A fuel cell 1 includes a silicon substrate 2, a porous support material layer 5, a plurality of holes 60 or columns 40, and a stacked body. The stacked body includes an upper electrode layer 10, a solid electrolyte layer 100 and a lower electrode layer 20. The upper electrode layer 10 is also formed on a surface parallel to a main surface of the silicon substrate 2 in a manner of being continuous to the upper electrode layer 10 formed in the plurality of holes 60 or columns 40, or the lower electrode layer 20 is also formed on a surface parallel to the main surface of the silicon substrate 2 in a manner of being continuous to the lower electrode layer 20 formed in the plurality of holes 60 or columns 40. The stacked body is supported by the porous support material layer 5 in at least upper end portions and lower end portions of the plurality of holes 60 or columns 40.

The invention relates to a media management plate (1) for a fuel cell assembly (5), a fuel cell system (10) comprising the media management plate and a fuel cell assembly, and a method of operating a fuel cell system (10) comprising a fuel cell assembly (5) and the media management plate (1). All lines for supplying and discharging the fuel cell media and all devices necessary for treating the fuel cell media are integrated in the media management plate (1). The media management plate (1) can be heated by means of coolant and is functional both when oriented vertically and horizontally.

The present invention relates to a power supply system for underwater vehicles, in particular to a power supply system for autonomous underwater vehicles, to underwater vehicles equipped with such power supply systems and to a method of operating an underwater vehicle. The power supply system for underwater vehicles comprises a hydrogen fuel cell, which on the one hand is in fluid contact with a metal hydride storage tank, and on the other hand, with a membrane module that is capable of extracting dissolved oxygen from water. By combining the above mentioned components, the energy necessary to support the AUV operation and the operation of its sensors can be provided, replacing in an efficient and sustainable way the currently employed battery energy systems. For the operation of gliders, a weight compensating mechanism could also be implemented.

A fuel cell separator member forming a power generation cell includes a first separator, and a load receiver member disposed in a manner to protrude outward from the first separator. Reinforcement ribs extending in a direction in which the load receiver member protrudes are provided in a part of an outer peripheral portion of the first separator, the part being adjacent to a joint portion.

A separator for a fuel cell includes a facing surface configured to face a power generating unit of the fuel cell. Groove passages are arranged side by side in the facing surface. Reactant gas flows through the groove passages. Ribs, which are located between the groove passages and protrude toward the power generating unit, are provided on the facing surface. At least one of the ribs includes at least one protrusion that protrudes toward the power generating unit.

A bipolar plate is disposed between a positive electrode and a negative electrode of a redox flow battery. The bipolar plate has, in a surface of the bipolar plate facing at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, a plurality of grooves through which an electrolyte flows and a ridge positioned between the adjacent grooves. The bipolar plate includes rough surfaces which are disposed in at least parts of groove inner surfaces defining the respective grooves and surface roughness of which represented by arithmetic mean roughness Ra is 0.1 μm or larger.

In an embodiment a fuel cell includes a cell stack having a plurality of unit cells stacked in a first direction, an end plate disposed on at least one of both side ends of the cell stack, an enclosure coupled to the end plate to surround a side portion of the cell stack, the enclosure being divided into a plurality of segments, a plate gasket disposed on the end plate and an enclosure gasket disposed between the plurality of segments, wherein one of the plate gasket and the enclosure gasket comprises a protruding portion protruding in the first direction, and a remaining one of the plate gasket and the enclosure gasket comprises a depressed portion depressed in the first direction to receive the protruding portion fitted thereinto.

The present invention is directed to methods of making a nanofiber-nanoparticle network to be used as electrodes of fuel cells. The method comprises electrospinning a polymer-containing material on a substrate to form nanofibers and electrospraying a catalyst-containing material on the nanofibers on the same substrate. The nanofiber-nanoparticle network made by the methods is suitable for use as electrodes in fuel cells.

The present invention is directed to methods of making a nanofiber-nanoparticle network to be used as electrodes of fuel cells. The method comprises electrospinning a polymer-containing material on a substrate to form nanofibers and electrospraying a catalyst-containing material on the nanofibers on the same substrate. The nanofiber-nanoparticle network made by the methods is suitable for use as electrodes in fuel cells.

In a metal support mostly used for a metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), a SOFC system that improves the power generation efficiency by allowing a gas to smoothly flow into or flow out from the through-holes is achieved. A metal support is formed in a plate shape as a whole and has a plurality of through-holes penetrating from a front surface on which an electrode layer is provided to a back surface, and the metal support has inclined through-holes, as the through-holes each of which has a central axis inclined with respect to a thickness direction.