Disclosed are a polymer electrolyte membrane for fuel cells which has improved handling properties and mechanical strength by employing symmetric-type laminated composite films and a method for manufacturing the same.

An innovative fuel cell system with membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) includes a polymer electrolyte membrane, a gas diffusion layer (GDL) made of porous metal foam, and a catalyst layer. A fuel cell has a metal foam layer that improves efficiency and lifetime of the conventional gas diffusion layer, which consists of both gas diffusion barrier (GDB) and microporous layer (MPL). This metal foam GDL enables consistent maintenance of the suitable structure and even distribution of pores during the operation. Due to the combination of mechanical and physical properties of metallic foam, the fuel cell is not deformed by external physical strain. Among many other processing methods of open-cell metal foams, ice-templating provides a cheap, easy processing route suitable for mass production. Furthermore, it provides well-aligned and long channel pores, which improve gas and water flow during the operation of the fuel cell.

An anode catalyst layer for a fuel cell includes: electrode catalyst particles; a carbon carrier carrying the electrode catalyst particles; water electrolysis catalyst particles; a proton-conductive binder; and a graphitized carbon, wherein the content of the graphitized carbon in the anode catalyst layer for a fuel cell is 3-70 mass % with respect to the total mass of the electrode catalyst particles, the carbon carrier, and the graphitized carbon.

Disclosed are a mixed catalyst, a method for preparing same, a method for forming an electrode by using same, and a membrane-electrode assembly comprising same, the mixed catalyst having uniform physical features within a predetermined range, which are suitable for the manufacture of an electrode and membrane-electrode assembly having desired performance and durability. The mixed catalyst comprises: a first catalyst, which includes a first support and first catalyst metal particles distributed on the first support, and has a first BET surface area and a first total pore volume; and a second catalyst, which includes a second support and second catalyst metal particles distributed on the second support, and has a second BET surface area different from the first BET surface area and a second total pore volume different from the first total pore volume.

Methods of forming a metal-alloy graphene nanocomposites are provided. The methods include providing a graphene substrate and forming a conducting polymer layer on a first major surface of the graphene substrate. The methods also include pyrolyzing the conducting polymer layer to form a nitrogen-doped graphene substrate and dispersing a plurality of metal-alloy nanoparticles on a first surface of the nitrogen-doped graphene substrate to form the nanocomposite.

Disclosed are a catalyst complex which may suppress cell voltage reversal in a fuel cell and a method for manufacturing the same. The catalyst complex includes a support, a first catalytic active material supported on the support and comprising a platinum component including one or more selected from the group consisting of platinum and a platinum alloy, and a second catalytic active material supported on the support and comprising one or more selected from a noble metal other than platinum and an oxide thereof, and the support includes functional groups including oxygen.

A method for producing a catalyst supporting a metal or an alloy on a support, including: independently controlling a temperature of a first supercritical fluid to be first temperature, the first supercritical fluid containing a precursor of the metal or precursor of the alloy that is dissolved in a supercritical fluid; independently controlling a temperature of the support to be a second temperature higher than the temperature of the first supercritical fluid; and supplying the first supercritical fluid controlled to the first temperature to the support, to cause the metal or the alloy to be supported on the support.

Embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to electrocatalysts that include a surface and a plurality of catalytically active sites associated with the surface. The catalytically active sites include individually dispersed metallic atoms that are associated with heteroatoms. In some embodiments, the surface includes graphene oxide, the heteroatoms include nitrogen, and the metallic atoms include cobalt. Additional embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to methods of mediating an electrocatalytic reaction by exposing a precursor material to an electrocatalyst of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the electrocatalytic reaction is a hydrogen evolution reaction that results in the formation of molecular hydrogen from the precursor material. Further embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to methods of making the electrocatalysts of the present disclosure by associating a surface with heteroatoms and metallic atoms.

Disclosed is a cathode catalyst layer for fuel cells including heat-treated ordered mesoporous carbon, wherein the heat-treated ordered mesoporous carbon is present in an amount of 1% by weight to 15% by weight, with respect to the total weight of the cathode catalyst layer for fuel cells, and a method of manufacturing the same.

Provided is a catalyst layer for fuel cell which has a high catalytic activity and enables maintaining the high catalytic activity. Disclosed is an electrode catalyst layer for fuel cell including a catalyst containing a catalyst carrier having carbon as a main component and a catalytic metal supported on the catalyst carrier, and a polymer electrolyte having a sulfonic acid group (—SO.sub.3H) as an ion exchange group, in which the catalyst has the R′ (D′/G intensity ratio) of 0.6 or less, which is the ratio of D′ band peak intensity (D′ intensity) measured in the vicinity of 1620 cm.sup.−1 relative to G band peak intensity (G intensity) measured in the vicinity of 1580 cm.sup.−1 by Raman spectroscopy, and has BET specific surface area of 900 m.sup.2/g catalyst carrier or more, and mole number of a sulfonic acid group in the polymer electrolyte relative to weight of the catalyst carrier is 0.7 mmol/g or more and 1.0 mmol/g or less.