Solid polymer fuel cell

A solid polymer fuel cell comprising an electrolyte membrane having an aromatic hydrocarbon polymer ion-exchange component, and an air electrode and a fuel electrode between which said electrolyte membrane is sandwiched, each of said air electrode and said fuel electrode being formed of a plurality of catalyst particles including a catalyst metal carried on surfaces of carbon black particles, and an aromatic hydrocarbon polymer ion-exchange component which is the same as or different from the aromatic hydrocarbon polymer ion-exchange component of said electrolyte membrane, the fuel cell being moistened from only the side of said air electrode, wherein said carbon black particles in said air electrode have a water-repellent property such that an amount A of water adsorbed under a saturated steam pressure at 60° C. is equal to or smaller than 80 cc/g, and if a weight of polymer ion-exchange component incorporated in said air electrode is represented by Wp, and a weight of carbon black particles incorporated in said air electrode is represented by Wc, a ratio Wp/Wc of the weights Wp and Wc is in a range of 0.2≦Wp/Wc≦0.8, and wherein said carbon black particles in said fuel electrode have a hydrophilic property such that an amount A of water adsorbed under a saturated steam pressure at 60° C. is equal to or larger than 150 cc/g, and if a weight of polymer ion-exchange component incorporated in said fuel electrode is represented by Wp, and a weight of carbon black particles incorporated in said fuel electrode is represented by Wc, a ratio Wp/Wc of the weights Wp and Wc is in a range of 0.6≦Wp/Wc≦1.25;

• and
• wherein said polymer ion-exchange component in each of said air electrode and said fuel electrode is a sulfonated aromatic hydrocarbon polymer, and wherein a degree D of dispersion of said catalyst particles in said air electrode is in a range of 2%≦D≦7%, and a degree D of dispersion of said catalyst particles in said fuel electrode is in a range of 5%≦D≦8%, each of said degrees D of dispersion of said catalyst particles being determined according to
• D=({(Ts/Tp)−(As/Ap)}/(Ts/Tp))×100 (%)
• wherein Tp represents a theoretical concentration of a catalyst metal in the catalyst particles;
• Ts represents a theoretical concentration of sulfur (S) in said sulfonated aromatic hydrocarbon polymer;
• Ap represents an actual concentration of the catalyst metal in the catalyst particles;
• and As represents an actual concentration of sulfur (S) in said sulfonated aromatic hydrocarbon polymer.

A solid polymer fuel cell comprising an electrolyte membrane having an aromatic hydrocarbon polymer ion-exchange component, and an air electrode and a fuel electrode between which said electrolyte membrane is sandwiched, each of said air electrode and said fuel electrode being formed of a plurality of catalyst particles including a catalyst metal carried on surfaces of carbon black particles, and an aromatic hydrocarbon polymer ion-exchange component which is the same as or different from the aromatic hydrocarbon polymer ion-exchange component of said electrolyte membrane, the fuel cell being moistened from only the side of said fuel electrode, wherein said carbon black particles in said fuel electrode have a water-repellent property such that an amount A of water adsorbed under a saturated steam pressure at 60° C. is equal to or smaller than 80 cc/g, and if a weight of polymer ion-exchange component incorporated in said fuel electrode is represented by Wp, and a weight of carbon black particles incorporated in said fuel electrode is represented by Wc, a ratio Wp/Wc of the weights Wp and Wc is in a range of 0.2≦Wp/Wc≦0.8, and wherein said carbon black particles in said air electrode have a hydrophilic property such that an amount A of water adsorbed under a saturated steam pressure at 60° C. is equal to or larger than 150 cc/g, and if a weight of polymer ion-exchange component incorporated in said air electrode is represented by Wp, and a weight of carbon black particles incorporated in said air electrode is represented by Wc, ratio Wp/Wc of the weights Wp and Wc is in a range of 0.6≦Wp/Wc≦1.25;

• and
• wherein said polymer ion-exchange component in each of said air electrode and said fuel electrode is a sulfonated aromatic hydrocarbon polymer, and wherein a degree D of dispersion of said catalyst particles in said fuel electrode is in a range of 2%≦D≦7%, and a degree D of dispersion of said catalyst particles in said air electrode is in a range of 5%≦D≦8%, each of said degrees D of dispersion of said catalyst particles being determined according to
• D=({(Ts/Tp)−(As/Ap)}/(Ts/Tp)×100 (%)
• wherein Tp represents a theoretical concentration of a catalyst metal in the catalyst particles;
• Ts represents a theoretical concentration of sulfur (S) in said sulfonated aromatic hydrocarbon polymer;
• Ap represents an actual concentration of the catalyst metal in the catalyst particles;
• and As represents an actual concentration of sulfur (S) in said sulfonated aromatic hydrocarbon polymer.

A solid polymer fuel cell comprising an electrolyte membrane having an aromatic hydrocarbon polymer ion-exchange component, and an air electrode and a fuel electrode between which said electrolyte membrane is sandwiched, each of said air electrode and said fuel electrode being formed of a plurality of catalyst particles including a catalyst metal carried on surfaces of carbon black particles, and an aromatic hydrocarbon polymer ion-exchange component which is the same as or different from the aromatic hydrocarbon polymer ion-exchange component of said electrolyte membrane, said fuel cell being operated without a moistener, wherein said carbon black particles have a hydrophilic property such that an amount A of water adsorbed under a saturated steam pressure at 60° C. is equal to or larger than 150 cc/g, and if a weight of polymer ion-exchange component incorporated is represented by Wp, and a weight of carbon black particles incorporated is represented by Wc, a ratio Wp/Wc of the weights Wp and Wc is in a range of 0.4≦Wp/Wc≦1.25;

• and
• wherein said polymer ion-exchange component in each of said air electrode and said fuel electrode is a sulfonated aromatic hydrocarbon polymer, and wherein a degree D of dispersion of said catalyst particles in each of said air electrode and said fuel electrode is in a range of 3%≦D≦8%, each of said degrees D of dispersion of said catalyst particles being determined according to
• D=({(Ts/Tp)−(As/Ap)}/(Ts/Tp))×100 (%)
• wherein Tp represents a theoretical concentration of a catalyst metal in the catalyst particles;
• Ts represents a theoretical concentration of sulfur (S) in said sulfonated aromatic hydrocarbon polymer;
• Ap represents an actual concentration of the catalyst metal in the catalyst particles;
• and As represents an actual concentration of sulfur (S) in said sulfonated aromatic hydrocarbon polymer.