An annular seal assembly, to seal a chamber of a power cell, includes opposed mating members, a separation plate covering an opening of one of the mating members, and an annular seal for sealing about the separation plate and between the separation plate and each of the adjacent mating members. An exemplary annular seal includes a seal body that is disposed about a longitudinal axis and is configured to receive an outer perimeter edge of the separation plate into a slit of the seal body. The seal in an uncompressed state isolated from the separation plate and the mating members includes opposed axial faces of the slit being biased towards one another. The seal includes bulbous sealing projections disposed at opposite axial sides of the slit that are compressible to seal between the separation plate and the mating members.

An annular seal assembly, to seal a chamber of a power cell, includes opposed mating members, a separation plate covering an opening of one of the mating members, and an annular seal for sealing about the separation plate and between the separation plate and each of the adjacent mating members. An exemplary annular seal includes a seal body that is disposed about a longitudinal axis and is configured to receive an outer perimeter edge of the separation plate into a slit of the seal body. The seal in an uncompressed state isolated from the separation plate and the mating members includes opposed axial faces of the slit being biased towards one another. The seal includes bulbous sealing projections disposed at opposite axial sides of the slit that are compressible to seal between the separation plate and the mating members.

An exemplary fuel cell electrode assembly includes a membrane. A first electrode is on the first side of the membrane. A second electrode is on a second side of the membrane. A first gas diffusion layer is adjacent the first electrode. At least a portion of the first gas diffusion layer is at least partially impregnated by a first plastic material that bonds the portion of the first gas diffusion layer to the first electrode. A second gas diffusion layer is adjacent the second electrode. At least a portion of the second gas diffusion layer is at least partially impregnated by a second plastic material that bonds the second gas diffusion layer to the second electrode. A third plastic material is between at least one of the gas diffusion layers and the adjacent electrode for electrically isolating the first gas diffusion layer from the second gas diffusion layer.

An exemplary fuel cell electrode assembly includes a membrane. A first electrode is on the first side of the membrane. A second electrode is on a second side of the membrane. A first gas diffusion layer is adjacent the first electrode. At least a portion of the first gas diffusion layer is at least partially impregnated by a first plastic material that bonds the portion of the first gas diffusion layer to the first electrode. A second gas diffusion layer is adjacent the second electrode. At least a portion of the second gas diffusion layer is at least partially impregnated by a second plastic material that bonds the second gas diffusion layer to the second electrode. A third plastic material is between at least one of the gas diffusion layers and the adjacent electrode for electrically isolating the first gas diffusion layer from the second gas diffusion layer.

The present disclosure relates to a gasket for an MCFC, the gasket being in direct contact with a molten carbonate electrolyte and configuring a wet seal part of a stack in a manifold sealing part of an external manifold-type MCFC stack, wherein the gasket has a structure in which two or more partial gaskets separated from each other in a stacking direction of the stack are connected to each other and a blocking layer physically blocking migration of the molten carbonate electrolyte is formed between the partial gaskets, and the blocking layer is a thick film layer or a green sheet layer formed of the same oxide powder particles as those of the partial gaskets and is manufactured by co-sintering a partial oxide felt assembly and the blocking layer in a process of sintering the gasket.

The present disclosure relates to a gasket for an MCFC, the gasket being in direct contact with a molten carbonate electrolyte and configuring a wet seal part of a stack in a manifold sealing part of an external manifold-type MCFC stack, wherein the gasket has a structure in which two or more partial gaskets separated from each other in a stacking direction of the stack are connected to each other and a blocking layer physically blocking migration of the molten carbonate electrolyte is formed between the partial gaskets, and the blocking layer is a thick film layer or a green sheet layer formed of the same oxide powder particles as those of the partial gaskets and is manufactured by co-sintering a partial oxide felt assembly and the blocking layer in a process of sintering the gasket.

The main subject of the invention is a system (10) for clamping a high-temperature SOEC/SOFC stack (11), characterised in that it includes: an upper clamping plate (12) and a lower clamping plate (13) between which the stack (11) is intended to be clamped, each plate including at least one clamping orifice (14); at least one clamping rod (15) intended to extend through clamping orifices (14) in the upper and lower clamping plates (12, 13) in order to allow them to be assembled; clamping means (16, 17, 18, 20, 21) level with each clamping orifice (14), which means are intended to interact with said at least one clamping rod (15); and at least one electrically insulating plate (19) that is intended to be located between the stack (11) and at least one of the upper and lower clamping plates (12, 13).

The main subject of the invention is a system (10) for clamping a high-temperature SOEC/SOFC stack (11), characterised in that it includes: an upper clamping plate (12) and a lower clamping plate (13) between which the stack (11) is intended to be clamped, each plate including at least one clamping orifice (14); at least one clamping rod (15) intended to extend through clamping orifices (14) in the upper and lower clamping plates (12, 13) in order to allow them to be assembled; clamping means (16, 17, 18, 20, 21) level with each clamping orifice (14), which means are intended to interact with said at least one clamping rod (15); and at least one electrically insulating plate (19) that is intended to be located between the stack (11) and at least one of the upper and lower clamping plates (12, 13).

A fuel cell, including: a polymer electrolyte membrane; a pair of catalyst layers; a pair of gas-diffusion layers; a pair of separators including first and second separators; and at least one frame, wherein the catalyst layers, the gas-diffusion layers, and the separators are placed respectively on both sides of the polymer electrolyte membrane in this order, the at least one frame is placed between the pair of the separators, and surrounds outer peripheries of the gas-diffusion layers and the catalyst layers, and the frame has a rigidity of about 1 GPa or higher in terms of the Young's modulus.

A method is provided for producing a fuel cell that includes a stack of unit cells separated by bipolar plates. Each unit cell includes at least an anode element, a cathode element, an ion-exchange membrane, a reinforcing element, and a gas diffusion layer. The anode element and the cathode element are separated by the ion-exchange membrane. The method includes steps of: producing a silicone seal by screen printing, positioning the silicone seal on the reinforcing element, assembling constituent elements of a unit cell, and positioning a bipolar plate on each side of the unit cell. The steps of the method are repeated as many times as needed depending on a desired size of the stack.