Abstract: Anodes are provided on a porous resin film, a polymer electrolyte membrane is provided on the anodes, and cathodes are provided on the polymer electrolyte membrane to form a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies as power generation units. An electrically conductive member is connected to the cathode of a membrane electrode assembly, and a metal film is electrically connected to the anode of an adjacent membrane electrode assembly. The electrically conductive member has an expansion connected to the metal film. The cathode of the membrane electrode assembly and the anode of the adjacent membrane electrode assembly are electrically connected by the electrically conductive member and the metal film.

Abstract: In a polymer electrolyte fuel cell in which a cathode diffusion layer, a cathode electrode catalyst layer, a polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode electrode catalyst layer, and an anode diffusion layer are laminated in this order, electron conductivity of the cathode electrode catalyst layer at a portion on the side of the cathode diffusion layer is higher than at a portion on the side of the polymer electrolyte membrane and electron conductivity of the cathode electrode catalyst layer at the portion on the side of the polymer electrolyte membrane is lower than at the portion on the side of the cathode diffusion layer, and furthermore, electron conductivity of the anode electrode catalyst layer at a portion on the side of the anode diffusion layer is higher than at a portion on the side of the polymer electrolyte membrane and electron conductivity of the anode electrode catalyst layer at the portion on the side of the polymer electrolyte membrane is lower than at the portion on the side of the anode diffusio

Abstract: A cell assembly (10) includes a first unit cell (12) and a second unit cell (14). The first unit cell (12) and the second unit cell (14) are juxtaposed such that electrode surfaces of the first unit cell (12) and electrode surfaces of the second unit cell (14) are aligned in parallel with each other. An oxygen-containing gas flow passage (32) includes a first oxygen-containing gas passage (38) in the first unit cell (12), an oxygen-containing gas connection passage (40) in a connection passage member (16), and a second oxygen-containing gas passage (42) in the second unit cell (14). The first oxygen-containing gas passage (38), the oxygen-containing gas connection passage (40), and the second oxygen-containing gas passage (42) are connected serially from the first unit cell (12) to the second unit cell (14).

Abstract: A fuel cell having an oxygen-containing gas flow field and a fuel gas flow field, an oxygen-containing gas supply apparatus for supplying an oxygen-containing gas to the oxygen-containing gas flow field, a fuel gas supply apparatus for supplying a fuel gas to the fuel gas flow field, a scavenging gas supply apparatus for supplying air as a scavenging gas to the fuel gas flow field, and a controller are provided. The controller includes a voltage detection unit for detecting the voltage of the fuel cell after operation of the fuel cell is stopped and a scavenging control unit for starting scavenging in the fuel gas flow field by the scavenging gas supply apparatus after the detected voltage is decreased temporarily, increased, and decreased again to become a preset voltage or less.

Abstract: An electrode structure having a pair of electrode catalyst layers and a polymer electrolyte membrane held between both the electrode catalyst layers is provided. The polymer electrolyte membrane is a sulfonate of a hydrocarbon-based polymer comprising a main chain in which two or more benzene rings are bound together directly or through a divalent group. The membrane includes 5% or more by weight of water coordinated to protons of sulfonic acid groups. The polymer electrolyte membrane may include a fluorine-containing ion conducting polymer such that the ratio of fluorine content in the polymer electrolyte membrane to the fluorine content in the electrode catalyst layers is in the range of from 0.2 to 2.0. The electrode structure constitutes a fuel cell, which generates power when oxidizing gas is supplied to the one side of the electrode structure and reducing gas to the other side.

Abstract: Herein disclosed is a microcomputer MCU adopting the general purpose register method. The microcomputer is enabled to have a small program capacity or a high program memory using efficiency and a low system cost, while enjoying the advantage of simplification of the instruction decoding as in the RISC machine having a fixed length instruction format of the prior art, by adopting a fixed length instruction format having a power of 2 but a smaller bit number than that of the maximum data word length fed to instruction execution means. And, the control of the coded division is executed by noting the code bits.

Abstract: An antenna unit consists of an EBG reflector, a single curl antenna supported at a central portion of the EBG reflector, and a periodic structure upper plate disposed apart from a principal surface of the EBG reflector by a predetermined distance. The EBG reflector includes a substrate having the principal surface and (Nx×Ny) square patches which are printed on the principle surface of the substrate and which are arranged in a matrix fashion (lattice structure). The periodic structure upper plate consists of a film and (Nx×Ny) square patch-like conductors printed on the film. The (Nx×Ny) square patch-like conductors are disposed so as to oppose to the (Nx×Ny) square patches, respectively.

