A support frame is placed on a second surface of an electrolyte membrane such that a second catalyst layer and a second gas diffusion layer are placed inside an opening of the support frame. When a fuel cell is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the electrolyte membrane, a first region and a second region are present, the first region being a region where the second gas diffusion layer is present, the second region being a region between an outer peripheral edge part of the second gas diffusion layer and an inner peripheral edge part of the opening of the support frame. A bonding power between a first catalyst layer and a first gas diffusion layer in the first region is smaller than a bonding power between the first catalyst layer and the first gas diffusion layer in the second region.

Described herein are novel alumina substrate-supported thin film SOFCs that may be produced at significantly reduced cost while providing improved robustness, high electrochemical performance, and the capability of effective carbon deposition resistance while still using Ni-cermet as an anode functional layer.

In order to provide a gas diffusion electrode medium having high thermal conductivity despite having low density and excellent both in handleability and cell performance, provided is a gas diffusion electrode medium including carbon fiber felt including carbon fibers having an average fiber diameter of 5 to 20 μm, wherein at least a part of the carbon fibers that constitute the carbon fiber felt have a flat part in which, in a plane view of a surface of the carbon fiber felt, a maximum value of a fiber diameter is observed to be 10 to 50% larger than the average fiber diameter, and a frequency of the flat parts at the surface of the carbon fiber felt is 50 to 200/mm.sup.2.

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method of producing a gas diffusion layer including a water repellent material dispersion preparation process in which a water repellent material, a viscosity adjusting agent and a solvent are mixed to obtain a water repellent material dispersion; an impregnation process in which a substrate is impregnated with the water repellent material dispersion; and a firing process in which the substrate impregnated with the water repellent material dispersion is fired, wherein the viscosity of the water repellent material dispersion in the water repellent material dispersion preparation process is 0.04 Pa.Math.s@100 s.sup.−1 or more.

An embodiment gas diffusion layer structure of a unit cell of a fuel cell includes a catalyst layer of the unit cell of the fuel cell, a separator of the unit cell of the fuel cell, and a gas diffusion layer disposed between the catalyst layer and the separator. An embodiment gas diffusion layer includes a carbon substrate layer, a microporous layer, a catalyst layer neighboring region neighboring the catalyst layer, the catalyst layer neighboring region including the microporous layer, and a gas channel neighboring region neighboring the separator, the gas channel neighboring region including the carbon substrate layer, wherein a solid volume fraction of the gas channel neighboring region is configured to increase to a target solid volume fraction.

State-of-the-art flow batteries suffer from drawbacks such as congestion of their electrodes, defects in liquid tightness, or shunt currents, all of which may lead to efficiency drop. Solution The problem is solved by a flow battery comprising multi-chambered ducts (100) mutually plugged together, each duct containing an integrated air electrode (111) and partition walls being partly ion-permeably perforated and partly impermeable, and nonconducting joining elements with integrated passages, the joining elements plugged bilaterally onto the ducts (100).

To provide a catalyst layer that is low in gas diffusion resistance and proton resistance even when a support having a small specific surface area is used. The catalyst layer is a catalyst layer for fuel cells, wherein the catalyst layer comprises a catalyst metal, a support and a conductive additive; wherein the support supports the catalyst metal; wherein a specific surface area of the support is 600 m.sup.2/g-C or less; wherein the conductive additive does not support the catalyst metal and has a larger aspect ratio than the support; wherein the aspect ratio of the conductive additive is more than 10; wherein, when a total mass of the catalyst layer is 100 mass %, a percent of the conductive additive contained in the catalyst layer is more than 2 mass % and less than 20 mass %; and wherein the conductive additive is a non-hydrophilized conductive additive.

A solid-state electrolyte composition for a lithium battery. The composition includes a polymeric matrix material, inorganic nanoparticles dispersed in or chemically bonded with the polymeric matrix material, and a lithium salt. The nanoparticles are formed of a compound including lithium and a different semi-metal element or metal element. Exemplary inorganic nanoparticles include a Li-rich super ionic conductor having a Li.sub.xM.sub.yP.sub.zS.sub.q structural formula, wherein M refers to the different semi-metal element or a metal element.

The present invention provides a process for preparing a catalyst precursor, said process comprising the steps of (i) providing Pt.sub.aX.sub.b alloy particles on a support material and (ii) applying a shell of X to the Pt.sub.aX.sub.b alloy particles to provide a catalyst precursor comprising particles having a Pt.sub.aX.sub.b core and an X shell. The ratio of a to b is in the range of and including 10:1 to 1:2.5 and X is Co, Ni, Y, Gd, Sc or Cu. Also provided is a process for preparing a catalyst material.

A membrane electrode assembly comprises an anode electrode comprising an anode catalyst layer; a cathode electrode comprising a cathode catalyst layer; and a polymer electrolyte membrane interposed between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode; wherein at least one of the anode and cathode catalyst layers comprises a block co-polymer comprising poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(propylene oxide).