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.

A method of producing electrical power includes: a cathode having a porphyrin precursor attached to a substrate, and having a first enzyme, wherein the first enzyme reduces oxygen; an anode having a first region of an anode substrate and having a gold nanoparticle composition located thereon, and having a second region of the anode substrate having an enzyme composition located thereon, wherein the enzyme composition includes a second enzyme, wherein the first region and second region are separate regions; and a neutral fuel liquid in contact with the anode and cathode, the neutral fuel liquid having a neutral pH and a fuel reagent; and operating the fuel cell to produce electrical power with the neutral fuel liquid having the neutral pH and the fuel reagent.

The present invention relates to a proton ceramic fuel cell which has a hydrogen-permeable film as an anode and in which an electrolyte material is BaZr.sub.xCe.sub.1-x-zY.sub.zO.sub.3 (x=0.1 to 0.8, z=0.1 to 0.25, x+z≤1.0) (BZCY). An electron-conducting oxide thin film having a film thickness of 1-100 nm is present between a cathode and an electrolyte comprising the material. The present invention also relates to a method for producing a proton ceramic fuel cell having a hydrogen-permeable film as an anode. The method comprises forming a thin film having a thickness of 1-100 nm between a cathode and an electrolyte comprising BZCY, the thin film comprising an electron-conducting oxide. The present invention provides a novel means for improving the output of a PCFC in which BZCY is used in an electrolyte material, and provides a PCFC having an output that exceeds a benchmark of 0.5 W cm.sup.−2 at 500° C.

A method of manufacturing a transparent microbial energy device includes disposing a first transparent electrode, disposing a first hydrogel layer including an algal cell on the first transparent electrode, disposing a Nafion layer on the first hydrogel layer, disposing a second hydrogel layer including potassium ferricyanide on the Nafion layer, and disposing a second transparent electrode on the second hydrogel layer.

To provide a catalyst layer that is low in gas diffusion resistance and proton resistance even when a support having a small specific surface area is used. The catalyst layer is a catalyst layer for fuel cells, wherein the catalyst layer comprises a catalyst metal, a support and a conductive additive; wherein the support supports the catalyst metal; wherein a specific surface area of the support is 600 m.sup.2/g-C or less; wherein the conductive additive does not support the catalyst metal and has a larger aspect ratio than the support; wherein the aspect ratio of the conductive additive is more than 10; wherein, when a total mass of the catalyst layer is 100 mass %, a percent of the conductive additive contained in the catalyst layer is more than 2 mass % and less than 20 mass %; and wherein the conductive additive is a non-hydrophilized conductive additive.

Provided is a method for manufacturing a membrane-electrode assembly. The method includes forming an electrode layer, preparing a porous support layer, and positioning the electrode layer on each of both surfaces of the porous support layer and hot-pressing the electrode layer positioned on the both surfaces. The forming of the electrode layer incudes forming a functional layer including a hydrogen ion conductive binder resin on at least a portion of an electrode catalyst layer, and forming an electrolyte layer on at least a portion of the functional layer. The preparing of the porous support layer includes performing a pretreatment process by impregnating the porous support layer with a pretreatment composition, and the performing of the pretreatment process includes dipping the porous support layer in a first pretreatment composition and then drying the porous support layer, and dipping the porous support layer after drying in a second pretreatment composition.

A battery includes an electrode group including an air electrode and a negative electrode stacked with a separator therebetween, and a battery case accommodating the electrode group along with an alkali electrolyte solution, wherein the air electrode includes an air electrode mixture containing a pyrochlore-type composite oxide and a manganese oxide, and the pyrochlore-type composite oxide is a bismuth-ruthenium oxide.

A fuel cell membrane electrode assembly includes a polymer electrolyte membrane and a pair of electrocatalyst layers arranged to have the polymer electrolyte membrane therebetween, at least one of the pair of electrocatalyst layers includes particles supporting a catalyst which is composed of a noble metal component, a polymer electrolyte, and a fibrous oxide-based catalytic material, and the fibrous oxide-based catalytic material includes at least one transition metal element selected from a group consisting of Ta, Nb, Ti, and Zr.

A fuel cell system component ink includes a fuel cell system component powder, a solvent including propylene carbonate (PC), and a binder including polypropylene carbonate (PPC).

Provided is a shaping material for an electrode that is easy to produce, in which the proportional content of an active material is easy to improve, and with which problems of odor and stability have a low tendency to occur. The shaping material for an electrode contains at least one active material (A) and a viscous electrolyte composition. The viscous electrolyte composition contains: at least one ionic material (S); and an organic composition (P—O) containing at least one polymer (P) and a low molecular weight organic compound (O) having a molecular weight of less than 10,000. The proportional content of the polymer (P) in the organic composition (P—O) is 50 mass % or less. The proportion constituted by a compound having an equal or higher volatilization rate than N-methylpyrrolidone among the low molecular weight organic compound (O) is not less than 0 mass % and not more than 20 mass %.