A fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly interposed between a cathode-side separator and an anode-side separator. A first gas diffusion layer included in a cathode is designed to have a planar size larger than a planar size of a second gas diffusion layer included in an anode. The anode-side separator has a thin clearance part in a portion that faces an outer peripheral portion of the second gas diffusion layer.

Provided are a cell (1), a cell stack device (20), a module (30), and a module housing device (40). The cell 1 includes a metal plate (2) having a pair of surfaces, which are a first surface (2a) and a second surface (2b) that face each other, an element portion (6) disposed on the first surface (2a) of the metal plate (2), and including a first electrode layer (3), a solid electrolyte layer (4) located on the first electrode layer (3), and a second electrode layer (5) located on the solid electrolyte layer (4), and an intermediate layer (9) located between the first surface (2a) and the first electrode layer (3). The intermediate layer (9) has a plurality of first through holes penetrating through the intermediate layer (9) in a thickness direction.

Provided are a cell (1), a cell stack device (20), a module (30), and a module housing device (40). The cell 1 includes a metal plate (2) having a pair of surfaces, which are a first surface (2a) and a second surface (2b) that face each other, an element portion (6) disposed on the first surface (2a) of the metal plate (2), and including a first electrode layer (3), a solid electrolyte layer (4) located on the first electrode layer (3), and a second electrode layer (5) located on the solid electrolyte layer (4), and an intermediate layer (9) located between the first surface (2a) and the first electrode layer (3). The intermediate layer (9) has a plurality of first through holes penetrating through the intermediate layer (9) in a thickness direction.

To provide a fuel cell production method configured to suppress the formation of a blister in a thermoplastic sheet. The production method is a method for producing a fuel cell, wherein the method comprises: a first attaching step, a disposing step and a second attaching step in which, after the disposing step, the membrane electrode assembly and the resin frame are attached via the thermoplastic sheet, and the membrane electrode assembly and the gas diffusion layer are attached via the thermoplastic sheet.

A fuel cell assembly with at least one PEM fuel cell for generating electrical energy from reactant gases includes at least one membrane/electrode having a membrane coated with platinum electrodes and, respectively positioned on each side, a porous gas diffusion layer, or having a membrane and, respectively positioned on each side, a porous gas diffusion layer coated with a platinum electrode, and also includes bipolar plates that lie against the gas diffusion layers and through which, during operation, a coolant flows, wherein at least one of the platinum electrodes has a smaller area than the gas diffusion layer, where the gas diffusion layer protrudes beyond the platinum electrode for a part of an edge region of the membrane/electrode unit, so that the formation of an electrochemical potential in this part of the edge region of the membrane/electrode unit is prevented in order to prevent damage to the membrane.

A fuel cell assembly with at least one PEM fuel cell for generating electrical energy from reactant gases includes at least one membrane/electrode having a membrane coated with platinum electrodes and, respectively positioned on each side, a porous gas diffusion layer, or having a membrane and, respectively positioned on each side, a porous gas diffusion layer coated with a platinum electrode, and also includes bipolar plates that lie against the gas diffusion layers and through which, during operation, a coolant flows, wherein at least one of the platinum electrodes has a smaller area than the gas diffusion layer, where the gas diffusion layer protrudes beyond the platinum electrode for a part of an edge region of the membrane/electrode unit, so that the formation of an electrochemical potential in this part of the edge region of the membrane/electrode unit is prevented in order to prevent damage to the membrane.

A fuel cell stack in which cell units are stacked one on top of another, each of the cell units including: a power generation cell; and a separator defining and forming a flow passage portion, being a flow path of the gas, between the separator and the power generation cell, includes a frame body having an insulating property and arranged between at least one set of the cell units adjacent to each other. The frame body includes: as viewed in a stacking direction, outer peripheral beam portions provided to surround an outer peripheral side of a region in which the power generation cell is arranged; a connection beam portion connecting the outer peripheral beam portions to each other; and sealing beam portions formed along sealing portions at least partially sealing a manifold portion through which the gas is allowed to flow to the separator.

A fuel cell stack (11) includes a plurality of contiguous fuel cells (13), each including a unitized electrode assembly (15) sandwiched between porous, anode (22) and cathode water transport plates (18). In areas where silicone rubber (29) or other elastomer covers edges of the fuel cells in order to form seals with an external manifold (27), adjacent edges of the water transport plates are supplanted by, or augmented with, an elastomer-impervious material (34). This prevents infusion of elastomer to the WTPs which can cause sufficient hydrophobicity as to reduce or eliminate water bubble pressure required to isolate the reactant gases from the coolant water, thereby preventing gaseous inhibition of the coolant pump. A preformed insert (34) may be cast into the water transport plates as molded, or a fusible or curable non-elastomer, elastomer-impervious in fluent form may be deposited into the pores of already formed water transport plates, and then fused or cured.

A GDL cutting system of a fuel cell includes: a laser-cutting device that forms a gas diffusion layer by radiating a laser on the surface of a GDL fabric panel moving on a conveyer; an adsorbing-conveying device that adsorbs and conveys at least two gas diffusion layers cut by the laser-cutting device; a first vision sensor that senses an upper side of the gas diffusion layers cut by the laser-cutting device; and a second vision sensor that senses a lower side of the gas diffusion layers adsorbed and conveyed by the adsorbing-conveying device.

An electrode unit and an electrode system comprising the same, wherein the electrode unit has an electrode catalyst layer consisting of a material comprising electrically conductive diamond particles; the electrode system having the above electrode unit includes an anode and a cathode, and the anode and/or cathode employs the electrode unit, the electrode system further including a PEM film; the anode and the cathode are respectively disposed on two sides of the PEM film. The use of electrically conductive diamond particles as the electrode catalyst layer does not require the use of base materials such as metals or semiconductors or ceramics, and machining problem and the problem relating to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient do not exist, thereby significantly reducing the manufacturing cost.