In an embodiment, a fuel cell includes: a flexible substrate including a first fuel-tolerant material; a fitting on the flexible substrate, the fitting including first openings extending through an outer portion of the fitting; a primer coating on the outer portion of the fitting, the primer coating including a second fuel-tolerant material; first yarns strung through the first openings of the fitting, the first yarns stitched into the flexible substrate; and an encapsulant encapsulating the first yarns, the primer coating, and the outer portion of the fitting, the encapsulant disposed on the flexible substrate, the encapsulant including a third fuel-tolerant material, the third fuel-tolerant material chemically bonded to the second fuel-tolerant material and the first fuel-tolerant material.

Stabilized surfactant-based membranes and methods of manufacture thereof. Membranes comprising a stabilized surfactant mesostructure on a porous support may be used for various separations, including reverse osmosis and forward osmosis. The membranes are stabilized after evaporation of solvents; in some embodiments no removal of the surfactant is required. The surfactant solution may or may not comprise a hydrophilic compound such as an acid or base. The surface of the porous support is preferably modified prior to formation of the stabilized surfactant mesostructure. The membrane is sufficiently stable to be utilized in commercial separations devices such as spiral wound modules. Also a stabilized surfactant mesostructure coating for a porous material and filters made therefrom. The coating can simultaneously improve both the permeability and the filtration characteristics of the porous material.

A method of production of a channel member for fuel cell use comprising a step of obtaining a sheet-shaped first conductor part 11 containing a carbon material of at least one of carbon nanotubes, granular graphite, and carbon fibers and a first resin, a step of laying a sheet-shaped second conductor part 21 containing a carbon material and a second resin with a lower melting point than the first resin to form a sheet-shaped base part 13, a step of transferring a grooved surface 51 to a surface to form a grooved base part 16 provided with groove part 15, a step of laying a sheet-shaped third conductor part 31 containing a carbon material and a third resin with a lower melting point than the first resin, and a step of integrally joining the grooved base part and the third conductor part by hot melt bonding to cover the groove parts.

A method of production of a channel member for fuel cell use comprising a step of obtaining a sheet-shaped first conductor part 11 containing a carbon material of at least one of carbon nanotubes, granular graphite, and carbon fibers and a first resin, a step of laying a sheet-shaped second conductor part 21 containing a carbon material and a second resin with a lower melting point than the first resin to form a sheet-shaped base part 13, a step of transferring a grooved surface 51 to a surface to form a grooved base part 16 provided with groove part 15, a step of laying a sheet-shaped third conductor part 31 containing a carbon material and a third resin with a lower melting point than the first resin, and a step of integrally joining the grooved base part and the third conductor part by hot melt bonding to cover the groove parts.

Disclosed is a fuel cell membrane electrode assembly (MEA) embodiment including an anode layer; at least one exchange membrane that is disposed on the anode layer as either a single-layered structure including one exchange membrane or a multi-layered structure including a plurality of exchange membranes, each exchange membrane of the at least one exchange membrane consisting of a film comprising hexagonal boron, and the at least one exchange membrane having a total thickness ranging from 0.3 to 3 nm; an interfacial binding layer that completely covers an exposed surface of one exchange membrane which is obverse to the anode layer and that consists of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) as a binder material; and a cathode layer formed on the interfacial binding layer. Alternately, a fuel cell membrane electrode embodiment may completely eliminate the interfacial binding layer and both embodiments provide superior fuel cell performance.

Provided is an ion-conducting layer including: an ion conductive matrix; and a 1D composite dispersed in the ion conductive matrix and oriented in a membrane thickness direction, in which the 1D composite includes a core of a non-conductive 1D nanostructure; an intermediate layer enclosing the core and having magnetic nanoparticles bonded to a surface thereof; and a surface layer conducting the same kind of ions as ions in the matrix.

The present invention relates to an ion exchange membrane and an energy storage device comprising same, wherein the ion exchange membrane comprises: a polymer membrane comprising an ion conductor; and any one ion permeation inhibiting additive selected from the group consisting of a columnar porous metal oxide, crown ether, a nitrogen-containing cyclic compound, and a mixture thereof. In the ion exchange membrane, the size of a channel through which ions permeate is limited or an additive capable of trapping ions is introduced into an ion movement path, so that the permeation of ions is prevented, leading to the improvement of voltage efficiency and the prevention of deterioration.

An electrolyte membrane and method for generating the membrane provide a resistance as low as possible to minimize ohmic losses. The membrane has a low permeability for redox-active species. If redox-active species still cross the membrane, this transport is balanced during charge and discharge preventing a net vanadium flux and associated capacity fading. The membrane is mechanically robust, chemically stable in electrolyte solution, and low cost. A family of ion exchange membranes including a bilayer architecture achieves these requirements. The bilayer membrane includes two polymers, i) a polymer including N-heterocycles with electron lone pairs acting as proton acceptor sites and ii) a mechanically robust polymer acting as a support, which can be a dense cation exchange membrane or porous support layer. This bilayer architecture permits a very thin polymer film on a supporting polymer to minimize ohmic resistance and tune electrolyte transport properties of the membrane.

A core-shell particle with a ceramic core and a hydrogel shell provided on a surface of the ceramic core, wherein the hydrogel shell is formed through polymerizing a monomer comprising a first compound having an ethylenically unsaturated group and a functional group capable of forming hydrogen bonds with water and a second compound having two or more ethylenically unsaturated groups and an inorganic element, a polymer electrolyte membrane including the core-shell particle, a fuel cell or an electrochemical cell including the polymer electrolyte membrane, and a method for preparing a core-shell particle.

A proton-conductive electrochemical device and method for manufacturing the device. The device comprising a positive electrode able to reduce an oxidizing species, a negative electrode able to oxidize a reducing species, and a proton-conductive electrolyte, in contact with the positive and negative electrode. The device further comprises a layer able to diffuse protons and electrons, and forms a protective barrier against contaminants for the electrolyte. The layer is in contact with both the electrolyte and the negative electrode, and comprises a material of the type ABBO.sub.3 or a material of the type ABO.sub.3, wherein A is an element chosen from group II of the periodic table, B is an element chosen from cerium and group IVB of the periodic table, B is an element chosen from lanthanides or group VIIIB of the periodic table, and the layer has a porosity of less than 10% by volume.