One embodiment includes a method of forming a hydrophilic particle containing electrode including providing a catalyst; providing hydrophilic particles suspended in a liquid to form a liquid suspension; contacting said catalyst with said liquid suspension; and, drying said liquid suspension contacting said catalyst to leave said hydrophilic particles attached to said catalyst.

The present invention relates to a metal phthalocyanine polymer that includes a repeating structural unit obtained by amide bonding of a structural unit represented by the following general formula (1a) to a structural unit represented by the following general formula (2a): ##STR00001## With general formula (1a), L is a divalent or trivalent metal ion belonging to Period 3 to Period 5 on the long-form periodic table. With general formula (2a), M is a divalent or trivalent metal ion belonging to Period 3 to Period 5 on the long-form periodic table.

It becomes easy to regulate the storage modulus of the ionomer solution to be not lower than 150 Pa. The production method of catalyst ink for fuel cell includes steps of: (i) preparing a catalyst dispersion by mixing an electrode catalyst, water and an alcohol; (ii) preparing a gelated ionomer solution by mixing an ionomer and a solvent; and (iii) producing catalyst ink by mixing the catalyst dispersion and the gelated ionomer solution, wherein the step (ii) comprises concentration a step of concentrating the gelated ionomer solution.

A device for manufacturing a membrane-electrode assembly of a fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane feeder unwinding an electrolyte membrane and supplying the unwound electrolyte membrane to a preset transfer path; a first catalyst coater installed in the side of the electrolyte membrane feeder and coating a first catalytic material on another surface of the electrolyte membrane every a preset pitch; a film processor installed in a rear side of the first catalyst coater, supplying a second protective film onto a first catalyst electrode layer on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane, and taking off the first protective film from the one surface of the electrolyte membrane; and a second catalyst coater installed in a rear side of the film processor and coating a second catalytic material on the one surface of the electrolyte membrane.

A powder for an air electrode in a solid oxide fuel cell, the powder consisting of: a metal composite oxide having a perovskite-type single phase crystal structure represented by A1.sub.1-xA2.sub.xBO.sub.3-δ, where the element A1 is at least one selected from the group consisting of La and Sm, the element A2 is at least one selected from the group consisting of Ca, Sr, and Ba, the element B is at least one selected from the group consisting of Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni, 0<x<1, and the δ is an oxygen deficiency amount. When a cross section of a molded body obtained by compression molding the powder is observed at a magnification of 500 times, and a characteristic X-ray intensity of the element B is measured by an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, the number of regions each having an intensity of 50% or higher of a maximum of the characteristic X-ray intensity of the element B and occupying 0.04% by area or more of the observation field of view is five or less.

A method for producing an alloy fine particle-supported catalyst that supports alloy fine particles containing a noble metal includes: a step of mixing a noble metal salt, a base metal salt, an alcohol having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, and a support to form a mixture; and a heating step of heating the mixture at a temperature of 150° C. or higher and 800° C. or lower to produce an alloy fine particle-supported catalyst.

An electrode material includes: (1) a catalyst support; and (2) PtNiN-M nanostructures affixed to the catalyst support, wherein N is a transition metal selected from Group 9 and Group 11 of the Periodic Table, and M is a transition metal selected from Group 5 and Group 6 of the Periodic Table.

Disclosed are a catalyst, a method for producing the catalyst, an electrode comprising the catalyst, a membrane-electrode assembly comprising the electrode, and a fuel cell comprising the membrane-electrode assembly, the catalyst having superb catalytic activity that can be obtained by means of a simple post-treatment process of the raw catalyst. The catalyst according to the present invention comprises a support, and metal particles supported therein, wherein the metal particles comprise main particles and an additional metal layer thereon, and the main particles and additional metal layer comprise the same metal elements. The metal particles have a budding structure or a rod structure by having just a particular latticed active surface of the main particles grow to form the additional metal layer, or a core-shell structure by having the entire latticed active surface of the main particles grow to form the additional metal layer.

A method for preparing a platinum-indium cluster catalyst for a fuel cell, the method including steps of: obtaining a carbon powder, dispersing the carbon powder in a strong oxidizing solution, and performing high-temperature hydrothermal treatment to obtain an activated carbon powder; obtaining a mixed alcohol solution comprising a platinum precursor and an indium precursor; dispersing the activated carbon powder in the mixed alcohol solution, and heat treating the mixed alcohol solution to volatilize an alcohol solvent to obtain a mixed powder; and performing high-temperature treatment on the mixed powder under a mixed gas atmosphere of hydrogen and argon, to yield a platinum-indium cluster catalyst for a fuel cell.

A method for manufacturing a membrane electrode and gas diffusion layer assembly includes: applying a catalyst ink including an ionomer to a second surface of an electrolyte membrane while conveying a first sheet in which a first surface of the electrolyte membrane is supported by a back sheet; drying the catalyst ink by blowing air vibrated with ultrasonic waves onto a surface of the catalyst ink to produce a second sheet in which a catalyst layer is provided on the second surface of the electrolyte membrane; forming a first roll by winding the second sheet; and producing a third sheet by stacking a gas diffusion layer on the catalyst layer and pressing them in a stacking direction as heating to join the catalyst layer and the gas diffusion layer while conveying the second sheet unwound from the first roll.