Disclose is a method of manufacturing catalyst ink for a fuel cell, and particularly the method includes removing eluted transition metal from a noble-metal/transition-metal alloy catalyst.

A fuel cell component including a fuel cell substrate and a nitride material. The material may be a nitride compound having a chemical formula A.sub.xB.sub.yN.sub.z, where A is a metal, B is a metal different than A, N is nitrogen, x>0, y<7 and 0<z<12. The nitride compound may have a ratio of a stoichiometric factor to a reactivity factor of greater than 1.0. The stoichiometric factor indicates the reactivity of a nitride compound with chemical species as compared to a baseline nitride compound. The reactivity factor indicates the reaction enthalpy of the nitride compound and the chemical species as compared to a baseline nitride compound and the chemical species. The nitride compound may be Fe.sub.3Mo.sub.3N, Ni.sub.2Mo.sub.3N, Ni.sub.2W.sub.3N, CuNi.sub.3N, Fe.sub.3WN, Zn.sub.3Nb.sub.3N, V.sub.3Zn.sub.2N or a combination thereof. The nitride compound may be Si.sub.6Y.sub.3N.sub.11, Ni.sub.2Mo.sub.4N, Fe.sub.3Mo.sub.5N.sub.6 or a combination thereof.

A catalyst comprising a porous electrically conductive substrate (such as a foam, carbon fibre paper and carbon fibre cloth) and a porous metallic composite of amorphous NiMoP coating at least a portion of the surface or multiple surfaces of the substrate. The composite preferably forms a continuous layer which coats the surfaces and pores of the substrate. Also methods for preparing and using the catalyst, for example in electrolytic water splitting.

A membrane-electrode assembly including a catalyst layer that includes a catalyst-supporting carrier in which a catalyst is supported on a carrier made of an inorganic oxide, and a highly hydrophobic substance having a higher degree of hydrophobicity than the inorganic oxide, the catalyst layer being formed on at least one surface of a polymer electrolyte membrane. It is preferable that, in the membrane-electrode assembly, the degree of hydrophobicity of the highly hydrophobic substance is from 0.5 vol % to 45 vol % at 25° C., the degree of hydrophobicity being defined as a concentration of methanol (vol %) when a light transmittance of a dispersion obtained by dispersing the highly hydrophobic substance in a mixed solution of water and methanol reaches 80%.

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.

An energy conversion device for conversion of various energy forms into electricity. The energy forms may be chemical, photovoltaic or thermal gradients. The energy conversion device has a first and second electrode. A substrate is present that has a porous semiconductor or dielectric layer placed thereover. The substrate itself can be planar, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional, and possess internal and external surfaces. These substrates may be rigid, flexible and/or foldable. The porous semiconductor or dielectric layer can be a nano-engineered structure. A porous conductor material is placed on at least a portion of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer such that at least some of the porous conductor material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer, thereby forming an intertwining region.

In one embodiment, systems and methods include using a battery to provide electrical charge to a vehicle. The battery comprises a first half of a housing coupled comprising one or more air vents and an anode disposed at least partially within the first half of the housing. The battery further comprises a second half of the housing comprising one or more air vents, wherein the anode extends from the first half of the housing and into the second half of the housing. The battery further comprises a pair of cathodes disposed within the second half of the housing, wherein the pair of cathodes extends from the second half of the housing and into the first half of the housing, wherein the anode is disposed between the pair of cathodes, wherein there is a gap between the anode and each one of the pair of cathodes.

An energy conversion device for conversion of various energy forms into electricity. The energy forms may be chemical, photovoltaic or thermal gradients. The energy conversion device has a first and second electrode. A substrate is present that has a porous semiconductor or dielectric layer placed thereover. The substrate itself can be planar, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional, and possess internal and external surfaces. These substrates may be rigid, flexible and/or foldable. The porous semiconductor or dielectric layer can be a nano-engineered structure. A porous conductor material is placed on at least a portion of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer such that at least some of the porous conductor material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer, thereby forming an intertwining region.

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.

A battery includes: an electrode group including an air electrode and a negative electrode that are stacked with a separator interposed therebetween; and a container housing the electrode group together with an alkaline electrolyte liquid. The air electrode includes a catalyst for an air electrode. This catalyst for an air electrode is a catalyst for an air electrode including an oxide containing at least bismuth (Bi), ruthenium (Ru), sodium (Na), and oxygen, and Na/(Ru+Bi+Na) representing an atomic ratio of the sodium to a sum of the bismuth, the ruthenium, and the sodium is 0.126 or more and 0.145 or less.