An object of the present invention is to improve the performance of a metal-air battery. The metal-air battery includes an air electrode, an anode, and an electrolyte sandwiched between the air electrode and the anode. The air electrode includes a co-continuous body having a three dimensional network structure formed by an integrated plurality of nanostructures having branches. A magnesium alloy is used for the anode, and a weak acidic salt containing no chloride ion or a salt considered to have a buffering capacity is used for the electrolyte. Consequently, the present invention can efficiently utilize electrons and suppress passivation and self corrosion of the anode, thereby improving the performance of the metal-air battery.

A method for preparing a flexible membrane-free and wire-shaped fuel cell is provided. A carbon nanotube sheet is twisted and loaded with a catalyst to obtain a (CNT)@Fe.sub.3[Co(CN).sub.6].sub.2 cathode electrode; the carbon nanotube sheet is twisted and coated with a nickel powder to obtain a CNT@nickel particle anode electrode; and the (CNT)@Fe.sub.3[Co(CN).sub.6].sub.2 cathode electrode, the CNT@nickel particle anode electrode, and a fuel electrolyte of H.sub.2O.sub.2 are integrated in a silicone tube to obtain a flexible membrane-free and wire-shaped fuel cell. The flexible membrane-free and wire-shaped fuel cell of the present invention can generate an open-circuit voltage of 0.88 V, while having very good flexibility, and can be woven into textiles such as clothes, thereby having great application prospects in the field of portable energy supply.

The invention relates to a metal-air electrochemical cell comprising a frame (100) defining an electrolyte chamber having an anode side and a cathode side, wherein an air cathode assembly is provided in the cathode side, said air cathode assembly (20) comprising hydrophobic porous film having a first face and a second face, with current collector (21) and catalyst-containing active layer (26) provided on said first face, with the planar dimensions of the catalyst-containing active layer on said first face being smaller than that of said hydrophobic film and said current collector, such that the catalyst-containing active layer does not reach the edges of said hydrophobic film and said current collector, thereby creating a catalyst-free margin (27) on the hydrophobic film (31) and current collector which surrounds the catalyst-containing active layer, and wherein said first face of the hydrophobic film and said frame of the cell arm joined together by thermoplastic (101) applied onto the catalyst-free margin of the hydrophobic film. A method of assembling the metal/air cell is also described.

A method for preparing a flexible membrane-free and wire-shaped fuel cell is provided. A carbon nanotube sheet is twisted and loaded with a catalyst to obtain a (CNT)@Fe.sub.3[Co(CN).sub.6].sub.2 cathode electrode; the carbon nanotube sheet is twisted and coated with a nickel powder to obtain a CNT@nickel particle anode electrode; and the (CNT)@Fe[Co(CN).sub.6].sub.2 cathode electrode, the CNT@nickel particle anode electrode, and a fuel electrolyte of H.sub.2O.sub.2 are integrated in a silicone tube to obtain a flexible membrane-free and wire-shaped fuel cell. The flexible membrane-free and wire-shaped fuel cell of the present invention can generate an open-circuit voltage of 0.88 V, while having very good flexibility, and can be woven into textiles such as clothes, thereby having great application prospects in the field of portable energy supply.

A method and apparatus for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly are provided, which can efficiently peel an electrode layer from a base material. A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly of a fuel cell including a pair of electrode layers and an electrolyte membrane, the apparatus including: a transport device which transports the base material on which one cathode electrode layer of the pair of electrode layers is formed and which is connected to a transport sheet via an adhesive layer together with the transport sheet; a transfer device which transfers the one cathode electrode layer to the electrolyte membrane; a peeling device which peels the cathode electrode layer from the base material; and a cooling device having a spraying device which is directed to a start point portion for the peeling and sprays a cooling gas.

A negative electrode active material slurry is applied to one surface of a strip-shaped negative electrode core so as to form multiple lines of the negative electrode active material slurry, the lines extending in an X direction and being spaced from each other in a Y direction. Subsequently, while keeping the negative electrode core aloft, first hot air is blown toward the negative electrode core from at least a lower side in a vertical direction, and then, while keeping the negative electrode core aloft, first cooling air having a lower temperature than the first hot air is blown toward the negative electrode core from at least the lower side in the vertical direction so as to decrease the temperature of the negative electrode core to 40° C. or lower.

An object of the present invention is to provide, in the manufacture of a membrane-catalyst assembly including a polymer electrolyte membrane and a catalyst layer bonded to the polymer electrolyte membrane, a method that achieves both the relaxation of thermocompression bonding conditions and the improvement of adhesion between the catalyst layer and the electrolyte membrane with high productivity. A main object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a membrane-catalyst assembly including an electrolyte membrane and a catalyst layer bonded to the electrolyte membrane, the method including a liquid application step of applying a liquid to a surface of the catalyst layer before bonding, and a thermocompression bonding step of bonding, to the electrolyte membrane, the catalyst layer to which the liquid is applied by thermocompression bonding.

A method of manufacturing a fuel cell catalyst layer includes: coating a top surface of a sheet with a catalyst ink, wherein the catalyst ink includes an ionomer; and drying the catalyst ink on the sheet being conveyed along a conveying direction by spraying a center of an ultrasonic airflow toward a direction opposite to the conveying direction, wherein the ultrasonic airflow is obtained by applying ultrasonic waves to an airflow.

A method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly, includes: forming catalyst coated membrane using an electrode catalyst layer containing an ionomer having a sulfonic acid group and a catalyst carrier, and an electrolyte membrane; applying an ionization accelerator having a low molecular weight component represented by a chemical formula C.sub.lH.sub.mO.sub.n (where l, m, and n are natural numbers) for accelerating generation of sulfate ions, to the catalyst coated membrane; performing UV irradiation on the ionization accelerator applied to the catalyst coated membrane; heating the catalyst coated membrane having the ionization accelerator subjected to the UV irradiation; and bonding a gas diffusion layer containing a radical inhibiting substance to an outer surface of at least one of the ionization accelerator subjected to the UV irradiation or the catalyst coated membrane.

Various embodiments include a method for producing a gas diffusion electrode, the method comprising: providing a raw electrode layer comprising an electrically non-conducting web; adapting a thickness of the raw electrode layer; and applying a non-solvent to the raw electrode layer.