A gas sensor element for detecting a specific gas component in a measured gas, comprising: an element body in the form of a long plate having a gas detection part at an end thereof on a distal end face side in a longitudinal direction; and a porous protective layer covering an outer periphery of the end on said end face side of the element body, wherein in a cross section including two adjacent ones of the end face and side faces connected to the end face, an outer surface of the protective layer facing an element corner where the two faces meet has a shape with a corner part, and a ratio of an assumed diameter of a water droplet contained in the measured gas in a use environment to an effective length of the corner part in the cross section is equal to or larger than 1.5.

The present invention relates to a sensor device (10) for a fuel cell system (100) for determining a purging parameter (SP) for controlling a purging process of the fuel cell system (100), comprising a first flow channel (20) for arranging in an anode feed section (122) of an anode section (120) of a fuel cell stack (110) and a second flow channel (130) for arranging in a recirculation section (126) of the anode section (120) of the fuel cell stack (110), which are separated from each other, at least in sections, by means of a gas-tight membrane (40), wherein the membrane (40) is designed to be permeable for protons and has an electrode section (42, 44) on both sides, as well as comprising a measuring device (50) for determining a fuel concentration difference between the first flow channel (20) and the second flow channel (30) as a purging parameter (SP) based on an electrical voltage between the two electrode sections (42, 44).

The present invention relates to a sensor device (10) for a fuel cell system (100) for determining a purging parameter (SP) for controlling a purging process of the fuel cell system (100), comprising a first flow channel (20) for arranging in an anode feed section (122) of an anode section (120) of a fuel cell stack (110) and a second flow channel (130) for arranging in a recirculation section (126) of the anode section (120) of the fuel cell stack (110), which are separated from each other, at least in sections, by means of a gas-tight membrane (40), wherein the membrane (40) is designed to be permeable for protons and has an electrode section (42, 44) on both sides, as well as comprising a measuring device (50) for determining a fuel concentration difference between the first flow channel (20) and the second flow channel (30) as a purging parameter (SP) based on an electrical voltage between the two electrode sections (42, 44).

Methods for forming a metal oxide electrolyte improve ionic conductivity. Some of those methods involve applying a first metal compound to a substrate, converting that metal compound to a metal oxide, applying a different metal compound to the metal oxide, and converting the different metal compound to form a second metal oxide. That substrate may be in nanobar form that conforms to an orientation imparted by a magnetic field or an electric field applied before or during the converting. Electrolytes so formed can be used in solid oxide fuel cells, electrolyzers, and sensors, among other applications.

A gas sensor for sensing a predetermined gas component contained in a measurement gas includes: a sensor element including a sensing part on one end portion thereof; a casing in which the sensor element is contained and secured; and a connector disposed in the casing, wherein the casing includes: an outer tube including a main portion in which a reference gas is included and a sealing portion as an end portion with a diameter smaller than the main portion so that another end portion of the sensor element protrudes to the main portion, a rubber seal member fitted into the sealing portion to seal the outer tube, and a spacer intervening between the seal member and the connector, and the spacer includes: a resin first spacer contacting with the seal member and having higher heat resistance than the seal member and a ceramic second spacer contacting with the connector.

A gas sensor for sensing a predetermined gas component contained in a measurement gas includes: a sensor element including a sensing part on one end portion thereof; a casing in which the sensor element is contained and secured; and a connector disposed in the casing, wherein the casing includes: an outer tube including a main portion in which a reference gas is included and a sealing portion as an end portion with a diameter smaller than the main portion so that another end portion of the sensor element protrudes to the main portion, a rubber seal member fitted into the sealing portion to seal the outer tube, and a spacer intervening between the seal member and the connector, and the spacer includes: a resin first spacer contacting with the seal member and having higher heat resistance than the seal member and a ceramic second spacer contacting with the connector.

Disclosed is a gas sensor element having: a solid electrolyte body containing oxygen-ion conductive ZrO.sub.2; a detection electrode disposed on the solid electrolyte body to be exposed to a gas under measurement; and a reference electrode disposed on the solid electrolyte body to be exposed to a reference gas. In the gas sensor element, the detection electrode contains Pt and ZrO.sub.2; the detection electrode has a thickness of 3 to 10 μm; the amount of ZrO.sub.2 contained relative to Pt in the detection electrode is 12 to 18 wt %; the detection electrode has a porosity of 5% or lower; and, in a particle size distribution graph of ZrO.sub.2 particles in the detection electrode, a cumulative value of peaks appearing in a range of 0.025 μm to 0.200 μm is 60 to 75%, and a cumulative value of peaks appearing in a range of 1.000 μm to 3.162 μm is 2 to 7%.

A gas sensor element comprising a long plate-like element body and a porous protective layer protecting a surface of the element body, wherein the element body has a gas detection part at an end thereof on one end face side in a longitudinal direction, and the protective layer includes an end face part covering the one end face in laminate, side face parts covering side faces connected to the one end face in laminate, and corner parts where two adjacent ones of the end face part and the side face parts meet. An outer surface of one or more of the end face part and the side face parts has a concave shape that is smoothly continuous with the corner parts and configured such that a layer thickness increases toward the corner parts.

A ceramic planar sensor element having four contact surfaces and three vias, for example for a lambda sensor. Measures are provided for increasing the loadability of the sensor element in relation to mechanical stresses. The measures relate in particular to the arrangement of the vias and to the design of insulating layers in the interior of the sensor element.

A ceramic planar sensor element having four contact surfaces and three vias, for example for a lambda sensor. Measures are provided for increasing the loadability of the sensor element in relation to mechanical stresses. The measures relate in particular to the arrangement of the vias and to the design of insulating layers in the interior of the sensor element.