Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrode catalyst for a fuel cell that includes a carbon support (11) having pores (13) and catalyst particles containing platinum or a platinum alloy supported on the carbon support (11). The pores (13) of the carbon support (11) have a mode size of pores (13) in a range of 2.1 nm to 5.1 nm. A total pore volume of the pores (13) of the carbon support (11) is in a range of 21 cm3/g to 35 cm3/g. A distance between the catalyst particles and a surface of the carbon support (11) is in a range of 2.0 nm to 12 nm as a distance of a 50% cumulative frequency.

Abstract: An electrode catalyst for fuel cells that can inhibit an increase in gas diffusion resistance includes a carbon material having a ratio of a peak intensity IA derived from an amorphous structure to a peak intensity IG derived from a graphite structure in an X-ray diffraction spectrum (ratio IA/IG) of 0.90 or less as a catalyst-supporting carrier.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to achieve both high initial performance and durability performance of a fuel cell. Such object can be achieved by using a fuel cell electrode catalyst that includes a solid carbon carrier and an alloy of platinum and cobalt supported on the carrier.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrode catalyst for a fuel cell that includes a carbon support (11) having pores (13) and catalyst particles containing platinum or a platinum alloy supported on the carbon support (11). The pores (13) of the carbon support (11) have a mode size of pores (13) in a range of 2.1 nm to 5.1 nm. A total pore volume of the pores (13) of the carbon support (11) is in a range of 21 cm3/g to 35 cm3/g. A distance between the catalyst particles and a surface of the carbon support (11) is in a range of 2.0 nm to 12 nm as a distance of a 50% cumulative frequency.

Abstract: There is provided a method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly that has an electrode catalyst layer formed on a surface of an electrolyte membrane. The electrode catalyst layer formed in the membrane electrode assembly is produced by a drying process that dries a catalyst ink which includes catalyst-supported particles having a catalyst metal supported thereon, a solvent and an ionomer, at a predetermined temperature. The catalyst ink includes a plurality of different solvents having different boiling points. The predetermined temperature is set to be lower than the boiling point of the solvent having the lowest boiling point among the plurality of different solvents.

Abstract: A catalyst electrode layer is configured to be disposed in contact with an electrolyte membrane of a fuel cell. A content of Fe per unit area of the catalyst electrode layer is equal to or larger than 0 ?g/cm2 and equal to or smaller than 0.14 ?g/cm2, and a water absorption rate of the catalyst electrode layer is equal to or higher than 11% and equal to or lower than 30%.

Abstract: An electrode catalyst for fuel cells that can inhibit an increase in gas diffusion resistance includes a carbon material having a ratio of a peak intensity IA derived from an amorphous structure to a peak intensity IG derived from a graphite structure in an X-ray diffraction spectrum (ratio IA/IG) of 0.90 or less as a catalyst-supporting carrier.

Abstract: The method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly that has an electrode catalyst layer formed on a surface of an electrolyte membrane comprises (a) producing an electrode catalyst layer by drying a catalyst ink that includes catalyst-supported particles having a catalyst metal supported thereon, a solvent and an ionomer; and (b) selecting a produced electrode catalyst layer that contains an amount of sulfate ion equal to or less than a specified reference value, and manufacturing the membrane electrode assembly by using the selected electrode catalyst layer.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to achieve both high initial performance and durability performance of a fuel cell.

Abstract: A means of inhibiting the occurrence of overvoltage in an electrode catalyst for fuel cells so as to substantially prevent reduction of fuel cell performance includes an anode electrode catalyst for fuel cells, which contains a carbon support having at least one pore having a pore size of 10 nm or less and a pore volume of 1.1 to 8.4 cm3/g and catalyst particles having particle sizes of 3.1 nm or less and supported by the carbon support so that the density of supported catalyst particles is 15% to 40% by mass.

Abstract: The method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly that has an electrode catalyst layer formed on a surface of an electrolyte membrane comprises (a) producing an electrode catalyst layer by drying a catalyst ink that includes catalyst-supported particles having a catalyst metal supported thereon, a solvent and an ionomer; and (b) selecting a produced electrode catalyst layer that contains an amount of sulfate ion equal to or less than a specified reference value, and manufacturing the membrane electrode assembly by using the selected electrode catalyst layer.

Abstract: There is provided a method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly that has an electrode catalyst layer formed on a surface of an electrolyte membrane. The electrode catalyst layer formed in the membrane electrode assembly is produced by a drying process that dries a catalyst ink which includes catalyst-supported particles having a catalyst metal supported thereon, a solvent and an ionomer, at a predetermined temperature. The catalyst ink includes a plurality of different solvents having different boiling points. The predetermined temperature is set to be lower than the boiling point of the solvent having the lowest boiling point among the plurality of different solvents.

