Loading patent…
AssigneeNational Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
InventorsTatsuhiro Okada, Kentaro Ishida, Masayoshi Ishida
Estimating the term…
A fuel cell, which has a tubular polymer electrolyte membrane, with a fuel electrode on one of inner and outer sides of the membrane, and with an air electrode on the other side of the membrane, wherein at least one of the fuel electrode and the air electrode is composed of carbon fibers on which a catalyst is loaded.
A fuel cell, comprising a tubular polymer electrolyte membrane, with a fuel electrode on one of inner and outer sides of the membrane, and with an air electrode on the other side of the membrane, wherein at least one of the fuel electrode and the air electrode is composed of carbon fibers on which a catalyst is loaded.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Backward citations are indexed for grants only.
Processes of manufacture: methods for deposition of the catalytic active composition
Inert electrodes with catalytic activity, e.g. for fuel cells: porous electrodes
Selection of catalytic material: metals of platinum group
Inert electrodes with catalytic activity, e.g. for fuel cells: carbon-based electrodes
Term end not estimated
The present invention relates to a low-temperature operating-type fuel cell using a tubular polymer electrolyte membrane.
Fuel cells include low-temperature operating-type fuel cells, which operate at an operating temperature of as low as 300° C. or less, such as polymer electrolyte fuel cells, alkali fuel cells, phosphoric acid fuel cells, and direct methanol fuel cells. Of those, in particular, those having a polymer membrane as an electrolyte, such as the polymer electrolyte fuel cell and the direct methanol fuel cell, have a number of merits because the electrolyte is not a liquid. For example, if a pressure difference is caused between fuel gas and oxidizer gas (air or oxygen), the fuel cell is run with no problem. In addition, by setting the thickness of the electrolyte membrane to several tens of micrometers or less, improvement in output power, compactness, and stacking capability can be achieved at the same time. Further, the fuel cell is excellent in starting characteristics and load responsiveness. Accordingly, application of such fuel cells to an oncoming electric automobile or domestic stationary power source has recently been receiving attention.
Furthermore, in other application fields than those described above, application of a fuel cell as a small cell (battery), such as one in a portable device or a transportable power source, is gaining a promising feature. Since a fuel cell can generate power instantaneously as soon as a fuel is supplied, it can reduce time required for charging and is sufficiently competitive in cost, as compared with a secondary battery.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one example of the fuel cell using a liquid fuel, according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one example of the fuel cell using a gaseous fuel, according to the present invention.
FIG. 3(a) is a graph illustrating current-potential characteristics in one example of the fuel cell using a methanol in sulfuric acid solution, according to the present invention.
According to the present invention, there are provided the following means:
(1) A fuel cell, comprising a tubular polymer electrolyte membrane, with a fuel electrode on one of inner and outer sides of the membrane, and with an air electrode on the other side of the membrane, wherein at least one of the fuel electrode and the air electrode is composed of carbon fibers on which a catalyst is loaded;
(2) The fuel cell according to the above-mentioned item (1), wherein the carbon fibers loaded with a catalyst are hot-pressed (heat-bonded) to the tubular polymer electrolyte membrane;