An air-cathode battery includes a porous cathode current collector with an air interface, an ionic liquid electrolyte disposed in pores of the porous cathode current collector; a metal anode, and a separator in contact with the ionic liquid electrolyte and coupled between the porous cathode current collector and the metal anode. The porous cathode current collector is an ionogel formed from a silica sol-gel or a carbonized resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogel and the pores are functionalized with a thiol group-containing species that is functionalized with one or more catalytic nanoparticles or the pores are electroplated with catalytic metal.

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is disclosed, including anode in contact with a fuel source, a first catalyst can include rhodium in contact with an oxidizer source, a cathode in contact with the oxidizer source, and an electrolyte disposed between the anode and the cathode. Implementations of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) can include a reactor where first catalyst is in contact with the oxidizer source or a reactor with a second catalyst in contact with the fuel source. The oxidizer may include nitrous oxide, nitrogen tetraoxide, mixed oxides of nitrogen, or a combination thereof. The fuel may include ammonia, hydrazine, monomethyl hydrazine, symmetric monomethyl hydrazine, or a combination thereof. A method of providing a catalyst to an electrode for a solid oxide fuel cell is also disclosed.

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) (100) for use in generating electricity while tolerating sulfur content in a fuel input stream. The solid oxide fuel cell (100) includes an electrolyte (106), a cathode (102), and a sulfur tolerant anode (104). The cathode (102) is disposed on a first side of the electrolyte (106). The sulfur tolerant anode (104) is disposed on a second side of the electrolyte (106) opposite the cathode (102). The sulfur tolerant anode (104) includes a composition of nickel, copper, and ceria to exhibit a substantially stable operating voltage at a constant current density in the presence of the sulfur content within the fuel input stream. The solid oxide fuel cell (100) is useful within a SOFC stack to generate electricity from reformate which includes synthesis gas (syngas) and sulfur content. The solid oxide fuel cell (100) is also useful within a SOFC stack to generate electricity from unreformed hydrocarbon fuel.

The present invention provides a lithium-air battery air electrode, the air electrode comprises: a collector, an in-situ loading catalyst on collector. The invention also provides a preparation method of the air electrode for lithium-air batteries and the lithium-air batteries. The air electrode of the present invention can greatly improve the performance of the lithium-air battery.

There is provided a technique that suppresses a variation in particle diameter of a metal catalyst in the process of supporting the metal catalyst on a carrier. A CNT substrate having carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the carrier arrayed thereon is placed in a processing chamber. Carbon dioxide is supplied to the processing chamber. After the carbon dioxide in the processing chamber is made supercritical, a complex solution in which a platinum complex is dissolved is supplied to the processing chamber. A sample temperature denoting temperature of the CNTs is controlled to be higher than an ambient temperature in the processing chamber. The CNT substrate is heated, such that a temperature difference between the ambient temperature and the sample temperature repeats increasing and decreasing. After the state of the supercritical fluid is changed to a non-supercritical state, the CNT substrate is heated, so as to cause the metal catalyst to deposit on the surface of the CNTs.

A solid oxide cell can comprise a nonporous oxide layer, one or more first porous layers, and one or more second porous layers. The nonporous oxide layer can conduct oxygen ions and can operate as a solid electrolyte. The first and second porous layers can be disposed on opposite sides of the nonporous oxide layer. The nonporous oxide layer can have a density greater than that of each of the first and second porous layers. In some embodiments, at least one of the one or more first porous layers can be infiltrated with one or more electrocatalytic oxides. Alternatively, in some embodiments, a porous functional layer can be disposed between the nonporous oxide layer and the one or more first porous layers. The porous functional layer can be effective to increase an open circuit voltage of the solid oxide cell.

A catalyst which is suitable for use in an anode of a fuel cell. The catalyst comprises, in at least partially reduced form, (i) nickel and (ii) molybdenum and, optionally, (iii) rhenium and/or (iv) at least one transition metal which is different from nickel, molybdenum and rhenium, supported on (v) electrically conductive carbon modified with one or more elements selected from the lanthanides, yttrium, tin and titanium. The weight ratio (i):((ii)+(iii)+(iv)) is at least 2:1.

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) for use in generating electricity while tolerating sulfur content in a fuel input stream. The solid oxide fuel cell includes an electrolyte, a cathode, and a sulfur tolerant anode. The cathode is disposed on a first side of the electrolyte. The sulfur tolerant anode is disposed on a second side of the electrolyte opposite the cathode. The sulfur tolerant anode includes a composition of nickel, copper, and ceria to exhibit a substantially stable operating voltage at a constant current density in the presence of the sulfur content within the fuel input stream. The solid oxide fuel cell is useful within a SOFC stack to generate electricity from reformate which includes synthesis gas (syngas) and sulfur content. The solid oxide fuel cell is also useful within a SOFC stack to generate electricity from unreformed hydrocarbon fuel.

A metal electrode assembly for fuel cell applications includes a cathode catalyst layer, an anode catalyst layer, and an ion-conducting membrane disposed between the cathode catalyst layer and the anode catalyst layer. The cathode catalyst layer or the anode layer each independently including a catalyst composition and a first polymer wherein at least one of the cathode catalyst layer or the anode layer include a first polymer and polyphenylene sulfide-containing structures. A method for making a fuel cell catalyst layer is also provided.

A method of manufacturing a catalyst for a Pt.sub.xM.sub.y-based PEMFC, M being a transition metal, including the steps of: depositing Pt.sub.xM.sub.y nanostructures on a support; annealing the nanostructures; depositing a Pt.sub.xM.sub.y layer at the surface of the nanostructures thus formed; and chemically leaching metal M. It also aims at the catalyst obtained with this method.