An electrode catalyst layer for a fuel cell includes a catalyst/support composite including a support and a catalyst supported thereon. The support contains a titanium oxide. The surface of the catalyst/support composite has an oxide of at least one element selected from the group consisting of niobium, tantalum, zirconium, and silicon. The ratio A2/A1 is from 0.35 to 1.70, wherein A1 is the atomic ratio of titanium on a surface of the catalyst layer and A2 is the atomic ratio of a total of niobium, tantalum, zirconium, and silicon on the surface of the catalyst layer, A1 and A2 being measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The titanium oxide preferably has a composition TiOx (0.5 ≤ x < 2).

A fuel cell power generation system is provided with: at least one fuel cell module each of which includes a fuel cell having a fuel-side electrode, an electrolyte, and an oxygen-side electrode; at least one fuel supply line for supplying a fuel gas to the fuel-side electrode included in the at least one fuel cell module; at least one oxidizing gas supply line for supplying an oxidizing gas to the oxygen-side electrode included in the at least one fuel cell module; and a most downstream exhaust fuel gas line through which an exhaust fuel gas discharged from a most downstream module that is disposed most downstream in a flow of the fuel gas among the at least one fuel cell module flows. The most downstream exhaust fuel gas line is configured to supply the exhaust fuel gas to the oxygen-side electrode included in any of the fuel cell modules.

A clad porous metal substrate for use in a metal-supported electrochemical cell, wherein a metal support layer of defined porosity is clad on top and bottom sides with a layer containing a metal and/or a metal oxide. A metal-supported electrochemical half-cell and a metal-supported electrochemical cell are also described.

Disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing a support for a catalyst of a fuel cell. The method may include preparing an admixture including a carbon material and a cerium precursor into a reactor, providing the admixture in a reactor, raising a temperature of the reactor to a predetermined temperature, and introducing water vapor into the reactor to perform an activation reaction of the carbon material.

The present invention provides a metal carbonitride comprising: i) a first metal, M.sup.1; and ii) a second metal, M.sup.2; wherein M.sup.1 is titanium, zirconium or hafnium; and M.sup.2 is vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, iron, ruthenium or osmium.

Me-N—C catalysts, wherein Me can include a transition metal, Mn, Fe, Co, or a combination of metals with Me-INU moieties located at the exterior surface of the Me-N—C catalysts are produced by a chemical vapor deposition synthesis. The synthesis methods can utilize non-solid-contact pyrolysis wherein a metal salt can be vaporized. Gaseous metal from the vaporized metal salt can displace a metal M from the N—C zeolitic imidazolate framework. The non-solid-contact pyrolysis does not mix solid iron precursors (e.g., Me=Mn, Fe, or Co) with the solid N—C zeolitic imidazolate framework precursors during or before the synthesis, which improves the process compared to conventional methods.

Me-N—C catalysts, wherein Me can include a transition metal, Mn, Fe, Co, or a combination of metals with Me-INU moieties located at the exterior surface of the Me-N—C catalysts are produced by a chemical vapor deposition synthesis. The synthesis methods can utilize non-solid-contact pyrolysis wherein a metal salt can be vaporized. Gaseous metal from the vaporized metal salt can displace a metal M from the N—C zeolitic imidazolate framework. The non-solid-contact pyrolysis does not mix solid iron precursors (e.g., Me=Mn, Fe, or Co) with the solid N—C zeolitic imidazolate framework precursors during or before the synthesis, which improves the process compared to conventional methods.

Herein disclosed is a method of treating a component of a fuel cell, which includes the step of exposing the component of the fuel cell to a source of electromagnetic radiation (EMR). The component comprises a first material. The EMR has a wavelength ranging from 10 to 1500 nm and the EMR has a minimum energy density of 0.1 Joule/cm2. Preferably, the treatment process has one or more of the following effects: heating, drying, curing, sintering, annealing, sealing, alloying, evaporating, restructuring, foaming. In an embodiment, the substrate is a component in a fuel cell. Such component comprises an anode, a cathode, an electrolyte, a catalyst, a barrier layer, a interconnect, a reformer, or reformer catalyst. In an embodiment, the substrate is a layer in a fuel cell or a portion of a layer in a fuel cell or a combination of layers in a fuel cell or a combination of partial layers in a fuel cell.

An electrochemical cell comprises a first electrode, a second electrode, and a proton-conducting membrane between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode comprises Pr(Co.sub.1-x-y-z, Ni.sub.x, Mn.sub.y, Fe.sub.z)O.sub.3-δ, wherein 0≤x≤0.9, 0≤y≤0.9, 0≤z≤0.9, and δ is an oxygen deficit. The second electrode comprises a cermet material including at least one metal and at least one perovskite. Related structures, apparatuses, systems, and methods are also described.

A series of catalyst inks comprising n-propanol and water are disclosed. The impact of these inks on structure and morphology of catalyst layers is discussed, as well as applications of the catalyst ink compositions in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.