ome, Japan

Tomoaki Arimura