[Problems] To easily and efficiently manufacture a catalyst layer having high catalytic activity and to easily manufacture a fuel cell having high power generation efficiency. [Solution] An apparatus for forming a catalyst layer 3 for a fuel cell on an electrolyte film (application object) 2, the apparatus including: a holding portion 6 that holds a sheet-shaped electrolyte film 2, an application portion 7 that applies a catalyst ink 5 for forming the catalyst layer 3 on at least one side of the electrolyte film 2 held by the holding portion 6, a chamber portion 8 that is capable of forming a space 55 including the holding portion 6, and a suction portion 9 that depressurizes the inside of the space 55 formed by the chamber portion 8 so as to dry the catalyst ink 5.

The invention provides electro-catalyst compositions for an anode electrode of an acid mediated proton exchange membrane-based water electrolysis system. The compositions include a noble metal component selected from the group consisting of iridium oxide, ruthenium oxide, rhenium oxide and mixtures thereof, and a non-noble metal component selected from the group consisting of tantalum oxide, tin oxide, niobium oxide, titanium oxide, tungsten oxide, molybdenum oxide, yttrium oxide, scandium oxide, cooper oxide, zirconium oxide, nickel oxide and mixtures thereof. Further, the non-noble metal component can include a dopant. The dopant can be at least one element selected from Groups III, V, VI and VII of the Periodic Table. The compositions can be prepared using any solution based methods involving a surfactant approach or a sol gel approach. Further, the compositions are prepared using noble metal and non-noble metal precursors. Furthermore, a thin film containing the compositions can be deposited onto a substrate to form the anode electrode.

A porous metal body including a skeleton having a three-dimensional mesh-like structure, the porous metal body having a plate-like overall shape. The skeleton has a hollow structure and includes a primary metal layer and at least one of a first microporous layer and a second microporous layer. The primary metal layer is composed of nickel or a nickel alloy. The first microporous layer contains nickel and chromium and is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the primary metal layer. The second microporous layer contains nickel and chromium and is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the primary metal layer, the inner peripheral surface facing the hollow space of the skeleton.

A catalyst layer comprising: (i) a platinum-containing electrocatalyst; (ii) oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalyst; (iii) one or more carbonaceous materials selected from the group consisting of graphite, nanofibres, nanotubes, nanographene platelets and low surface area, heat-treated carbon blacks wherein the one or more carbonaceous materials do not support the platinum-containing electrocatalyst; and (iv) proton-conducting polymer and its use in an electrochemical device is disclosed.

A process for the preparation of a catalytic material of an electrode for electrochemical reduction reactions, said material comprising an active phase based on at least one metal from group VIb and an electroconductive support, which process is carried out according to at least the following stages:

a stage of bringing said support into contact with at least one solution containing at least one precursor of at least one metal from group VIb;

a drying stage at a temperature of less than 250° C., without a subsequent calcination stage;

a stage of sulfurization at a temperature of between 100° C. and 600° C.

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly with minimized interfacial resistance between an electrode and an electrolyte membrane. For instance, a catalyst admixture including a catalyst composite including a catalyst and a first binder, and a second binder may be applied to a porous substrate and the porous substrate may be impregnated with the second binder, thereby minimizing interfacial resistance between the electrode and the electrolyte membrane and reducing a thickness of the electrolyte membrane.

The invention concerns a method for manufacturing of an electrocatalyst comprising a porous carbon support material, a catalytic material in the form of at least one type of metal, and macrocyclic compounds chemically bound to the carbon support and capable of forming complexes with single metal ions of said metal or metals, said method comprising the steps of: i) providing a template capable of acting as pore structure directing agent during formation of a highly porous electrically conducting templated carbon substrate, ii) mixing the template with one or several precursor substances of the catalytic material, the macrocyclic compounds and carbon, iii) exposing the mixture of the template and the precursor substances to a carbonization process during which the precursors react and transform the mixture into a carbonized template composite in winch the carbon part of the composite is chemically bound to macrocyclic compounds present in complexes with the metal or metals. The invention also concerns an electrocatalyst for electrochemical reactions, a method for manufacturing of a membrane electrode assembly using such an electrocatalyst and to a fuel cell making use of such an electrocatalyst.

A method for the manufacture of an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst, the method comprising; providing a metal organic framework (MOF) material having a specific internal pore volume of 0.7 cm.sup.3g.sup.−1 or greater; providing a source of iron and/or cobalt; pyrolysing the MOF material together with the source of iron and/or cobalt to form the catalyst, wherein the MOF material comprises nitrogen and/or the MOF material is pyrolysed together with a source of nitrogen and the source of iron and/or cobalt is disclosed.

A preparation method of a direct ethanol fuel cell includes synthesizing electrolytes, preparing a cathode and an anode, and clamping the electrolytes between the cathode and the anode to get direct ethanol fuel cell. The electrolytes are synthesized by polymerizing sodium acrylate with an initiator to get a hydrogel, and the hydrogel is soaked in a harsh alkaline solution. The cathode is synthesized by coating N,S codoped carbon catalyst onto a current collector, where the N,S codoped carbon catalyst is synthesized by mixing and preheating silica powder, sucrose and trithiocyanuric acid to get a mixed powder, and mixing and heating the mixed powder with poly tetra fluoroethylene so as to get the N,S codoped carbon catalyst. The anode is synthesized by coating Pt-Ru/C catalyst onto a current collector.

The present disclosure relates to a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell including a tungsten oxide-coated component, where the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell includes a unit cell constituted by a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA), in which an electrolyte membrane and a catalyst layer are integrally combined, a gas diffusion layer, and a bipolar plate, and tungsten oxide is coated on a surface of at least one of the membrane-electrode assembly, the gas diffusion layer, or the bipolar plate, and a method for manufacturing the same. According to the present disclosure, catalyst and cell durability can be enhanced by reducing a carbon oxidation reaction through prevention of the occurrence of high voltage under SU/SD (start-up/shut-down) conditions, and the performance can be maintained due to the absence of current density reduction even under SU/SD conditions.