An innovative fuel cell system with membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) includes a polymer electrolyte membrane, a gas diffusion layer (GDL) made of porous metal foam, and a catalyst layer. A fuel cell has a metal foam layer that improves efficiency and lifetime of the conventional gas diffusion layer, which consists of both gas diffusion barrier (GDB) and microporous layer (MPL). This metal foam GDL enables consistent maintenance of the suitable structure and even distribution of pores during the operation. Due to the combination of mechanical and physical properties of metallic foam, the fuel cell is not deformed by external physical strain. Among many other processing methods of open-cell metal foams, ice-templating provides a cheap, easy processing route suitable for mass production. Furthermore, it provides well-aligned and long channel pores, which improve gas and water flow during the operation of the fuel cell.

The disclosure provides a method for forming noble metal nanostructures on a support. The method comprises mixing one or more noble metal precursor with a first solvent and a base to obtain a noble metal precursor solution; feeding the noble metal precursor solution to a spiral tube reactor; heating the spiral tube reactor containing the noble metal precursor solution to reduce the one or more noble metal precursor to obtain noble metal nanostructures; and mixing a support ink with the noble metal nanostructures obtained after heating, wherein the support ink comprises a second solvent, the support and an ink acid. There are also provided noble metal nanostructures on a support and a use thereof as an electro-catalyst in an electrode for fuel cell applications.

Coatings on carbon are of interest to the battery, fuel cell, and catalyst industries. However, carbon is difficult to process because of its cohesiveness and low density. This invention describes a method for decreasing the interparticle forces between carbon particles so that the powder does not agglomerate as much during processing. This prevents the formation of hard agglomerates during gas phase processes such as Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) coating. The same method for decreasing agglomeration of the powder during processing may also improve the dispersion of deposited platinum onto carbon particles, either by ALD or other methods. A suspension of carbon particles coated with ionomer is also described.

A method for preparing a transition metal electrochemical catalyst according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes dissolving a nitrogen precursor and a transition metal precursor in a polyol-based solvent so as to prepare a solution in which transition metal ions and free anions are coordinated, and mixing same with a support so as to prepare a mixture, igniting the mixture so as to carbonize the polyol-based solvent, thereby forming transition metal nanoparticles encompassed by carbon, performing heat treatment in order to carbonize remaining organic matter contained in the mixture, and removing, through acid treatment, impurities and transition metal nanoparticles not encompassed by carbon, and then removing remaining acid through washing and additional heat treatment, thereby a nanocatalyst having a structure in which a single-atom transition metal-nitrogen bonding structure and/or transition metal nanoparticles encompassed by carbon exist is synthesized.

A membrane electrode assembly for a fuel cell, the membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane, and a first electrode and a second electrode sandwiching the electrolyte membrane, wherein the first electrode includes a first catalyst layer and a first gas diffusion layer in order from the electrolyte membrane side, the first gas diffusion layer includes a first fibrous conductive member and a first resin material, the first catalyst layer includes a second fibrous conductive member, catalyst particles, and a second resin material, when viewed from a stacking direction of the membrane electrode assembly, a first angle formed by the first fibrous conductive member and a main flow path of a gas supplied to the membrane electrode assembly is arbitrary, and a second angle formed by the second fibrous conductive member and the main flow path is 45° or less.

An anode catalyst layer for a fuel cell includes: electrode catalyst particles; a carbon carrier carrying the electrode catalyst particles; water electrolysis catalyst particles; a proton-conductive binder; and a graphitized carbon, wherein the content of the graphitized carbon in the anode catalyst layer for a fuel cell is 3-70 mass % with respect to the total mass of the electrode catalyst particles, the carbon carrier, and the graphitized carbon.

Aspects of this disclosure pertain to catalyst compositions that include electrically conductive support particles; and metal catalyst particles attached to the electrically conductive support particles. The catalyst compositions may be used in cathodes of carbon oxide reduction electrolyzers.

A fuel cell catalyst layer includes a plurality of carbon particles, a plurality of catalyst particles, and at least one plate-shaped carbon member disposed between the plurality of carbon particles. The plurality of catalyst particles are supported on surfaces of the plurality of carbon particles. The plate-shaped carbon member may be replaced with a rod-shaped carbon member.

Disclosed are a catalyst complex which may suppress cell voltage reversal in a fuel cell and a method for manufacturing the same. The catalyst complex includes a support, a first catalytic active material supported on the support and comprising a platinum component including one or more selected from the group consisting of platinum and a platinum alloy, and a second catalytic active material supported on the support and comprising one or more selected from a noble metal other than platinum and an oxide thereof, and the support includes functional groups including oxygen.

Catalyst particles includes a catalyst material and carbon particles supporting the catalyst material. The catalyst particles has a water content of 4.8 mass % or more and 20 mass % or less. A manufacturing method of catalyst particles includes exposing catalyst particles, which are carbon particles supporting a catalyst material, to a humidified atmosphere, prior to dispersing the carbon particles and a polymer electrolyte in a solvent for a catalyst ink.