A positive electrode for an air battery that can remarkably improve the battery performance is provided by uniformly dispersing fine Nb (Nb oxide) therein. An air battery using the positive electrode as well as a method of manufacturing the positive electrode is also provided. A positive electrode for an air battery includes an expanded graphite sheet containing expanded graphite and Nb dispersed within the sheet. It is desirable that the Nb be contained in a weight proportion of from 5 ppm to 50000 ppm with respect to the expanded graphite.

A battery includes a cathode (101), an anode (102), and an electrolyte (103). The cathode (101) is made of a bicontinuous body having a three-dimensional network structure including a plurality of nanostructures. The electrolyte (103) is sandwiched between the cathode (101) and the anode (102) and made of a salt. The electrolyte (103) may be made of, e.g., an aqueous solution of one of potassium chloride and sodium chloride, or a mixture thereof. The anode (102) may contain, e.g., a metal selected from magnesium, zin, iron, and aluminum.

A new BiVO.sub.4-laminate manufacturing method and BiVO.sub.4 laminate are provided. A bismuth-vanadate laminate is manufactured as follows: a substrate that can be heated by microwaves is disposed inside a precursor solution containing a vanadium salt and a bismuth salt, microwave-activated chemical bath deposition (MW-CBD) is used to form a bismuth-vanadate layer on the substrate, and a firing process is performed as necessary. A bismuth-vanadate laminate manufactured in this way is suitable for use as a photocatalyst or photoelectrode.

The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of solid oxide fuel cell, and discloses a highly active and anti-carbon-deposition liquid fuel solid oxide fuel cell anode with self-hydration ability, a preparation and use thereof. The highly active and anti-carbon-deposition liquid fuel solid oxide fuel cell anode with self-hydration ability of the present disclosure, comprises: a NiO-YSZ anode, and an oxide skeleton Ru/Ce.sub.0.95Ru.sub.0.05?xO.sub.2?? loaded on the NiO-YSZ anode, wherein the oxide skeleton Ru/Ce.sub.0.95Ru.sub.0.05?xO.sub.2?? is covered with Ru nanoparticles, and ? indicates a content of oxygen vacancy. In the anode of the solid oxide fuel cell of the present disclosure, a large amount of Ce.sub.0.95Ru.sub.0.05O.sub.2?? nanoparticles are successfully adheres on the surface of NiO-YSZ grains, so that both the catalytic decomposition activity of liquid hydrocarbon fuel of the anode and the durability of the anode in hydrocarbon fuel environments have been significantly improved.

Provided is a method for producing metal nanoparticles, which enables metal nanoparticles to be more conveniently produced. The method for producing metal nanoparticles includes spraying and drying a mixture to form metal nanoparticles, the mixture containing a metal salt and at least one solvent selected from alcohols having 1 or more and 5 or less carbon atoms.

A known method for producing porous graphitized carbon material covered with metal nanoparticles involves infiltrating a porous template framework of inorganic material with a carbon precursor. After thermal treatment of the precursor, the template is removed and the particulate porous carbon material is covered with a catalytically active substance. According to the invention, in order to keep the proportion of the noble metal loading at a low level, the thermal treatment of the precursor first involves carbonization, and the material is not graphitized into graphitized, particulate, porous carbon material until the template has been removed. The graphitized carbon material has a hierarchical pore structure with a pore volume of at least 0.5 cm.sup.3/g and at least 75% of the pore volume is apportioned to macropores with, size 100 to 5000 nm. Before covering with catalytically active substance, the carbon material is subjected to an activation treatment in an oxidizing atmosphere.

A method for producing an electrode catalyst for a fuel cell is provided. The electrode catalyst includes a carbon support and a catalyst supported on the carbon support. The catalyst is one of platinum and a platinum-alloy. The method includes supporting the catalyst on the carbon support; and treating the carbon support carrying the catalyst with a nitric acid and cleaning the treated carbon support, such that an amount of an acid present on the carbon support becomes in a range from 0.7 mmol to 1.31 mmol of the acid per gram of the electrode catalyst.

A technique may produce a composite at a low temperature by a reducing agent that is easy to handle. A technique may produce a composite in which a metal simple substance or a metal oxide derived from reduced cations, or both of them are supported on a carrier. The technique may include at least: preparing a liquid phase mixture containing at least an alcohol compound as a first reducing agent, a phosphinic acid or a salt thereof as a second reducing agent, the carrier, and a source compound of one or more cations selected including Au, Ag, Cu, Pt, Rh, Ru, Re, Pd, and/or Ir; and reducing the cations in the liquid phase mixture.

A method of forming a fuel cell catalyst layer. The method includes spinning a composition including a base polymer, a solvent, and a catalyst precursor into a non-woven fiber mat having the catalyst precursor embedded therein. The method further includes carbonizing the non-woven fiber mat to form a carbon fiber substrate. The method also includes reacting the catalyst precursor to form a plurality of individual catalyst particles embedded in the carbon fiber substrate.

Provided is a redox catalyst wherein a catalytically active component is supported on carbon nanotubes whose average diameter (Av) and standard deviation () of diameters satisfy the condition 0.60>3/Av>0.20, and at least a part of a surface of the carbon nanotubes, including a part on which the catalytically active component is supported, is covered with porous inorganic material.