Porous support for electrochemical reaction cell high-density integration, and electrochemical reaction cell stack and electrochemical reaction system comprising the porous support for electrochemical reaction cell high-density integration

#The present invention relates to a porous support for integrating electrochemical reaction cells with high-density, and more particularly, to a porous support having a plurality of through-holes parallelly arrayed, to an electrochemical reaction cell stack comprising the porous support, and to an electrochemical reaction system comprising the cell stack. The present invention provides a porous support for integrating electrochemical cells with high-density, comprising a porous molded product, the shape of which is maintained by a three-dimensional reticulated structure formed by a gelling agent, and having a through-hole for forming an electrolyte layer and an electrode layer by coating thereof; and further provides an electrochemical reaction cell stack comprising the porous support, and an electrochemical reaction system comprising the cell stack as a constituent element.

#Typical examples of electrochemical reaction systems are solid oxide fuel cells (hereinafter “SOFC”) using a solid electrolyte having oxide ion conductivity. The basic structure of such SOFC is made of unit cells in which there are connected three layers of an air electrode/solid electrolyte /fuel electrode.

#A fuel gas such as hydrogen, a hydrocarbon or the like is fed to the fuel electrode of the SOFC unit cell, while an oxidizing gas such as oxygen, air or the like is fed to the air electrode, whereupon there forms a difference between the oxygen partial pressure in the fuel electrode side and in the air electrode side. Oxygen, which is ionized at the air electrode, migrates towards the fuel electrode via the solid electrolyte. Upon reaching the fuel electrode, the oxide ions react with the fuel gas, releasing electrons in the process. When a load is connected to the fuel electrode and the air electrode, therefore, electrical energy can be extracted directly from the electrode chemical reaction.

#FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of electrochemical reaction cells formed in a porous support comprising an electrode material, and of an electrochemical reaction cell stack as an integrated product of electrochemical reaction cells;

#FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of electrochemical reaction cells, formed in a porous support comprising an oxide other than an electrode material, and of an electrochemical reaction cell stack as an integrated product of electrochemical reaction cells;

#FIG. 3 illustrates the appearance of a porous support, having a plurality of through-holes, manufactured in Example 1;

#The present invention is explained in concrete terms below on the basis of examples. The present invention, however, is in no way meant to be limited to or by the examples.

#A slurry was prepared by mixing, under heating, 30 parts by weight of zirconia powder, 1 part by weight of agar, and 30 parts by weight of distilled water. The slurry was cast in a 15 mm×15 mm×15 mm mold, having arrayed therein 10×10 (total 100) long solid cylinders having a diameter of 0.8 mm and a length of 1 mm, and was molded through gelling at room temperature. The mold was removed, and a porous molded product comprising 100 through-holes was obtained through drying in a refrigerator. The content of gelling agent in the molded product was 3 wt %.

#The molded product was fired at 1300° C. in air, to yield a porous support having a porosity of 40%. FIG. 3 illustrates the appearance of the obtained porous support. As FIG. 3 shows, the support had an outer diameter of 7.5 mm×7.5 mm×7.5 mm, and a hole diameter of 0.4 mm. As regards the through-holes, FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional SEM image of the porous support.