Provided is a method for producing a lithium ion cell having an outer container composed of a resin molded article, and the method for producing a lithium ion cell includes a current collector forming process of forming, on the inner side of an outer container, each of a first electrode current collector and a second electrode current collector composed of an electrically conductive polymer composition by using a molding die.

An electrode plate is produced by a wet granule forming process and a film forming process. In the wet granule forming process, wet granules are formed by mixing electrode mixture materials including at least an active material and a binder with a solvent. In the film forming process, a sheet-shaped electrode mixture layer is formed by causing the wet granules to pass through a gap between a pair of rolls so as to be rolled, and the electrode mixture layer is adhered onto a current collector foil. In the wet granule forming process, a powder of copper having an average particle size of 100 nm or smaller is used as one of the electrode mixture materials, and the amount of the powder of copper added in a range of 0.05 wt % to 2.00 wt % with respect to the total weight of the electrode mixture materials.

Membranes and methods of making and using the membranes are described herein. The membranes can include a foamed polymeric support and a plurality of inorganic particles disposed within the foamed polymeric support. The foamed polymeric support can contain a hydrophilic polymer such as polyethersulfone. The plurality of inorganic particles can include hydrophilic particles such as zeolite particles. In certain embodiments, the membrane can be used in humidifiers, such as those used in fuel cell systems. In some aspects, the membrane can be used for separating a fluid mixture comprising water. The membranes described herein are stable for high temperature applications.

A method is provided to make a bipolar plate of a flow cell. The two insulating frames traditionally cladding the graphite plate is changed. Through injection-molding, an acid-resisting insulating material is molded on the graphite plate to form an integrated bipolar plate. Composite channels are designed around the graphite plate. Thus, the binding force between the acid-resisting insulating material and the graphite plate is increased and the risk of electrolyte leakage is reduced. In order to reduce shunt currents, branch channels are also made in the frame through injection-molding. By using the bipolar plate thus made accordingly, not only the possibility of electrolyte leakage but also the number of components and the time for processing assembly can be significantly reduced. The cost of processing and assembly is effectively decreased. Accordingly, the present invention simplifies the structure of bipolar plate with cost reduced.

A machining apparatus includes an apparatus body and a setting jig. The setting jig has a frame body including openings to expose molding regions, which are to be molded by the apparatus body, of the sheet material, and a restraining portion to restrain a periphery of the molding regions. The apparatus body includes a support member that supports the setting jig at a position where the molding regions are disposed between an upper die and a lower die, and a first urging member to urge the support member toward the upper die so as to separate the molded body from the lower die, with the upper die disengaged from the lower die.

There is provided a technique that readily performs positioning of a joining member relative to a strip member during conveyance. A joining device 100 joins a gas diffusion layer 7 with a first catalyst electrode layer 2 of a strip body 5r which is a continuous strip member of a membrane electrode assembly 5, while conveying the strip body 5r. A controller 101 of the joining device 100 obtains a detection time t.sub.d based on a detection signal of a catalyst layer detector 130 when a front end 3e of a second catalyst electrode layer 3 placed on the strip body 5r passes through a detection point DP. The controller 101 subsequently obtains a joining position reach time t.sub.t based on the detection time t.sub.d when the gas diffusion layer 7 reaches a press point PP of joining rollers 152. The controller 101 starts conveying the gas diffusion layer 7 by means of a transfer at a conveying start time t.sub.s that is obtained based on the joining position reach time t.sub.t and a specified speed pattern of the transfer 141.

In polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells and electrolyzes, attaining and maintaining high membrane conductivity and durability is crucial for performance and efficiency. The use of low equivalent weight (EW) perfluorinated ionomers is one of the few options available to improve membrane conductivity. However, excessive dimensional changes of low EW ionomers upon application of wet/dry or freeze/thaw cycles yield catastrophic losses in membrane integrity. Incorporation of ionomers within porous, dimensionally-stable perforated polymer electrolyte membrane substrates provides improved PEM performance and longevity. The present invention provides novel methods using micromolds to fabricate the perforated polymer electrolyte membrane substrates. These novel methods using micromolds create uniform and well-defined pore structures. In addition, these novel methods using micromolds described herein may be used in batch or continuous processing.

A method for manufacturing a fuel cell assembly includes: arranging an end face of a gas diffusion layer on a placement jig in a state abutting an end face of a resin frame; melting a part of the frame member and causing to penetrate into the gas diffusion layer by pressurizing the projecting part by way of a heat-transfer member, and heating the projecting part via the heat-transfer member by abutting a heating member against of the heat-transfer member; and solidifying the part of the resin frame having penetrated into the gas diffusion layer, in which an abutting position of the heating member relative to the heat transfer member is set in the melting step so that a central axis of the heating member is positioned more to a side of the gas diffusion layer than the central axis of the projecting part.

Improved battery separators, base films or membranes, batteries, cells, devices, systems, vehicles, and/or methods of making and/or using such separators, films or membranes, batteries, cells, devices, systems, vehicles, and/or methods of enhancing battery or cell charge rates, charge capacity, and/or discharge rates, and/or methods of improving batteries, systems including such batteries, vehicles including such batteries and/or systems, and/or the like; biaxially oriented porous membranes, composites including biaxially oriented porous membranes, biaxially oriented microporous membranes, biaxially oriented macroporous membranes, battery separators with improved charge capacities and the related methods and methods of manufacture, methods of use, and the like; flat sheet membranes, liquid retention media; dry process separators; biaxially stretched separators; dry process biaxially stretched separators having a thickness range between about 5 μm and 50 μm, preferably between about 10 μm and 25 μm, having improved strength, high porosity, and unexpectedly and/or surprisingly high charge capacity, such as, for example, high 10 C rate charge capacity; separators or membranes with high charge capacity and high porosity, excellent charge rate and/or charge capacity performance in a rechargeable and/or secondary lithium battery, such as a lithium ion battery, for high power and/or high energy applications, cells, devices, systems, and/or vehicles, and/or the like; single or multiple ply or layer separators, monolayer separators, trilayer separators, composite separators, laminated separators, co-extruded separators, coated separators, 1 C or higher separators, at least 1 C separators, batteries, cells, systems, devices, vehicles, and/or the like; improved microporous battery separators for secondary lithium batteries, improved microporous battery separators with enhanced or high charge (C) rates, discharge (C) rates, and/or enhanced or high charge capacities in or for secondary lithium batteries, and/or related methods of manufacture, use, and/or the like, and/or combinations thereof are disclosed or provided.

A nitrogen-containing porous carbon material, and a capacitor and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. A carbon material, a macromolecular material and a modified material are mixed into a preform. The modified material includes nitrogen. A formation process is performed on the preform to obtain a formed object. High-temperature sintering is performed on the formed object to decompose and remove a part of the macromolecular material, while the other part of the macromolecular material and the carbon material together form a backbone structure including a plurality of pores. As such, the nitrogen becomes attached to the backbone structure to form a hydrogen-containing functional group to further obtain the nitrogen-containing porous carbon material. The nitrogen-containing porous carbon material may form a first nitrogen-containing porous carbon plate and a second nitrogen-containing porous carbon plate, which are placed in seawater to form a storage capacitor for seawater.