Abstract: A catalyst electrode layer is configured to be disposed in contact with an electrolyte membrane of a fuel cell. A content of Fe per unit area of the catalyst electrode layer is equal to or larger than 0 ?g/cm2 and equal to or smaller than 0.14 ?g/cm2, and a water absorption rate of the catalyst electrode layer is equal to or higher than 11% and equal to or lower than 30%.

Abstract: This therapeutic agent for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease comprises, an active ingredient, at least one of a 7-aminoquinolinone derivative represented by the general formula (I): wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; R2 and R3 each represents a group selected from a hydrogen atom, an acyl group, an alkyl group and an alkenyl group; and R4 and R5 each represents a group selected from a hydrogen atom, an acyl group, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group and an aralkyl group, and its physiologically acceptable salt.

Abstract: This invention is intended to improve the coverage of a platinum or platinum alloy surface with gold when producing a catalyst comprising carrier particles that support gold-modified platinum or platinum alloys. The invention provides a method for producing a catalyst comprising carrier particles that support gold-modified platinum or platinum alloys comprising a step of gold reduction comprising adding carrier particles that support platinum or platinum alloys, a reducing agent, and a gold precursor to a liquid medium and mixing the same, wherein the reducing agent is added to adjust the ORP value (i.e., an oxidation-reduction potential with reference to the silver-silver chloride electrode) of the liquid medium to ?630 to +230 mV upon completion of addition.

Abstract: This therapeutic agent for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease comprises, an active ingredient, at least one of a 7-aminoquinolinone derivative represented by the general formula (I): wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; R2 and R3 each represents a group selected from a hydrogen atom, an acyl group, an alkyl group and an alkenyl group; and R4 and R5 each represents a group selected from a hydrogen atom, an acyl group, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group and an aralkyl group, and its physiologically acceptable salt.

Abstract: An acquiring unit acquires pattern sentences, which are similar to one another and include fixed segments and non-fixed segments, and substitution words that are substituted for the non-fixed segments. A sentence generating unit generates target sentences by replacing the non-fixed segments with the substitution words for each of the pattern sentences. A first synthetic-sound generating unit generates a first synthetic sound, a synthetic sound of the fixed segment, and a second synthetic-sound generating unit generates a second synthetic sound, a synthetic sound of the substitution word, for each of the target sentences. A calculating unit calculates a discontinuity value of a boundary between the first synthetic sound and the second synthetic sound for each of the target sentences and a selecting unit selects the target sentence having the smallest discontinuity value. A connecting unit connects the first synthetic sound and the second synthetic sound of the target sentence selected.

Abstract: A fundamental frequency pattern generation apparatus includes a first storage including representative vectors each corresponding to a prosodic control unit and having a section for changing the number of phonemes, a second storage unit including a rule to select a vector corresponding to an input context, a selection unit configured to select a vector from the representative vectors by applying the rule to the context and output the selected vector, a calculation unit configured to calculate an expansion/contraction ratio of the section of the selected vector in a time-axis direction based on a designated value for a specific feature amount related to a length of a fundamental frequency pattern to be generated, the designated value of the feature amount being required of the fundamental frequency pattern to be generated, and an expansion/contraction unit configured to expand/contract the selected vector based on the expansion/contraction ratio to generate the fundamental frequency pattern.

Abstract: This invention is intended to improve the coverage of a platinum or platinum alloy surface with gold when producing a catalyst comprising carrier particles that support gold-modified platinum or platinum alloys. The invention provides a method for producing a catalyst comprising carrier particles that support gold-modified platinum or platinum alloys comprising a step of gold reduction comprising adding carrier particles that support platinum or platinum alloys, a reducing agent, and a gold precursor to a liquid medium and mixing the same, wherein the reducing agent is added to adjust the ORP value (i.e., an oxidation-reduction potential with reference to the silver-silver chloride electrode) of the liquid medium to ?630 to +230 mV upon completion of addition.

Abstract: A method for producing a gold fine particle-supported carrier catalyst for a fuel cell, which reduces a gold ion in a liquid phase reaction system containing a carbon carrier by means of an action of a reducing agent, to reduce the gold ion, deposit, and support a gold fine particle on the carbon carrier, wherein a reduction rate of the gold ion is set within the range of 330 to 550 mV/h, and pH is set within the range of 4.0 to 6.0 to perform the reduction of the gold ion, deposition, and support of the gold fine particle.