A process for producing a liquid composition, which includes holding a fluorinated polymer having SO.sub.2F groups at from 110 to 130 C. for at least 45 minutes, cooling it to less than 110 C., converting the SO.sub.2F groups in the fluorinated polymer to ion exchange groups to obtain a fluorinated polymer having ion exchange groups, and mixing the fluorinated polymer having ion exchange groups and a liquid medium.

Various embodiments provide glass bottle-based silicon electrode materials. A battery electrode includes silicon made from magnesiothermic reduction of silicon oxide derived from glass bottles and a conformal carbon coating thereon. A method of making the electrode material includes crushing glass bottles to produce crushed glass containing silicon oxide particles, mixing the silicon oxide particles with a heat scavenger to produce a mixture, magnesiothermically reducing the mixture to produce silicon, and applying a carbon coat to the silicon to produce an electrode material.

The present invention is a catalyst for a solid polymer fuel cell including: catalyst particles of platinum, cobalt and manganese; and a carbon powder carrier supporting the catalyst particles, wherein the component ratio (molar ratio) of the platinum, cobalt and manganese of the catalyst particles is of Pt:Co:Mn=1:0.06 to 0.39:0.04 to 0.33, and wherein in an X-ray diffraction analysis of the catalyst particles, the peak intensity ratio of a CoMn alloy appearing around 2=27 is 0.15 or less on the basis of a main peak appearing around 2=40. It is particularly preferred that the catalyst have a peak ratio of a peak of a CoPt.sub.3 alloy and an MnPt.sub.3 alloy appearing around 2=32 of 0.14 or more on the basis of a main peak.

Embodiments include systems and methods for manufacturing an electrochemical sensor. An electrochemical sensor may comprise a substrate; a plurality of electrodes printed over the substrate; a transition layer printed over the plurality of electrodes, the transition layer comprising at least a mixture of a water immiscible liquid and a hydrophilic inert substance; and a second layer comprising at least another mixture of an acid solution and a solid polymer printed over the transition layer and providing an electrolytic contact with the plurality of electrodes. A method of manufacturing an electrochemical sensor may comprise providing a plurality of electrodes over a substrate; printing a transition layer comprising at least a first mixture of a water immiscible liquid and a hydrophilic inert substance over the plurality of electrodes; and providing a second layer comprising at least a second mixture of an acid solution and a solid polymer over the transition layer.

A method for manufacturing an electrode for a fuel cell includes a mixing step of producing a first mixed solution by mixing a carbon support, a metal catalyst, a binder and a first dispersion solvent, a drying step of producing a first mixed solution dried body by drying the first mixed solution, a heat treatment step of heating the first mixed solution dried body, a second mixed solution production step of producing a second mixed solution by dissolving the heat-treated first mixed solution dried body in a second dispersion solvent, and a release paper coating step of producing an electrode by coating the second mixed solution onto a release paper, and then drying the second mixed solution.

A novel positive electrode active material, a novel positive electrode, and a novel lithium-ion secondary battery are to be provided. The lithium-ion secondary battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte. The positive electrode includes a positive electrode active material that includes a composite oxide containing lithium and cobalt. The positive electrode active material includes barium, magnesium, and aluminum in a surface portion. When being analyzed, the surface portion preferably includes a region where a first point of the highest barium concentration and a second point of the highest magnesium concentration exist closer to the surface than a third point of the highest aluminum concentration does.

A method for producing a catalyst-coated three-dimensionally structured electrode includes synthesizing a mesoporous catalyst coating onto a three-dimensionally structured metal substrate by first generating a suspension from a template, a metal precursor, and a solvent and then applying the suspension as a film to the three-dimensionally structured metal substrate. The three-dimensionally structured metal substrate is then dried so that the solvent within the suspension film evaporates and a layer of a catalyst precursor with integrated template structure is obtained. The three-dimensionally structured metal substrate comprising catalyst precursors is then subjected to a thermal treatment so that a mesoporous catalyst coating is created. The invention additionally relates to an electrode produced by the above method and also to an electrochemical cell comprising such an electrode.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for simulating thermal wrinkles of an electrode sheet and a simulation method using the same, and more particularly to an apparatus for simulating thermal wrinkles of an electrode sheet having an active material applied thereto generated during drying of the electrode sheet, the apparatus including an electrode sheet fixing unit configured to applying tensile load to the electrode sheet (S) so as to be stretched by a predetermined length in the state in which opposite ends of the electrode sheet are fixed, a temperature adjustment unit configured to heat the electrode sheet fixing unit to a predetermined temperature while wrapping the electrode sheet fixing unit, and a rail configured to move the temperature adjustment unit, and a simulation method using the same.

Nanoporous oxygen reduction catalyst material comprising PtNiIr, the catalyst material preferably having the formula Pt.sub.xNi.sub.yIr.sub.z, wherein x is in a range from 26.6 to 47.8, y is in a range from 48.7 to 70, and z is in a range from 1 to 11.4. The nanoporous oxygen reduction catalyst material is useful, for example, in fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies.

A fuel cell electrode catalyst includes a carbon support having pores, and catalyst particles supported on the carbon support and containing platinum or a platinum alloy. The pores of the fuel cell electrode catalyst have a mode pore size within a range from 2 nm to 5 nm. In the pores of the fuel cell electrode catalyst, a pore volume of pores having pore sizes within the range from 2 nm to 5 nm is 0.4 cm.sup.3/g or larger. The catalyst particles have a crystallite size within the range from 2 nm to 5 nm at a platinum (220) plane. A density of the supported catalyst particles is within a range from 10% by mass to 50% by mass with respect to a total mass of the fuel cell electrode catalyst.