A unit cell of a fuel cell includes: an insert including a membrane electrode assembly and a gas diffusion layer; a foamed body disposed on an outer side surface of the insert; and a frame covering an outer side surface of the foamed body such that a polymer resin is injected to the outer side surface of the foamed body while the polymer resin partly penetrates into the foamed body.

An electrochemical device includes an air cathode comprising a SEI (solid electrolyte interphase) layer on a carbon support.

Disclosed is a membrane electrode, fuel cell gas diffusion layer, and process for preparing the fuel cell gas diffusion layer, the process comprising: S1 coating microporous layer slurry on the surface of hydrophobic carbon paper; the microporous layer slurry was obtained by dispersing mixture of carbon powder, polytetrafluoroethylene dispersion solution, thickener, and solvent; S2 moving the hydrophobic carbon paper coated with the microporous layer slurry to a porous ceramic plate, and connecting a vacuum pump to the porous ceramic plate, vacuumed for adsorption pre-infiltration treatment, and then dried. S3 continuing to coat the microporous layer slurry on the hydrophobic carbon paper dried in step S2, then drying, and then sintering at 250-400° C. to obtain a gas diffusion layer. The beneficial effects of this disclosure include: this disclosure improve the water vapor erosion resistance of the microporous layer and the durability of the gas diffusion layer.

Provided a gas diffusion layer for fuel cells, the gas diffusion layer including: a carbon substrate; and a microporous layer formed on the carbon substrate, wherein the microporous layer comprises first carbon particles having a partially graphitized structure and a water-repellent binder resin binding the first carbon particles, and the microporous layer further comprises a cerium compound, a nitrogen-doped cerium compound, nitrogen-doped second carbon particles having a partially graphitized or non-graphitized structure, or a mixture of two or more, as a radical scavenger capable of removing hydrogen peroxide generated at a fuel cell open circuit potential or a higher potential. In the membrane electrode assembly and the fuel cell each employing the gas diffusion layer having excellent durability according to one or more embodiments, chemical or electrochemical degradation may be effectively prevented over a long period of time, and thus excellent electrochemical performance may be obtained over a long period of time. This leads to an extended lifetime of the fuel cell.

A method for producing a functionalized structurized composition for a fuel cell is provided, involving: applying at least one electrode containing catalyst particles to a substrate layer in a coating step, and introducing a depth structure in an electrode surface facing away from the substrate layer in a radiation step by means of using laser interference structurization. A membrane electrode assembly is also provided.

The present disclosure provides a gas diffusion layer for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The gas diffusion layer is a graphene membrane, and graphene lamellae in the graphene membrane are arranged irregularly. The present disclosure further provides a preparation method for the gas diffusion layer, and the proton exchange membrane fuel cell including the gas diffusion layer.

The catalyst for electrodes comprises: a porous support which has nanopores having a pore diameter of from 1 nm to 20 nm and micropores having a pore diameter of less than 1 nm; and a plurality of catalyst particles which are supported by the support. The catalyst particles are supported by both inner portions and outer portions of mesopores of the support, and contain Pt (zerovalent). If an analysis of the particle size distribution of the catalyst particles is performed using three-dimensional reconstructed images obtained through a STEM-based electron tomography measurement, the condition of formula (S1), namely (100×(N10/N20)≤8.0) is satisfied, where N10 represents the number of noble metal particles that are not in contact with pores having a pore diameter of 1 nm or more; and N20 represents the number of catalyst particles that are supported by the inner portions of the nanopores of the support.

A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) includes an ionically-conductive proton exchange membrane. Further, the MEA includes an anode contacting a first side of the membrane. The anode includes an anode gas diffusion layer (GDL). Further, the anode includes a first anode catalyst layer containing first catalyst particles, a hydrophobic polymer bonding agent, and a first ionomer bonding agent that lacks functional chains on a molecular backbone. The anode also includes a second anode catalyst layer containing second catalyst particles and a second ionomer bonding agent that includes functional chains on a molecular backbone. The MEA also includes a cathode contacting a second side of the membrane and comprising third catalyst particles and a cathode GDL.

A fuel cell system includes a membrane electrode assembly, a first plate separator and a second plate separator on opposite sides of the membrane electrode assembly. The first plate separator and the second plate separator have exterior ends away from the membrane electrode assembly. A first gas diffusion layer is located between the first plate separator and the membrane electrode assembly. A second gas diffusion layer is located between the second plate separator and the membrane electrode assembly. The sub-gasket extends from the membrane electrode assembly laterally toward at least one of the exterior ends. A first seal is located between the first plate separator and the sub-gasket. A conductive trace is attached to the sub-gasket and extends on the sub-gasket from an exterior side of the first seal to a location on an interior side of the first seal.

An object of the present invention is to provide a gas diffusion electrode that is less likely to cause damage to an electrolyte membrane or the like due to fluff in an outer peripheral portion during production of a membrane electrode assembly. The present invention provides a gas diffusion electrode including a conductive porous substrate containing carbon fibers and a microporous layer formed on a surface of the conductive porous substrate, in which the gas diffusion electrode satisfies at least one of the following (1) and (2): (1) the number of carbon fibers protruding from an edge portion by 20 μm or more when viewed from a plane surface is less than 1.0 number/cm with respect to a length of the edge portion; and (2) the number of carbon fibers that are inclined at an angle of 30° or more in an in-plane direction of the gas diffusion electrode and have lengths of 10 μm or more when viewed from a side surface of the edge portion is less than 1.0 number/cm with respect to the length of the edge portion.