Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Yoshiko Kanazawa

Takao Sawa

Nobukazu Suzuki

Noriaki Yagi

Masao Yamamoto

Shuji Yamada

Motoya Kanda

Ken Uchida

Hiroyuki Hasebe

Yoshiyuki Isozaki

Hiromichi Horie

Shusuke Inada

Hirokazu Niki

Takamichi Inaba

Akinori Hongu

Hiromi Shizu

Shinji Tsuruta

Yuu Kondou

Kunihiko Sasaki

Koji Hashimoto

Koji Hasimoto

A hydrogen-absorbing alloy for battery according to the present invention comprises an alloy having the composition represented by a general formula A Ni.sub.a Mn.sub.b M.sub.c �where, A is at least one kind of element selected from rare earth elements including Y (yttrium), M is a metal mainly composed of at least one kind of element selected from Co, Al, Fe, Si, Cr, Cu, Ti, Zr, Zn, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Ag, Pd, B, Ga, In, Ge and Sn, 3.5.ltoreq.a.ltoreq.5, 0.1.ltoreq.b.ltoreq.1, 0.ltoreq.c.ltoreq.1, 4.5.ltoreq.a+b+c.ltoreq.6!, wherein the alloy has columnar structures in which the area ratio of the columnar structures having the ratio of a minor diameter to a major diameter (aspect ratio) of 1:2 or higher is 50% or more. Further, an average minor diameter of the columnar structures is set to 30 microns or less. With this arrangement, there can be provided a nickel-metal hydride battery capable of satisfying the three leading characteristics of a high electrode capacity, long life and good rising-up all together.

Hydrogen-absorbing alloy for battery, method of manufacturing the same,

A hydrogen-absorbing alloy for battery according to the present invention comprises an alloy having the composition represented by a general formula A Ni.sub.a Mn.sub.b M.sub.c [where, A is at least one kind of element selected from rare earth elements including Y (yttrium), M is a metal mainly composed of at least one kind of element selected from Co, Al, Fe, Si, Cr, Cu, Ti, Zr, Zn, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Ag, Pd, B, Ga, In, Ge and Sn, 3.5.ltoreq.a.ltoreq.5, 0.1.ltoreq.b.ltoreq.1, 0.ltoreq.c.ltoreq.1, 4.5.ltoreq.a+b+c.ltoreq.6], wherein the alloy has columnar structures in which the area ratio of the columnar structures having the ratio of a minor diameter to a major diameter (aspect ratio) of 1:2 or higher is 50% or more. Further, an average minor diameter of the columnar structures is set to 30 microns or less. With this arrangement, there can be provided a nickel-metal hydride battery capable of satisfying the three leading characteristics of a high electrode capacity, long life and good rising-up all together.

In a fuel cell comprising a stack having superposed a plurality of electromotive parts composed of a fuel electrode, an oxidizing electrode, and an electrolyte layer nipped by the two electrodes and using a liquid fuel as the fuel for the fuel cell, this invention contemplates forming a liquid fuel introducing path destined to be directly exposed to the liquid fuel on terminal surfaces of the component parts of the electromotive parts in a direction perpendicular to the flow of an oxidizing gas along at least one of the outer peripheral surfaces of the stack including the terminal surface of the fuel electrode and lying parallelly to the flow of the oxidizing gas and enabling the liquid fuel in the liquid fuel introducing path to be supplied to the fuel electrodes by a capillary attraction. A fuel cell provided with means for recovery of the water produced by the cell reaction in the oxidizing electrodes is also disclosed, which fuel cell effects the removal of the water produced in the oxidizing electrodes during the operation of the fuel cell by a capillary attraction generated by two porous members, i.e. a first porous member disposed in the oxidizing electrodes and a second porous member adjoined to the first porous member and possessed of a smaller average pore diameter than the first porous member.

Fuel cell

In a fuel cell comprising a stack having superposed a plurality of electromotive parts composed of a fuel electrode, an oxidizing electrode, and an electrolyte layer nipped by the two electrodes and using a liquid fuel as the fuel for the fuel cell, this invention contemplates forming a liquid fuel introducing path destined to be directly exposed to the liquid fuel on terminal surfaces of the component parts of the electromotive parts in a direction perpendicular to the flow of an oxidizing gas along at least one of the outer peripheral surfaces of the stack including the terminal surface of the fuel electrode and lying parallelly to the flow of the oxidizing gas and enabling the liquid fuel in the liquid fuel introducing path to be supplied to the fuel electrodes by a capillary attraction. A fuel cell provided with means for recovery of the water produced by the cell reaction in the oxidizing electrodes is also disclosed, which fuel cell effects the removal of the water produced in the oxidizing electrodes during the operation of the fuel cell by a capillary attraction generated by two porous members.

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Yokohama, Japan

Yoshiko Kanazawa