A fuel cell separator includes a separator body and porous structure. The porous structure is stacked on a body surface with pores therein to provide a fluid flow path. The body includes: an inlet part having a space into which the fluid is introduced, a reaction region receiving the fluid, and a diffusion part between the inlet part and the reaction region and a passage to provide a path supplying fluid within the inlet part to the reaction region. The porous structure is stacked on a reaction region surface. A first inlet region, provided at the same height as the inlet part in a height direction in a porous structure inlet region facing the diffusion part, is provided closer to a central region of the porous structure than a second inlet region except for the first inlet region in the inlet region of the porous structure facing the diffusion part.

According to the present embodiment, a fuel cell stack comprises a cell stack having a plurality of unit cells stacked therein, each of the unit cells including an electrolyte membrane, a fuel-electrode porous passage plate, and an oxidant-electrode porous passage plate, wherein in the cell stack, at least a part of one main surface of a conductive fuel-electrode porous passage plate is in contact with one main surface of a conductive oxidant-electrode porous passage plate, and a capillary force of water contained in a hydrophilic micropores of the conductive fuel-electrode porous passage plate and the conductive oxidant-electrode porous passage plate prevents an oxidant gas in an oxidant-electrode passage and a fuel gas in a fuel-electrode passage from directly mixing together.

According to the present embodiment, a fuel cell stack comprises a cell stack having a plurality of unit cells stacked therein, each of the unit cells including an electrolyte membrane, a fuel-electrode porous passage plate, and an oxidant-electrode porous passage plate, wherein in the cell stack, at least a part of one main surface of a conductive fuel-electrode porous passage plate is in contact with one main surface of a conductive oxidant-electrode porous passage plate, and a capillary force of water contained in a hydrophilic micropores of the conductive fuel-electrode porous passage plate and the conductive oxidant-electrode porous passage plate prevents an oxidant gas in an oxidant-electrode passage and a fuel gas in a fuel-electrode passage from directly mixing together.

In a manufacturing method for a gas diffusion sheet, when a first film is joined to a front end portion of a base material in a conveyance direction, a first joining material is made to penetrate a first overlapping portion where the first film and the base material are superimposed on each other, and the first film and the base material are thus joined to each other physically through the first joining material. When a second film is joined to a rear end portion of the base material in the conveyance direction, a second joining material is made to penetrate a second overlapping portion where the base material and the second film are superimposed on each other, and the base material and the second film are thus physically joined to each other through the second joining material.

In a manufacturing method for a gas diffusion sheet, when a first film is joined to a front end portion of a base material in a conveyance direction, a first joining material is made to penetrate a first overlapping portion where the first film and the base material are superimposed on each other, and the first film and the base material are thus joined to each other physically through the first joining material. When a second film is joined to a rear end portion of the base material in the conveyance direction, a second joining material is made to penetrate a second overlapping portion where the base material and the second film are superimposed on each other, and the base material and the second film are thus physically joined to each other through the second joining material.

Various embodiments include a continuous manufacturing method for producing a non-reinforced electrochemical cell component for an electrochemical conversion process, the method comprising: forming a web-form from a web-material suspension directly on a surface of a conveyor belt of a conveyor mechanism, wherein the web-material suspension comprises interconnecting entities suspended in a solution, the solution including an organic polymer binding material as a solute and a solvent for the solute, and a pore-forming material; advancing the web-form through a first non-solvent bath, wherein the first non-solvent bath comprises a first non-solvent configured to introduce a phase inversion in the web-form to form a web; detaching the web from the surface of the conveyor belt; advancing the web through a pore-forming bath to form the component; and collecting the component.

Various embodiments include a continuous manufacturing method for producing a non-reinforced electrochemical cell component for an electrochemical conversion process, the method comprising: forming a web-form from a web-material suspension directly on a surface of a conveyor belt of a conveyor mechanism, wherein the web-material suspension comprises interconnecting entities suspended in a solution, the solution including an organic polymer binding material as a solute and a solvent for the solute, and a pore-forming material; advancing the web-form through a first non-solvent bath, wherein the first non-solvent bath comprises a first non-solvent configured to introduce a phase inversion in the web-form to form a web; detaching the web from the surface of the conveyor belt; advancing the web through a pore-forming bath to form the component; and collecting the component.

A direct methanol fuel cell includes a cathode electrode, an anode electrode and a membrane located between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode. An anode hydrophilic microporous plate (HMP) is located at an anode side of the fuel cell. The anode HMP has a front side and a back side opposite the front side, and the front side is positioned closer to the anode electrode than the back side. An anode gas diffusion layer is located in an anode chamber defined between the anode electrode and the anode HMP. A flow of methanol fuel is introduced into the back side of the anode hydrophilic microporous plate or to the anode chamber.

An elastomeric cell frame for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes, as a cell frame constituting a unit cell of a fuel cell, an insert including a membrane electrode assembly having an anode formed on one surface of a polymer electrolyte membrane, and having a cathode formed on the other surface thereof, and a pair of gas diffusion layers disposed on both surfaces thereof; and an elastomeric frame disposed to surround the rim of the insert in the outer region of the insert, and formed with a discharge flow field provided in the form of a sheet bonded at the rim of the insert and the interface thereof while being thermally bonded and for discharging generated water generated in the insert along the longitudinal direction at the widthwise edge.

To provide a fuel cell configured to suppress chemical deterioration of an electrolyte membrane. A fuel cell wherein each of the first gas diffusion layer, the first catalyst layer and the electrolyte membrane includes a peripheral portion which is a region not facing the second catalyst layer, and a central portion which is a region being surrounded by the peripheral portion and facing the second catalyst layer; wherein the peripheral portion of the electrolyte membrane includes an adhesive layer on a second catalyst layer-side surface; wherein the electrolyte membrane is attached to the resin frame via the adhesive layer; wherein the first gas diffusion layer contains a peroxide decomposition catalyst; and wherein the peripheral portion of the first gas diffusion layer includes a hydrophilic layer on a first catalyst layer-side surface.