A cell structure includes a cathode, an anode, and a solid electrolyte layer interposed between the cathode and the anode, the cathode being in the form of a sheet, the anode being in the form of a sheet, the solid electrolyte layer being in the form of a sheet, the solid electrolyte layer being disposed on the anode, the cathode being disposed on the solid electrolyte layer, the cathode having a resistance Rc, the anode and the solid electrolyte layer having a resistance Ra, the resistance Rc and the resistance Ra satisfying a relationship of Rc/Ra0.3, the cathode including a first metal oxide having a perovskite crystal structure, the cathode having a thickness larger than 15 m and equal to or less than 30 m.

An intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) includes an anode layer, an electrolyte adjacent to the anode layer, and a cathode layer adjacent to the electrolyte and including a material of formula (I) or (II): Sr.sub.2OsO.sub.4 (I) or Ba.sub.2MO.sub.4 (II), where M is a transition metal or post-transition metal.

A solid oxide fuel cell system and method, the system including a hotbox containing a fuel cell stack, a fuel supply configured to provide a fuel to the fuel cell stack, and a blower configured to provide air to the fuel cell stack. During a shutdown operation, the blower is configured to cool the fuel cell stack at a rate ranging from about 0.75 C./min to about 3.0 C./min, until the temperature of the fuel cell stack is reduced to a temperature at which oxidation of anodes of the fuel cell stack is substantially prevented.

Disclosed is a high temperature-type unitized regenerative fuel cell using water vapor, which exhibits high hydrogen (H.sub.2) production efficiency and superior power generation ability.

Disclosed are a method of manufacturing an anode dual catalyst for a fuel cell so as to prevent a reverse voltage phenomenon and a dual catalyst manufactured by the same. The method may include supporting effectively metal catalyst particles and oxide particles on a conductive support, and thus, a dual catalyst manufactured using the method may be suitably used for controlling a reverse voltage phenomenon that occurs at the anode.

Methods are provided for tailoring multi-step chemical reactions having competing elementary steps using a strained catalyst. In various aspects, a layered piezo-catalytic system is provided, and may include a metal catalyst overlayer disposed on a piezo-electric substrate. The methods include applying a voltage bias to the piezo-electric substrate of the piezo-catalytic system resulting in a strained catalyst having an altered catalytic activity as a result of one or both of a compressive stress and tensile stress. The methods include exposing reagents for at least one step of the multi-step chemical reaction to the strained catalyst, and catalyzing the at least one step of the multi-step chemical reaction. In various aspects, the methods may include using an oscillating voltage bias applied to the piezo-electric substrate.

An electrochemical cell comprising a three-dimensional (3D) electrode, another electrode, and an electrolyte. The 3D electrode comprises a 3D architectured material. Methods of forming the 3D architectured material are also disclosed, as are methods of using the 3D architectured material in methods of forming hydrogen.

Realized is an element having an electrolyte layer that is dense and has high gas barrier characteristics. A metal-supported electrochemical element includes at least a metal substrate as a support, an electrode layer formed on/over the metal substrate, a buffer layer formed on the electrode layer, and an electrolyte layer formed on the buffer layer. The electrode layer is porous and the electrolyte layer is dense. The buffer layer has density higher than density of the electrode layer and lower than density of the electrolyte layer.

An energy conversion device for conversion of various energy forms into electricity. The energy forms may be chemical, photovoltaic or thermal gradients. The energy conversion device has a first and second electrode. A substrate is present that has a porous semiconductor or dielectric layer placed thereover. The substrate itself can be planar, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional, and possess internal and external surfaces. These substrates may be rigid, flexible and/or foldable. The porous semiconductor or dielectric layer can be a nano-engineered structure. A porous conductor material is placed on at least a portion of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer such that at least some of the porous conductor material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer, thereby forming an intertwining region.

A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte layer; a base electrode formed on one side of the electrolyte layer; and a catalyst electrode formed on the other side of the electrolyte layer to be apart from the base electrode with the electrolyte layer interposed therebetween. The catalyst electrode includes: a first electrode portion that covers a part of the electrolyte layer; and a second electrode portion that covers a part of a surface of the first electrode portion to form an electrode portion interface in contact with the first electrode portion.