Abstract: The present invention provides a proton conductive membrane having capabilities of self-generating water and maintaining water, excellent ion conductivity and excellent effect of inhibiting crossover and usable for solid polymer electrolyte type fuel cells and also provides a proton conductive composition used for preparing the proton conductive membrane. The proton conductive composition comprises 100 parts by weight of a polyarylene having a sulfonic group and 0.01 to 80 parts by weight of at least one metal catalyst selected from the group consisting of platinum, gold, palladium, rhodium, iridium and ruthenium, or comprises 100 parts by weight of a polyarylene having a sulfonic group, 0.01 to 80 parts by weight of the metal catalyst, and 0.01 to 50 parts by weight of metal oxide fine particles and/or fibers in total.

Abstract: An electrode structure for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprises a pair of electrode catalyst layers and a polymer electrolyte membrane held between the electrode catalyst layers. The polymer electrolyte membrane is a sulfonation product of a polymer which comprises a main chain wherein two or more divalent aromatic residues are bound to one another directly or through oxy groups or divalent groups other than aromatic residues and side chains comprising aromatic groups to be sulfonated. The number of divalent aromatic residues comprised in the main chain of the above polymer is denoted by X, and the number of oxy groups comprised in the main chain of the above polymer is denoted by Y, and the value X/Y is within the range of from 2.0 to 9.0.

Abstract: The present invention provides a membrane electrode assembly for use in a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell which assembly can ensure the gas diffusivity, the capability of discharging the generated water and the moisture retentivity, and can attain an excellent electric power generation performance in the gas atmosphere under a wide variety of humidity conditions. The membrane electrode assembly comprises: a cathode electrode catalyst layer 3 and an anode electrode catalyst layer 4 respectively disposed on one side and the other side of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 2; gas diffusion layers 5 and 6 disposed respectively on the sides of the electrode catalyst layers 3 and 4; and intermediate layers 7 and 8 comprising pores and disposed respectively between the electrode catalyst layer 3 and the gas diffusion layer 5 and between the electrode catalyst layer 4 and the gas diffusion layer 6. The volume per unit area and per unit mass (pore volume) of the pores having pore size of 0.

Abstract: The present invention provides a membrane electrode assembly for use in a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell which assembly can attain an excellent electric power generation performance both under low-humidity conditions and under high-humidity conditions. The membrane electrode assembly includes: a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 2 having proton conductivity; a cathode electrode catalyst layer 3 disposed on one side of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 2; an anode electrode catalyst layer 4 disposed on the other side of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 2; and two gas diffusion layers 5 and 6 disposed on a side of the cathode electrode catalyst layer 3 and a side of the anode electrode catalyst layer 4, respectively, both these sides facing away from the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 2; wherein the gas diffusion layer 6 in the anode side is smaller in contact angle to water than the gas diffusion layer 5 in the cathode side.

Abstract: An antenna unit consists of an EBG reflector, a single curl antenna supported at a central portion of the EBG reflector, and a periodic structure upper plate disposed apart from a principal surface of the EBG reflector by a predetermined distance. The EBG reflector includes a substrate having the principal surface and (Nx×Ny) square patches which are printed on the principle surface of the substrate and which are arranged in a matrix fashion (lattice structure). The periodic structure upper plate consists of a film and (Nx×Ny) square patch-like conductors printed on the film. The (Nx×Ny) square patch-like conductors are disposed so as to oppose to the (Nx×Ny) square patches, respectively.

