Disclosed are a membrane-electrode assembly capable of satisfying both of two requirements of excellent performance and high durability, and a fuel cell including same. The membrane-electrode assembly of the present invention comprises: a first electrode; a second electrode; and an electrolyte membrane between the first and second electrodes, wherein the first electrode includes a first segment having a first durability and a second segment having a second durability that differs from the first durability.

A battery may include an anode, a cathode positioned opposite to the anode, a separator positioned between the anode and the cathode, an electrolyte dispersed throughout the cathode and in contact with the anode, and a dual-pore system. The anode may be configured to release a plurality of lithium ions. The cathode may include a plurality of pathways defined by a plurality of porous non-hollow carbonaceous spherical particles and may include a plurality of carbonaceous structures each based on a coalescence of a group of the porous non-hollow carbonaceous spherical particles. The dual-pore system may be disposed in the cathode and defined in shape and orientation by the plurality of carbonaceous structures. In some aspects, the dual-pore system may be configured to receive gaseous oxygen from the ambient atmosphere.

The present invention relates to a bio electrochemical system for the treatment of organic liquid wastes. The bio electrochemical system comprises a container; at least one tube shaped separator vertically disposed such that it penetrates the container; at least one anode disposed in the external space of the tube shaped separator; at least one cathode disposed in the interior space of the tube shaped separator; and at least one partition plate horizontally disposed such that it forms multistage horizontal flow channels for organic liquid wastes in the container.

The present disclosure relates to a tube-shaped catalyst complex and a catalyst slurry including the same for a fuel cell. The catalyst complex for a fuel cell comprises a tubular inner layer including an ionomer and an outer layer provided on an outer surface of the inner layer and including a catalyst.

Disclosed are methods for forming a supported catalyst and catalysts formed according to disclosed methods. Methods include contacting a catalyst support with a precursor solution and displacing the solvent of the precursor solution (e.g., water) with a second solvent that has a lower surface tension than the first solvent. The second solvent displaces the first solution according to the Marangoni effect. Methods also include activation of the precursor to form a catalyst, e.g., a supported platinum group metal catalyst or the like.

A method for preparing a metal-carbon composite catalyst comprises the steps of: preparing a source material comprising a metal precursor and a monomer, which comprises a methylpyrrolidone (NMP); heat treating the source material so as to prepare an intermediate; and carbonizing the intermediate so as to prepare a carbon nanocatalyst in which the metal of the metal precursor is coupled to a carbon matrix structure, wherein, according to whether the source material comprises an organic additive, the type of organic additive, and the type of metal precursor, the carbon matrix structure has a carbon sheet structure and/or a carbon porous body structure, and the metal can be metal ions and/or metal particles. The metal-carbon composite catalyst can have high ORR and OER characteristics, and thus can be used as a cathode material for a zinc-air battery.

Mineralization occurs during weathering of silicate materials/rocks rich in CA+ and Mg+, particularly peridotite which composes Earth's upper mantle. The carbon mineralization mantle peridotite is the base activated carbon for nanostructured-carbon-base-material. The nanostructured-carbon-base-material using mantle peridotite carbon mineralization based activated carbon nanotubes is a new catalyst for batteries and fuel-cell use that doesn't use precious metal such as platinum and that performs as effectively as many well-known, expensive precious-metal catalysts. The nanostructured-carbon-base-material using mantle peridotite carbon mineralization based activated carbon nanotubes makes possible the creation of economical lithium-air batteries that could power electric vehicles. The carbon nanotubes have useful qualities such as slim, strong, lightweight, high electronic conductivity, has metallic/semiconductive properties that are useful in (1) electronics i.e. wiring, transistor; (2) material that reinforced resin/metal; (3) energy source i.e. catalysis support, ion adsorption, capacitors; (4) nanotechnology i.e. nanostructure; and (5) biotechnology i.e. cell cultivating, drug delivery system, biosensor.

In one embodiment, systems and methods include using a battery to provide electrical charge to a vehicle. The battery comprises a first half of a housing coupled comprising one or more air vents and an anode disposed at least partially within the first half of the housing. The battery further comprises a second half of the housing comprising one or more air vents, wherein the anode extends from the first half of the housing and into the second half of the housing. The battery further comprises a pair of cathodes disposed within the second half of the housing, wherein the pair of cathodes extends from the second half of the housing and into the first half of the housing, wherein the anode is disposed between the pair of cathodes, wherein there is a gap between the anode and each one of the pair of cathodes.

Provided is a shortened fibrous carbon nanohorn aggregate (CNB) obtained by shortening a CNB having a length of 1 μm or more and a diameter in the short direction in the range of 30 to 100 nm, by oxidizing, stirring in an acid solution, subjecting to an ultrasonic treatment in a liquid, followed by cutting. The shortened CNB has an end surface on which no tip of the plurality of single-walled carbon nanohorns is disposed toward the longitudinal direction at least one end in the longitudinal direction, and has an excellent dispersibility by shortening the length to less than 1 μm.

The electrode structure for electronic devices according to the present invention comprises a powdered electrode material, and carbon nanotubes having a volume resistivity of not more than 2×10.sup.−2 Ω.Math.cm.