The presently disclosed subject matter relates generally to a highly ionically conductive solid electrolyte membrane and to batteries comprising such solid electrolyte membrane.

Provided are an electrode catalyst layer, a membrane electrode assembly and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, having sufficient drainage property and gas diffusibility with high power generation performance over a long term. An electrode catalyst layer (10) bonded to a surface of a polymer electrolyte membrane (11) includes at least a catalyst substance (12), a conductive carrier (13), a polymer electrolyte (14) and fibrous substances (15). The number of the fibrous substances (15) in which inclination θ of axes with respect to a surface of the electrode catalyst layer (10) bonded to the surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane (11) is 0°≤θ<45°, among the fibrous substances (15), is greater than 50% of the total number of the fibrous substances (15) contained.

There is provided a catalyst layer for a fuel cell that can inhibit reduction in water electrolysis function. The catalyst layer for a fuel cell according to this disclosure comprises carbon supports on which Pt particles are supported, and Ir oxide particles, wherein the ratio of the mean primary particle size of the Ir oxide particles with respect to the mean primary particle size of the Pt particles is 20 or greater. The mean primary particle size of the Pt particles may be 20.0 nm or smaller and the mean primary particle size of the Ir oxide particles may be 100.0 nm to 500.0 nm.

A method for creating a metal-carbon composite. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of providing a polymer Schiff base transition metal .[.film.]. .Iadd.complex .Iaddend.precursor .Iadd.film .Iaddend.having a chemical structure of the formula [M(Schiff)].sub.n and a recurring unit and a transition metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, palladium, platinum, cobalt, copper, iron; Schiff is a tetradentate Schiff base ligand selected from the group consisting of Salen (residue of bis(salicylaldehyde)-ethylenediamine), Saltmen (residue of bis(salicylaldehyde)-tetramethylethylenediamine, Salphen (residue of bis-(salicylaldehyde)-o-phenylenediamine), a substituent in a Schiff base is selected from the group consisting of H—, and carbon-containing substituents, preferably CH.sub.3—, C.sub.2H.sub.5—, CH.sub.3O—, C.sub.2H.sub.5O—, and Y is a bridge in a Schiff base depositing the polymer Schiff base transition metal precursor film onto a support substrate; and heating the polymer Schiff base transition metal .Iadd.complex .Iaddend.precursor film and support substrate in a furnace in an inert atmosphere.

An electrochemical device can include a cathode layer including an ionic conductor material and an electronic conductor material. The cathode layer can include a ratio of (Vi/Ve) of a volume of the ionic conductor material (Vi) to a volume of the electronic conductor material (Ve) of at least 1.3. In an embodiment, the cathode layer can include a median surface diffusion length (Ls) greater than 0.33 microns. In an embodiment, the cathode layer can include a cathode functional layer.

A membrane electrode assembly that can enhance power generation performance, and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. The membrane electrode assembly for use in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to an aspect of the present invention includes a polyelectrolyte membrane, a fuel electrode-side electrocatalyst layer, and an oxygen electrode-side electrocatalyst layer. The fuel electrode- and oxygen electrode-side electrocatalyst layers and contain voids which include pores having a diameter in the range of 3 nm or more and 5.5 μm or less. When the integrated pore volume for all the pores in the fuel electrode- and oxygen electrode-side electrocatalyst layers and is a first integrated volume, the value obtained by dividing the first integrated volume by the mass of the catalytic material contained in both of the electrocatalyst layers is in the range of 2.8 or more and 4.5 or less.

invention relates to a distributing structure (10) for a fuel cell (1) in the form of a microporous layer, having: a multiplicity of particles (11), wherein the particles (11) are designed to provide the distributing structure (10) with mechanical stability and electrical conductivity, and wherein a multiplicity of pores (P) are formed between the particles (11) for the purposes of distributing reactants (H2, O2) through the distributing structure (10) and of discharging a product water (H2O), the invention providing, for this purpose, a multiplicity of fibres (12), which are distributed within the microporous layer such that the distributing structure (10) has a first diffusion coefficient (D1) in a first planar direction (x) in relation to the plane of extent (x, y) of the microporous layer, and that the distributing structure (10) has a second diffusion coefficient (D2) in a second planar direction (y) in relation to the plane of extent

A cathode configured to use oxygen as a cathode active material includes: a porous electrically conductive framework substrate; and a coating layer disposed on a surface of the porous electrically conductive framework substrate, wherein the coating layer includes at least one of a lithium-containing metal oxide or a composite including a lithium-containing metal oxide, and wherein a porosity of the porous electrically conductive framework substrate is about 70 percent to about 99 percent, based on a total volume of the cathode, and an areal resistance of the porous electrically conductive framework substrate is about 0.01 milliohms per square centimeter to about 100 milliohms per square centimeter.

A cathode catalyst layer and an anode catalyst layer used for a membrane-electrode assembly in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, wherein the cathode catalyst layer and the anode catalyst layer each include catalyst particles, a conductive carrier, a polymer electrolyte, and a fibrous material, the fibrous material includes at least one of an electron conductor and a proton conductor, and the fibrous material has a specific surface area in a range of 40 m.sup.2/g or more and 80 m.sup.2/g or less.

The presently disclosed subject matter relates generally to a highly ionically conductive solid electrolyte membrane and to batteries comprising such solid electrolyte membrane.