An illustrative fuel cell component includes a body that has a plurality of first pores. The first pores have a first pore size. A fluorinated carbon coating is on at least some of the body. The coating establishes a plurality of second pores in a coated portion of the body. The second pores have a second pore size that is smaller than the first pore size.

An electrode for use in an all-iron redox flow battery is provided. In one example, the electrode may include a plastic mesh; and a coating on the plastic mesh. The coating may be a hydrophilic coating or a conductive coating and the electrode may have an electrode reaction potential is less than 0.8V. Further, a method of manufacturing a coated plastic mesh electrode for use in an all-iron redox flow battery is provided. In one example method, the steps include fabricating a plastic mesh, treating the plastic mesh by applying a solvent treatment or a plasma treatment or a mechanical abrasion treatment; coating the plastic mesh with a material selected from: carbon inks, metal oxides, and hydrophilic polymers.

A gas diffusion electrode for a fuel cell which comprises a gas-permeable substrate that has functional groups is provided, said groups being capable of complexing cations, and catalytically active noble metal particles and/or atoms, said particles and/or atoms being bonded by the functional groups to a surface of a first flat side of the substrate and/or in a surface-proximal region of a first flat side of the substrate. The gas diffusion electrode according to the invention combines the functions of a gas diffusion layer and a catalytic layer in an integral component and is distinguished by a high long-term stability with respect to degradation phenomena of the catalyst.

An anode can include: an electrode substrate; a first region of the substrate having a catalyst composition located thereon, wherein the catalyst composition includes an inorganic or metallic catalyst; and a second region of the substrate having an enzyme composition located thereon, wherein the combination of the catalyst composition and enzyme composition converts a fuel reagent to carbon dioxide at neutral pH. The first region and second region can be separate regions. The catalyst of the catalyst composition can include gold nanoparticles. The catalyst can include an inorganic or metallic catalyst selected from vanadium oxide, titanium (III) chloride, Pd(OAc).sub.2, MnO, zeolite, alumina, graphitic carbon, palladium, platinum, gold, ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, or combinations thereof. The catalyst can be nanoparticle, nanorod, nanodot, or combination thereof. The catalyst can have sizes that range from about 10 to 20 nm.

The present invention relates to a flexible electrode, a biofuel cell using the same, and a method for manufacturing the same. The electrode according to the present invention comprises: a non-electrically conductive substrate (10); a base layer (20) disposed on the outer surface of the substrate (10); a nanoparticle layer (31) including metallic nanoparticles and disposed on the outer surface of the base layer (20); and a monomolecular layer (33) including a monomolecular material having an amine group and disposed on the outer surface of the nanoparticle layer (31).

A thin-film electrochemical device includes a monolithic substrate, which includes a cavity enclosed by bottom and side surfaces of the substrate, and a thin-film arranged on a top surface of the substrate and enclosing the cavity. The thin-film is permeable to ions.

The processing apparatus includes: a first roller 10 around which a gas-diffusion layer sheet (carbon paper CP) is wound, the gas-diffusion layer sheet being an electrically conductive porous member; a second roller 20 configured to take up the carbon paper CP wound around the first roller 10; and a processing oven configured to heat process a portion of the carbon paper CP, the portion having been fed from the first roller 10 but not yet taken up by the second roller 20. A heat-resistant lead LE is provided, the heat-resistant lead LE having a length at least extending from the first roller 10 to the second roller 20 through the processing oven, being configured to be taken up by the second roller 20, and being bonded to the carbon paper CP impregnated with a thermosetting resin AD.

Methods of forming porous electrodes are provided, such porous electrodes, and thus the techniques for forming the same, having beneficial uses in conjunction with redox flow batteries. The methods include the use of phase inversion as part of the fabrication process. In one exemplary embodiment, a polymer solution is immersed in one solvent in conjunction with performing polymer blend casting, and then is subsequently immersed in a second solvent to induce phase inversion. The phase inversion causes two polymers from the polymer solution to separate, leaving one polymer as a standalone porous polymer and the other polymer with the two solvents in which the polymer solution was disposed. Post-treatments can be performed on the porous polymer to form a desired porous electrode configuration. The electrode can be used in a redox flow battery, for example. Various formulation techniques and recipes, along with resulting porous electrode configurations, are also provided.

According to an embodiment, a method of forming a catalyst layer includes performing displacement plating on a substrate having a surface that is made of a semiconductor and includes a plurality of projections, thereby depositing a catalytic metal at positions of the plurality of projections.

An electrode for use in an all-iron redox flow battery is provided. In one example, the electrode may include a plastic mesh; and a coating on the plastic mesh. The coating may be a hydrophilic coating or a conductive coating and the electrode may have an electrode reaction potential is less than 0.8V. Further, a method of manufacturing a coated plastic mesh electrode for use in an all-iron redox flow battery is provided. In one example method, the steps include fabricating a plastic mesh, treating the plastic mesh by applying a solvent treatment or a plasma treatment or a mechanical abrasion treatment; coating the plastic mesh with a material selected from: carbon inks, metal oxides, and hydrophilic polymers.