An electrochemical or electric layer system, having at least two electrode layers and at least one ion-conducting layer disposed between two electrode layers. The ion-conducting layer has at least one ion-conducting solid electrolyte and at least one binder at grain boundaries of the at least one ion-conducting solid electrolyte for improving the ion conductivity over the grain boundaries and the adhesion of the layers.

A manufacturing method of nitrogenous carbon electrode and flow cell provided therewith is disclosed. Firstly, a preformed body is performed by mixing a carbon material, a polymeric material and a modifier. A formation process is performed on the preformed body to obtain a formed body. A high sintering is then performed, such that a part of the polymeric material is decomposed and then removed, while the other part of polymeric material is cooperated with the carbon material to form a skeletal structure including a plurality of pores, and that the nitrogen in the modifier is adhered to the skeletal structure to form a nitrogenous functional group, and then form a nitrogenous carbon electrode. The nitrogenous carbon electrode may be applied to the flow cell. Thereby, electric conductivity in a vertical direction may be enhanced, so as to reduce internal resistance of the flow cell and increase discharge power.

A catalyst layer for a fuel cell contains a support and a catalyst supported on the support. The support contains a titanium oxide having a crystal phase of Ti.sub.2O. The ratio of total abundance of trivalent Ti and divalent Ti (W2) to abundance of tetravalent Ti (W1), W2/W1, is 0.1 or more as determined on the surface of the catalyst layer by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The catalyst is preferably made of at least one metal selected from platinum, iridium, and ruthenium, or an alloy thereof. Also, the catalyst layer for a fuel cell preferably further contains an ionomer, and the ratio of mass of the ionomer (I) to mass of the catalyst-supporting support (S), I/S, is preferably 0.06 or more and 0.23 or less.

A membrane electrode assembly including: an anode electrode; a cathode electrode; and a polymer electrolyte membrane; wherein the cathode includes a first cathode catalyst sublayer including a first precious metal catalyst composition and a first ionomer composition including a first ionomer and a second ionomer; and a second cathode catalyst sublayer including a second precious metal catalyst composition and a second ionomer composition including a third ionomer; wherein the first ionomer is different from the second ionomer in at least one of chemical structure and equivalent weight.

The present invention provides an anion exchange resin capable of producing an electrolyte membrane for a fuel cell, a binder for forming an electrode catalyst layer and a battery electrode catalyst layer. The anion exchange resin of the present invention has a hydrophobic unit, a hydrophilic unit and divalent fluorine-containing groups. The hydrophobic unit has divalent hydrophobic groups composed of one aromatic ring or a plurality of aromatic rings that are repeated via carbon-carbon bond. The hydrophilic unit has divalent hydrophilic groups composed of one aromatic ring or a plurality of aromatic rings, at least one of which has an anion exchange group, that are repeated via carbon-carbon bond. The divalent fluorine-containing groups have a specific structure and are bonded via carbon-carbon bond to the hydrophobic unit and/or the hydrophilic unit and/or a moiety other than these units.

The disclosure relates to a supported catalyst material for a fuel cell. This comprises an electrically conductive, carbon-based carrier material and catalytic structures deposited or grown on the carrier material with a multilayer structure. The core layer comprises an electrically conductive bulk material, with the bulk material in direct contact with the carbon-based carrier material. The thin surface layer has a catalytically active noble metal or an alloy thereof. The preparation is carried out directly onto the carrier material with the deposition of the corresponding starting materials from the gas phase.

Bipolar electrodes comprising a carbon felt loaded with a polymer material and a nanocarbon material are described herein. The bipolar electrodes are useful in electrochemical cells. In particular, the loaded carbon felt can be used in bipolar electrodes of zinc-halide electrolyte batteries. Processes for manufacturing the loaded carbon felt are also described, involving contacting (e.g., dipping) a carbon felt in a mixture of solvent, polymer material and nanocarbon material.

A redox flow battery (“CRB”) performs as an energy storage system and has a negative electrode that directly utilizes CO.sub.2 in the battery charge step as an active species instead of metals. The CRB also has a positive electrode utilizing a metallic or non-metallic redox species, and a cation exchange membrane in between the negative and positive electrodes. The negative electrode comprises a porous base layer, a porous intermediate layer containing a metal oxide and a bi-functional catalyst layer for electrochemical reduction of CO.sub.2 or carbonate to formate and for formate oxidation to either carbonate or CO.sub.2. The bi-functional catalyst can be a PdSn based catalyst, such as PdSn, PdSnIn, and PdSnPb. The metal oxide in the intermediate layer acts as a catalyst support and can be a non-Platinum group metal (PGM) oxide, such as LaCoO.sub.3 or LaNiO.sub.3.

The present invention relates to a cathode material for a lithium-air battery and a method of manufacturing a cathode using the same. The cathode material of the present invention includes a solvent component and thus includes an electrolyte in a small amount compared to a conventional cathode material, thereby reducing the weight of a cathode manufactured using the cathode material, ultimately increasing the energy density of a lithium-air battery including the cathode.

Described herein is a coating composition comprising: (a) a metal catalyst, wherein the metal catalyst comprises at least one of platinum, ruthenium, iridium, and alloys and combinations thereof; (b) an at least highly fluorinated ionomer comprising a polymer backbone and a plurality of first side chains pendant therefrom, wherein the first side chain comprises at least one protogenic group, wherein the protogenic group is selected from a sulfonic acid, a bis(sulfonyl)imide, a sulfonamide, a sulfonyl methide, and salts and combinations thereof, and wherein the polymer backbone comprises an average of at least 14 carbon atoms between adjacent first side chains along the polymer backbone; and (c) a solvent. Such coating compositions may be used to make electrodes for electrochemical cells and have been shown to have reduced poisoning of the catalyst.