Fuel cell and method for producing an electrode used therefor

Abstract

In a fuel cell comprising a pair of gas-diffusion electrodes provided with a porous catalyst layer and an acidic electrolyte layer held by the pair of gas-diffusion electrodes, a cathode which constitutes itself one of the pair of gas-diffusion electrodes comprises a heat-resistant and acid-resistant carrier particles and a noble metal catalysts carried on the carrier particles, the surface of the carrier particles and the catalysts being coated with a proton-conductive thin film exhibiting the ability to dissolve and diffuse oxygen and offering resistance to heat and acids or at least the surface of the noble metal catalysts being coated with a thin film which is a polymer network retaining a proton-conductive substance capable of dissolving and diffusing oxygen and resisting heat and acids therein. The proton-conductive thin film of the cathode or the thin film of the polymer network containing the proton-conductive substance is produced by placing an electrode substrate in an electrolytic solution containing a proton-conductive substance alone or in combination with a polymer network material and submitting it to electrolysis therein.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.