Flexible fuel cell sensors and methods of making and using the same are provided. A fuel cell sensor can be used for the detection of, for example, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), and the working mechanism of the fuel cell sensor can rely on redox reactions. The fuel cell sensor can include a proton exchange membrane (PEM), an anode disposed on a first surface of the PEM, a cathode disposed on a second surface of the PEM opposite from the first surface, and a reference electrode disposed on the first surface of the PEM and spaced apart from the anode.

A fuel cell with high productivity, high power generation performance and high durability is described, along with a gas diffusion electrode base material having a microporous layer on one side of an electrically conductive porous base material, where the electrically conductive porous base material contains carbon fiber and resin carbide and has a density of 0.25 to 0.39 g/cm.sup.3 and a pore mode diameter in a range of 30 to 50 μm. The microporous layer contains a carbonaceous powder and a fluororesin and has a surface roughness of 2.0 to 6.0 μm, a porosity of 50 to 95%, and a pore mode diameter of 0.050 to 0.100 μm.

The present invention provides a method of preparing a catalyst material, said catalyst material comprising a support material and an electrocatalyst dispersed on the support material; said method comprising the steps: i) providing a support material; then ii) 10 depositing a silicon oxide precursor on the support material; then iii) carrying out a heat treatment step to convert the silicon oxide precursor to silicon oxide; then iv) depositing said electrocatalyst or a precursor of said electrocatalyst on the support material; then v) removal of at least some of the silicon oxide.

A method for preparing a support for an electrode catalyst including forming first and second polymer layers having charges different from each other on a surface of a carbon support and carbonizing the result, wherein the polymers included in the first and the second polymer layers are an aromatic compound including a heteroatom, and the first or the second polymer includes a pyridine group.

A method for producing a membrane electrode comprises a thermal transfer printing step, a thermal combining step, a carbon paper attaching step and a hot-pressing step. The invention realizes the continuous automatic production of the membrane electrode and improves the production efficiency and the quality of the membrane electrode.

A CoVO.sub.x composite electrode and method of making is described. The composite electrode comprises a substrate with an average 0.5-5 μm thick layer of CoVO.sub.x having pores with average diameters of 2-200 nm. The method of making the composite electrode involves contacting the substrate with an aerosol comprising a solvent, a cobalt complex, and a vanadium complex. The CoVO.sub.x composite electrode is capable of being used in an electrochemical cell for water oxidation.

Provided is a porous electrode substrate capable of reducing a drop in electromotive force when used in a battery. This porous electrode substrate comprises a carbon fiber sheet wherein carbon fibers are bound by a binder. For dust of 0.3 μm or more in particle size, the dust generation amount per 1 m.sup.2 of the porous electrode substrate is 120,000/m.sup.2 or less, as determined by the following method: dust particles in a gas obtained by suctioning at 47.2 mL/s for 40 minutes using a dust collecting hood having an opening of 500 mm×100 mm while traveling the sheet at a speed of 10 m/min from a position 200 mm below the sheet are used; the number of dust particles having a diameter within a predetermined range is measured by a particle counter; and the measured value is divided by 200 m.sup.2, which is a suction area, and the resulting value is defined as a dust generation amount per 1 m.sup.2.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a catalyst for an electrochemical cell, wherein: a graphited porous carbon material is treated with an oxygen-containing plasma or an aqueous medium containing an oxidising agent, at least one noble metal compound is deposited on the treated carbon material, the impregnated carbon material is brought into contact with a reducing agent such that the noble metal compound is reduced to a metallic noble metal.

Membrane electrode assembly and method for fabricating the same. In one embodiment, the method may involve providing an anion exchange membrane and then applying catalyst coatings to opposing surfaces of the anion exchange membrane, whereby a membrane electrode assembly may be formed. Next, the membrane electrode assembly may be subjected to a two-part treatment process. In a first part of the process, the membrane electrode assembly may be swelled, at room temperature, by exposure to an aqueous ethanol solution vapor while being retained under tension in a frame. The aqueous ethanol solution vapor may be, for example, 80:20 by volume ethanol and water. In a second part of the process, the swollen membrane electrode assembly may be removed from the frame and then pressed, at room temperature, between two plates. A layer of rubber and a layer polytetrafluoroethylene may be placed between each plate and the swollen membrane electrolyte assembly.

The invention relates to a method for producing a supported catalyst material for a fuel-cell electrode, as well as a catalyst material that can be produced using said method. In the method, first, a carbide-forming substance is deposited from the gas phase onto the carbon-based carrier material to produce a carbide-containing layer and, then, a catalytically-active precious metal or an alloy thereof from the gas phase is deposited to form a catalytic layer. By chemical reaction of the carbide-forming substance with the carbon, very stable carbide bonds are formed at the interface, while an alloy phase of the two forms at the interface between carbide-forming substance and precious metal. Overall, a very stable adhesion of the catalytic precious metal to the substrate results, whereby degradation effects are reduced, and the life of the material is extended.