Abstract: A membrane electrode structure for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell capable of offering excellent power generation performance both in high humidity conditions and low humidity conditions. The membrane electrode structure for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell is composed of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 2 having proton conductivity, a cathode electrode catalyst layer 3, an anode electrode catalyst layer 4 and gas diffusion layers 5, 6. The gas diffusion layers 5, 6 have through holes with a mean diameter of 15 to 45 ?m and a specific surface area of 0.25 to 0.5 m2/g, and have a bulk density of 0.35 to 0.55 g/cm3. An intermediate layer 7 is provided between the cathode electrode catalyst layer 3 and the gas diffusion layer 5, and the intermediate layer 7 has through holes with a diameter of 0.01 to 10 ?m and a volume of 3.8 to 7.0 ?l/cm2. The intermediate layer 7 is made of a water-repellent resin containing conductive particles.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, which is inexpensive and has an excellent efficiency of generating electric power, by using a material alternative to a perfluoroalkylene sulfonic acid polymer. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprises a pair of electrodes (2, 3) consisting of an oxygen electrode (2) and a fuel electrode (3) both having a catalyst layer (5) containing a catalyst and an ion conducting material; and a polymer electrolyte membrane (1) sandwiched between the two catalyst layers (5) of the both electrodes (2, 3). The above ion conducting material contained in the above polymer electrolyte membrane (1) or in the catalyst (5) layer of at least one of the above electrodes (2, 3) comprises a sulfonated polyarylene having sulfonic acid side-chain groups.

Abstract: A solid polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell electrode catalyst layer comprises Pt particles carried on a carbon carrier and a solid polymer electrolyte, wherein a center-to-center distance dimension (Lpt?pt) between the Pt particles carried on the carbon carrier is made to substantially coincide with the sum of a double of a total dimension resulting by adding the length (Lpes) of a side chain having an ion-exchange group to the diameter (Dpem) of a main chain of the solid polymer electrolyte and the diameter (Dpt) of the Pt particle.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to provide a process for producing an electrolyte membrane-bonded electrode having excellent power generation property when constitutes an electrode assembly, and a varnish composition for an electrolyte, by the use of which an electrolyte membrane-electrode bonded structure capable of retaining excellent power generation property is obtained. A process for producing a first electrolyte membrane-bonded electrode comprises applying, onto an electrode, a water-containing dispersion containing a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer, an organic solvent A and water and having a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer content of 0.5 to 20% by weight and then applying, onto the resulting film, a solution of sulfonated polyarylene in an organic solvent B, to form an electrolyte membrane.

Abstract: To provide a compact and light broad range antenna apparatus transmitting and receiving an electric wave in GHz frequency band (wavelength: ?), a flat shaped antenna element (10), where a length b? in an X-axis direction is less than ?/4 and a length a? in a Y-axis direction is less than ?/4, is arranged at a distance j less than ?/4 from a ground plate (2) in the Y-axis direction and connected to a high-frequency power source (9), and an enlarged flat shaped parasitic element (15) is structured by connecting a base portion (13) having approximately the same shape and dimension as those of the antenna element (10) with an extension portion (14) extending from the base portion (13) in the X-axis direction so as to face to the antenna element (10) with a distance, and connected conductively with the ground plate (2) by a ground line (5).

Abstract: A membrane electrode assembly having excellent electric power generating capability is produced from a base coated with first polymer electrolytic solution to form an undried first polymer electrolytic membrane. Undried first polymer electrolytic membrane is coated with first electrode dispersion of second polymer electrolytic solution and catalyst carried on a catalyst carrier and dissolved therein. First electrode dispersion is dried to form a first electrode positive-electrode membrane electrode assembly. Another base, coated with third polymer electrolytic solution, forms undried second polymer electrolytic membrane. Undried second polymer electrolytic membrane is coated with a second electrode dispersion of fourth polymer electrolytic solution and a catalyst carried on a catalyst carrier and dissolved therein. Second electrode dispersion is dried forming a second electrode negative-electrode membrane electrode assembly.

Abstract: Herein disclosed is a microcomputer MCU adopting the general purpose register method. The microcomputer is enabled to have a small program capacity or a high program memory using efficiency and a low system cost, while enjoying the advantage of simplification of the instruction decoding as in the RISC machine having a fixed length instruction format of the prior art, by adopting a fixed length instruction format having a power of 2 but a smaller bit number than that of the maximum data word length fed to instruction execution means. And, the control of the coded division is executed by noting the code bits.

Abstract: A polymer electrolyte membrane obtained by subjecting a sulfonated polyarylene membrane having an initial water content of 80-300 weight % to a hot-water treatment. A composite polymer electrolyte membrane comprising a matrix made of a first sulfonated aromatic polymer having a high ion exchange capacity, and a reinforcing material constituted by a second sulfonated aromatic polymer having a low ion exchange capacity in the form of fibers or a porous membrane.