An assembly of electrochemical cells for an electrochemical reactor, including a first electrochemical cell, including a first membrane/electrode assembly including a first anode and a first cathode on either side of a proton exchange membrane; first and second flow guides positioned on either side of the first assembly; a second electrochemical cell, including a second membrane/electrode assembly including a second anode and a second cathode on either side of a proton exchange membrane; third and fourth flow guides on either side of the second membrane/electrode assembly; the first and third flow guides have one and the same geometry; the first anode and the second anode have different distributions of surface densities of electrocatalytic material on respective faces of the first and second proton exchange membranes.

This invention discloses membrane electrode assemblies and fuel cells containing self-supporting catalyst layers and methods of generating electricity by operating such fuel cells. Self-supporting catalyst layers are used as the anode or cathode or both catalyst layers in fuel cells, most particularly as catalyst layers in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Membrane electrode assembly configurations comprising self-supporting catalyst layers in which adjacent gas diffusion layers are absent. The invention also involves membrane electrode assemblies and fuel cells containing self-supporting microporous layers and fuel cells containing such membrane electrode assemblies and methods of generating electricity by operating such fuel cells.

Materials for electrochemical cells are provided. BaZr?0.4#191Ce?0.4#191M?0.2#1910?3#191 compounds, where M represents one or more rare earth elements, are provided for use as electrolytes. PrBa?0.5#191Sr?0.5#191Co?2-x#191Fe?x#191O?5+#1916 is provided for use as a cathode. Also provided are electrochemical cells, such as protonic ceramic fuel cells, incorporating the compounds as electrolytes and cathodes.

A gas diffusion electrode has a microporous layer on at least one surface of an electrical conducting porous substrate. The microporous layer has at least a first microporous layer in contact with the electrical conducting porous substrate, and a second microporous layer. The gas diffusion electrode has a pore size distribution with a peak at least in a first region of 10 m or more and 100 m or less, a second region of 0.2 m or more and less than 1.0 m, and a third region of 0.050 m or more and less than 0.2 m. The total volume of the pores in the second region is 10% or more and 40% or less of the total volume of the pores in the first region, and the total volume of the pores in the third region is 40% or more and 80% or less of the total volume of the pores in the second region.

A gas diffusion electrode substrate has an electrically conductive porous substrate and a microporous layer-1 on one side of the electrically conductive porous substrate. The microporous layer-1 includes a dense portion A and a dense portion B. The dense portion A is a region containing a fluorine resin and a carbonaceous powder having a primary particle size of 20 nm to 39 nm. The dense portion A has a thickness of 30% to 100% with respect to the thickness of the microporous layer-1 as 100% and a width of 10 m to 200 m. The dense portion B is a region containing a fluorine resin and a carbonaceous powder having a primary particle size of 40 nm to 70 nm.

A method of manufacturing a fuel cell including a membrane electrode assembly and a resin frame includes, in a membrane electrode assembly sheet that is used for acquiring the membrane electrode assembly, and in which a porous layer including at least a catalytic electrode layer is disposed on at least one surface of an electrolyte membrane, applying a sealing agent onto the porous layer in a region including a part forming an outer periphery of the membrane electrode assembly to seal a pore of the porous layer; acquiring a stack member including the membrane electrode assembly by cutting the membrane electrode assembly sheet in the region; and bonding the resin frame to a part of the porous layer in the stack member where the sealing agent is applied, using an adhesive.

A gas diffusion electrode includes a porous carbon electrode substrate and a microporous layer(s) provided at least on one surface of the porous carbon electrode substrate. The porous carbon electrode substrate is composed of carbon short fibers bonded with a resin carbide. When the region of the porous carbon electrode substrate, extending from a plane that has a 50% filling rate and is closest to one surface of the substrate to a plane that has the 50% filling rate and is closest to the other surface thereof, is trisected in the through-plane direction to obtain three layers, a layer located closer to one surface has a layer filling rate different from the layer filling rate of the layer located closer to the other surface. The microporous layer has a thickness under an added pressure of 0.15 MPa of from 28 to 45 m, and has a thickness under an added pressure of 2 MPa of from 25 to 35 m.

A delivery device for and method of providing for delivery of substance to the central nervous system (CNS) of a subject, the delivery device comprising: a nosepiece unit (17) for insertion into a nasal airway (1) of a subject and comprising an outlet unit (21) which includes a nozzle (25) for delivering substance into the nasal airway of the subject; and a substance supply unit which is operable to deliver a dose of substance to the nozzle: wherein the delivery device is configured such that at least 30% of the dose as initially deposited in the nasal airway is deposited in an upper posterior region of the nasal airway, thereby providing a CNS concentration of the substance, and hence CNS effect, which is significantly greater than that which would be predicted from a counterpart blood plasma concentration of the substance.

A fuel cell includes: a porous anode; and an electrolyte layer that is provided on the anode and includes solid oxide having oxygen ion conductivity, wherein the anode has a structure in which an anode catalyst is provided in a void, wherein, in a cross section of the anode and the electrolyte layer in a stacking direction thereof, an average void diameter of voids in the anode is 0.1 m or more and 2 m or less, wherein, in the cross section, a D10% diameter of void diameter distribution of the voids in the anode is 0.1 m or mode and 2 m or less, wherein a D90% diameter of the void diameter distribution is 1 m or more and 7 m or less.

A membrane catalyst layer assembly production method is provided for producing a membrane catalyst layer assembly by discharging catalyst ink having a solvent and a solid component onto an electrolyte membrane. The membrane catalyst layer assembly production method includes forming a first catalyst ink layer having a first porosity on the electrolyte membrane by controlling a porosity of a catalyst ink layer that is formed by the catalyst ink making impact with the electrolyte membrane by adjusting an amount of solvent in the catalyst ink in drop form prior to impact with the electrolyte membrane, and forming a second catalyst ink layer having a second porosity, which is different from the first porosity, on the first catalyst ink layer, by adjusting the amount of solvent in the catalyst ink in drop form prior to impact with the first catalyst ink layer.