A membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) including a membrane and two electrodes, and further at least one layer located at the interface of the membrane and of an electrode. The layer contains a proton conductive polymer which has a glass transition temperature lower than or equal to, advantageously lower than, that of the proton conductive polymer contained in the membrane.

A reinforced catalyst layer assembly, suitably for use in a fuel cell, said reinforced catalyst layer assembly comprising: (i) a planar reinforcing component consisting of a porous material having pores extending through the thickness of the material in the z-direction, and (ii) a first catalyst component comprising a first catalyst material and a first ion-conducting material,
characterised in that the first catalyst component is at least partially embedded within the planar reinforcing component, forming a first catalyst layer having a first surface and a second surface is disclosed.

Disclosed are fuel cell systems, reinforced membrane electrode assemblies, and methods for fabricating a reinforced membrane electrode assembly. In an example, a disclosed method includes depositing an electrode ink onto a first substrate to form a first electrode layer, and applying a first porous reinforcement layer onto a surface of the first electrode layer to form a first catalyst coated substrate. The method also includes depositing a first ionomer solution onto the first catalyst coated substrate to form a first ionomer layer. A membrane porous reinforcement layer is applied onto a surface of the first ionomer layer to form a reinforced membrane layer.

A method for producing a fuel cell catalyst layer, which is able to allow an ionomer to sufficiently penetrate to the inside of the fine pores of a support with fine pores. The method is a method for producing a fuel cell catalyst layer in which a catalyst is supported on the support with fine pores and is coated with an ionomer, the method comprising: hydrophilizing a surface of the support by use of nitric acid, and dispersing the support, the catalyst and the ionomer by use of a ball mill after the hydrophilizing, wherein the amount of acidic functional groups per specific surface area of the support is set to 1.79 mol/m.sup.2 or more in the hydrophilizing.

Provided is a method for preparing an alloy catalyst for fuel cells having excellent catalytic activity and high durability. The method includes coating a platinum or platinum-transition metal catalyst supported on carbon with polydopamine as a capping agent. The method for preparing an alloy catalyst supported on carbon uses polydopamine as a capping agent for a platinum or platinum-transition metal catalyst supported on carbon, and thus provides a binary or ternary platinum alloy catalyst supported on carbon having a small particle size and high alloying degree despite the subsequent high-temperature heat treatment. In addition, polydopamine (PDA) is a highly adhesive material and allows thin and uniform coating, and thus inhibits particle size growth during heat treatment while allowing easy diffusion of a transition metal into the metal. As a result, it is possible to provide an alloy catalyst provided with a core-shell structure having a surface layer formed of platinum alone and showing a high alloying degree. Finally, it is possible to provide an alloy catalyst having excellent catalytic activity and durability. Further, since polydopamine (PDA) is capable of self-polymerization at room temperature, PDA coating is carried out without additional reagents or equipment. Thus, the method has high processability and cost-efficiency.

One embodiment includes a method comprising the steps of providing a first dry catalyst coated gas diffusion media layer, depositing a wet first proton exchange membrane layer over the first catalyst coated gas diffusion media layer to form a first proton exchange membrane layer; providing a second dry catalyst coated gas diffusion media layer; contacting the second dry catalyst coated gas diffusion media layer with the first proton exchange membrane layer; and hot pressing together the first and second dry catalyst coated gas diffusion media layers with the wet proton exchange membrane layer therebetween.

In some embodiments, a solid oxide fuel system is provided. The solid oxide fuel cell system may include a chromium-getter material. The chromium-getter material may react with chromium to remove chromium species from chromium vapor. The solid oxide fuel cell system may also include an inert substrate. The chromium-getter material may be coated onto the inert substrate. The coated substrate may remove chromium species from chromium vapor before the chromium species can react with a cathode in the solid oxide fuel cell system.

One embodiment includes a method comprising providing a first catalyst coated gas diffusion media layer, depositing a wet first proton exchange membrane layer over the first catalyst coated gas diffusion media layer to form a first proton exchange membrane layer; providing a second catalyst coated gas diffusion media layer; contacting the second catalyst coated gas diffusion media layer, or second proton exchange membrane layer, with the first proton exchange membrane layer; and hot pressing together the catalyst coated diffusion layers and proton exchange membrane layer(s).

A fuel cell is provided having a structure in which a cathode and an anode face each other with an electrolyte layer therebetween. The cathode includes an electrode on which an oxygen reductase and the like are immobilized, and the electrode has pores therein, water repellency is imparted to at least part of the surface of the electrode. Water repellency is imparted by forming a water-repellent agent on the surface of the electrode. The water-repellent agent includes a water-repellent material such as carbon powder and an organic solvent such as methyl isobutyl ketone that causes phase separation with water. When the electrode has pores therein, there are provided a fuel cell that stably provides a high current value and a method for manufacturing the fuel cell.

A method of producing a displacement plating precursor, including a deposition step of depositing a Cu layer on a surface of a core particle formed of Pt or a Pt alloy by contacting a Cu ion-containing acidic aqueous solution with at least a portion of a Cu electrode, and contacting the Cu electrode with the core particle or with a composite, in which the core particle is supported on an electroconductive support, within the acidic aqueous solution or outside the acidic aqueous solution, and moreover contacting the core particle with the acidic aqueous solution under an inert gas atmosphere.