A catalyst carrier, an electrode catalyst, an electrode including the catalyst, a membrane electrode assembly including the electrode, and a fuel cell including the membrane electrode assembly. The catalyst carrier includes a carbon material having a chain structure including a chain of carbon particles and an alumina-carbon composite particle in which a carbon particle encloses an alumina particle, the alumina-carbon composite particle is contained in the carbon material, and the catalyst carrier has a BET specific surface area of 450 to 1100 m.sup.2/g.

Disclosed are redox flow battery membranes, redox flow batteries incorporating the membranes, and methods of forming the membranes. The membranes include a polybenzimidazole gel membrane that is capable of incorporating a high liquid content without loss of structure that is formed according to a process that includes in situ hydrolysis of a polyphosphoric acid solvent. The membranes are imbibed with a redox flow battery supporting electrolyte such as sulfuric acid and can operate at very high ionic conductivities of about 100 mS/cm or greater. Redox flow batteries incorporating the PBI-based membranes can operate at high current densities of about 100 mA/cm.sup.2 or greater.

In solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells, an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst may be incorporated at the anode along with the primary hydrogen oxidation catalyst for purposes of tolerance to voltage reversal. Incorporating this OER catalyst in a layer at the interface between the anode's primary hydrogen oxidation anode catalyst and its gas diffusion layer can provide greatly improved tolerance to voltage reversal for a given amount of OER catalyst. Further, this improvement can be gained without sacrificing cell performance.

Realized are an electrochemical element and a solid oxide fuel cell that have a dense electrolyte layer and that have excellent durability and robustness, and methods for producing the same. An electrochemical element includes: a metal substrate 2 having a plurality of through holes 21; an electrode layer 3 provided over a front face of the metal substrate 2; and an electrolyte layer 4 provided over the electrode layer 3, wherein the through holes 21 are provided passing through the front face and a back face of the metal substrate 2, the electrode layer 3 is provided in a region larger than a region, of the metal substrate 2, in which the through holes 21 are provided, and the electrolyte layer 4 has a first portion 41 coating the electrode layer 3, and a second portion 42 that is in contact with the front face of the metal substrate 2.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing an electrode-supported electrochemical half-cell including a step consisting in subjecting a green electrode layer on which a precursor gel of the electrolyte or a precursor thereof is deposited to sintering at a temperature of less than or equal to 1350° C.

This invention relates to a method for preparing an air electrode based on Pr.sub.2-xNiO.sub.4 with 0≦x<2, comprising a step consisting in sintering a ceramic ink comprising Pr.sub.2-xNiO.sub.4 and a pore-forming agent at a temperature above 1000° C. and below or equal to 1150° C. This invention also relates to the air electrode thus obtained and its uses.

A catalyst layer (20) for a fuel cell and to a method suitable for producing the catalyst layer (20). The catalyst layer (20) includes a catalyst material (22) containing a catalytic material (24) and optionally porous carrier material (23) on which the catalytic material (24) is supported. The catalyst layer also includes mesoporous particles (21) made from hydrophobic material.

The present disclosure provides a battery and method for preparing the same. The battery includes a cell and an electrolyte; the cell includes a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate and a separator. Wherein in the battery, at least one surface of the positive electrode film and/or the negative electrode film is provided with protrusions, with a proviso that: 0.3≤(T.sub.c+T.sub.a)/(H.sub.c+H.sub.a)≤1; wherein T.sub.c is a height of the protrusions provided on the at least one surface of the positive electrode film, T.sub.a is a height of the protrusions provided on the at least one surface of the negative electrode film, H.sub.c is a thickness increase of the positive electrode film when the battery has a 100% SOC, H.sub.a is a thickness increase of the negative electrode film when the battery has a 100% SOC.

The present invention concerns a method for preparing a catalyst coated membrane including the steps of: coating a substrate with a first catalyst dispersion thereby obtaining a first catalyst dispersion coated substrate, providing a second side of a membrane with a support film, coating a first side of the membrane with a second catalyst dispersion, thereby obtaining a second catalyst dispersion coated first side of the membrane, drying the first catalyst dispersion thereby obtaining a first catalyst coated substrate or drying the second catalyst dispersion coated first side of the membrane thereby obtaining a second catalyst coated first side of the membrane, laminating the first catalyst coated substrate to the second catalyst dispersion coated first side of the membrane or laminating the first catalyst dispersion coated substrate to the second catalyst coated first side of the membrane so that the first catalyst and the second catalyst superimpose, thereby forming a laminate including a membrane comprising a first catalyst layer, drying the laminate, removing the support film from the second side of the membrane, coating a third catalyst dispersion on the second side of the membrane, drying the third catalyst dispersion, thereby obtaining a second catalyst layer on the membrane, and removing the substrate from the first catalyst coated substrate.

A fuel cell catalyst layer includes an SnO.sub.2 support usable in a wide range of humidity environments and provides high power generation from low to high loads. A production method includes the steps of preparing a catalyst composite of an SnO.sub.2 support and platinum or a platinum alloy supported on a surface thereof, and an ionomer that is a proton-conductive polymer; mixing the catalyst composite, the ionomer and a dispersion medium containing at least water and an alcohol having 3 or 4 carbon atoms where the alcohol content is higher than the water, and where a mass ratio (I/MO)) of the ionomer to the SnO.sub.2 support is 0.06 to 0.12, and a solid content of the catalyst composite and the ionomer is 24% by mass or more; and dispersing aggregates of the catalyst composite and the ionomer in the dispersion medium by pulverizing by shear force, while preventing reaggregation of the aggregates by applying force.