# US 11,909,051 B2 · Cell, cell stack unit, electrochemical module, and electrochemical apparatus

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- Number: US 11,909,051 B2
- Document ID: US11909051B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/881,650
- Filed: 2022-08-05
- Published: 2022-12-08
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2012-05-31
- Assignees: KYOCERA Corporation
- Applicants: KYOCERA Corporation
- Inventors: Toru Nakayama; Tetsuaki Ozaki; Norimitsu Fukami
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11909051B2

## CPC

- H01M 4/8605: {Porous electrodes}
- H01M 8/12: operating at high temperature, e.g. with stabilised ZrO2 electrolyte
- H01M 8/1246: the electrolyte consisting of oxides
- H01M 2004/8689: {Positive electrodes}
- H01M 2008/1293: {Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes}
- H01M 2300/0074: Ion conductive at high temperature
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

[Object] To provide a cell, a cell stack, an electrochemical module and an electrochemical apparatus that can suppress decrease in output power. [Solution] A cell includes a solid oxide electrolyte layer 9, a first electrode layer 8 on one of the main surfaces of the electrolyte layer 9, and an second electrode layer 10 on the other. The second electrode layer 10 contains a plurality of pores, and the pore size distribution observed at a section of the second electrode layer has at least three peaks (a first peak p1, a second peak p2 and a third peak p3). This structure leads to a cell, a cell stack, an electrochemical module and an electrochemical apparatus that can suppress decrease in output power.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A cell comprising:
a solid oxide electrolyte layer;
a first electrode layer on a surface of the solid oxide electrolyte layer; and
a second electrode layer on another surface of the solid oxide electrolyte layer,
wherein
the second electrode layer comprises a plurality of pores accounting for a total number of pores in the second electrode layer,
in any cross-section of the second electrode layer, the plurality of pores comprise:
first pores of a first pore size range from 0.15 μm to 0.6 μm, the first pores accounting for 80 percent to 90 percent of the plurality of pores;
second pores of a second pore size range that starts beyond a maximum pore size of the first pore size range, the second pores accounting for 9 percent to 19 percent of the plurality of pores; and
third pores of a third pore size range that partially overlaps with the second pore size range and increases beyond a maximum pore size of the second pore size range, the third pores accounting for 0.3 percent to 2 percent of the plurality of pores.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The cell according to claim 1, wherein the second pore size range is from 1 μm to 5 μm.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The cell according to claim 2, wherein
the third pore size range is from 4 μm to 25 μm.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A cell stack unit comprising a plurality of the cells according to claim 1, wherein,
the plurality of the cells are connected to one another with power collecting members.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

An electrochemical module comprising:
the cell stack unit according to claim 4 and
a housing containing the cell stack unit.

### Claim 6

A cell comprising:
a solid oxide electrolyte layer;
a first electrode layer on a surface of the solid oxide electrolyte layer; and
a second electrode layer on another surface of the solid oxide electrolyte layer,
wherein
the second electrode layer comprises a plurality of pores accounting for a total number of pores in the second electrode layer,
in any cross-section of the second electrode layer, the plurality of pores comprise:
first pores of a first pore size range from 0.02 μm to 1 μm, the first pores accounting for 80 percent to 90 percent of the plurality of pores;
second pores of a second pore size range that partially overlaps and increases beyond the maximum pore size of the first pore size range, the second pores accounting for 9 percent to 19 percent of the plurality of pores; and
third pores of a third pore size range that starts beyond the maximum pore size of the first pore size range and partially overlaps with the second pore size range and increases beyond a maximum pore size of the second pore size range, the third pores accounting for 0.3 percent to 2 percent of the plurality of pores.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The cell according to claim 6, wherein the second pore size range is from 1 μm to 5 μm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The cell according to claim 7, wherein the third pore size range is from 4 μm to 25 μm.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

A cell stack unit comprising a plurality of the cells according to claim 6, wherein,
the plurality of the cells are connected to one another with power collecting members.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

An electrochemical module comprising:
the cell stack unit according to claim 9 and
a housing containing the cell stack unit.