Abstract: A direct methanol fuel cell comprises a multiple number of connected unit cells, each composed of a fuel electrode element of a microporous carbon material, an electrolyte layer formed on the outer surface of the fuel electrode element, an air electrode layer formed on the outer surface of the electrolyte layer, wherein each unit cell is supplied with fuel from a fuel-reservoir through a fuel feeder having an infiltration structure coupled therebetween.

Abstract: A resistive heating element having high generation efficiency for far infrared rays and a comparatively high specific resistance while maintaining the strength required as a resistive heating element, is obtained by shaping a mixture of graphite powder, boron nitride and silicone rubber to a desired shape followed by firing by heating to 380° C. in an oxidizing atmosphere and then further firing by heating to 1100° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere.

Abstract: Disclosed is a vehicle lamp that is designed to reliably remove snow, etc. adhering to a lens. A carbon-based heating element is mounted within a lamp body so that the heat rays radiated from the heating element irradiate a rear surface of the lens.

Abstract: The present invention provides a carbon heating element having an arbitrary specific resistance and an arbitrary shape which are arbitrary necessary as a heating element, and a method of producing the same. The carbon heating element is obtained by uniformly dispersing one or at least two metal or metalloid compounds into a composition having shapability and showing a high yield of a carbon residue after firing, shaping the dispersed material-containing mixture thus obtained, and firing the shaped material under a nonoxidizing atmosphere.

Abstract: A method for simplified sterilization is provided which does not use a harmful medium such as a disinfectant and ultraviolet radiation and which is able to reach all portions of objects to be sterilized, where sterilization is realized without high temperatures being generated. After applying a small amount of water or mixture of water and ethanol to an object to be sterilized, or after spraying a liquid gas, far-infrared radiation is applied using a carbon lamp which has high far-infrared radiation efficiency.

Abstract: A resistive heating element having high generation efficiency for far infrared rays and a comparatively high specific resistance while maintaining the strength required as a resistive heating element, is obtained by shaping a mixture of graphite powder, boron nitride and silicone rubber to a desired shape followed by firing by heating to 380° C. in an oxidizing atmosphere and then further firing by heating to 1100° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere.

Abstract: An electrode for an electron gun and an electron gun using same are provided which make use of stable carbon material having small work function and which permit orientation control to be achieved and which can be manufactured at a low cost. An electrode for an electron gun uses carbon electrode(s) formed from amorphous carbon and carbon nanotubes or carbon nanofibers and molded in linear shape. The carbon electrode is obtained by mixing a resin composition such as chlorinated vinyl chloride resin, furan resin, etc., which forms non-graphitizing carbon after carbonizing, with a carbon powder such as carbon nanotubes or carbon nanofibers and, after extrusion, molding and carbonizing the molding obtained.

Abstract: Carbonization is achieved and impurity elements are removed by combination of a metal or metalloid compound with a composition exhibiting a carbon residual yield that is substantially not zero after firing, followed by firing at a pressure of no higher than 1×10−2 Pa and a temperature of from 1500° C. to 2200° C.

Abstract: The present invention provides a carbon heating element having an arbitrary specific resistance and an arbitrary shape which are arbitrary necessary as a heating element, and a method of producing the same. The carbon heating element is obtained by uniformly dispersing one or at least two metal or metalloid compounds into a composition having shapability and showing a high yield of a carbon residue after firing, shaping the dispersed material-containing mixture thus obtained, and firing the shaped material under a nonoxidizing atmosphere.

Abstract: A carbonaceous porous material having excellent mechanical strength is obtained by mixing a resin, that can be used as starting material for amorphous carbon, uniformly with carbon powder and an organic substance with a carbon residue rate of 0˜5% and, after molding the mixture in an arbitrary shape, carbonizing the mixture at temperature of 500° C. or higher.

Abstract: A carbon microrod that holds a fine object by chemically adsorbing the object on the surface to make a dynamic measurement possible. An organic substance that leaves, after firing, glassy carbon that hardly becomes graphite, such as a chlorinated vinyl chloride resin, is mixed with a fine graphite powder having an average particle size of 1 &mgr;m, and the mixture is extrusion molded with a die having a diameter of 50 &mgr;m; the molded article is fired to give a carbon microrod comprising glassy carbon and crystalline carbon.

Abstract: A method for simplified sterilization is provided which does not use a harmful medium such as a disinfectant and ultraviolet radiation and which is able to reach all portions of objects to be sterilized, where sterilization is realized without high temperatures being generated. After applying a small amount of water or mixture of water and ethanol to an object to be sterilized, or after spraying a liquid gas, far-infrared radiation is applied using a carbon lamp which has high far-infrared radiation efficiency.

Abstract: A high quality shaped article of silicon carbide is efficiently produced by using a carbon substrate suitable for the production of a silicon carbide film without generating cracking or breakage. In a method of producing a shaped article of silicon carbide while using a carbonaceous material as a deposition substrate by decomposing halogenated organic silicone compound by a reduction pyrolysis at a high temperature, forming a silicon carbide film layer on a surface of the substrate by CVD and removing the carbon substrate, the carbon substrate is formed of a composite of graphite and amorphous carbon obtained by shaping and firing a mixture of a powdery graphite and an organic substance.

Abstract: A carbon material for electrodes which is a graphite/glass like carbon composite material having a structure in which the crystals of the graphite are oriented in one direction in the matrix of the glass like carbon so as to possess an electrode reaction activity inherent in the graphite crystals, having a maximum pore diameter of 150 .ANG. or less, and having electrolyte non-penetrative properties substantially corresponding to those of the glass like carbon; and a process for preparing a carbon material for electrodes which comprises the steps of highly dispersing, composing and orienting a graphite fine powder of the sufficiently grown crystals in an organic substance which can leave a glass like and less graphitizable carbon when calcined in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, and then calcining and carbonizing the composition.

Abstract: A working micro-electrode with a reference electrode prepared by coating a working micro-electrode with an insulating material except a working electrode portion, forming a silver layer on the coated surface, and then changing a portion of the silver layer into silver chloride which is the reference electrode; a working micro-electrode with a reference electrode and a counter electrode prepared by coating the working micro-electrode with the reference electrode with an insulating material, and then forming the counter electrode on the surface of the insulating material; and methods for preparing these composite micro-electrodes.Heretofore, even if the working electrode is thinly constituted, the merit of the micro-electrode has not been sufficiently utilized, since the reference electrode and the counter electrode have been thick. However, the present invention can solve this problem and can facilitate experiments in which the micro-electrode is necessary.

Abstract: A carbon micro-sensor electrode is disclosed which is prepared by impregnating, adsorbing or chemically modifying a pure composite carbon wire having many micropores extending to its surface and interior with a reactant such as an enzyme, a metal complex compound, an organic compound or a metabolite; and a method for preparing this carbon micro-sensor electrode is also disclosed.The above-mentioned electrode can be used for a long period of time, since the reactant is received in the many micropores. Furthermore, after used, the electrode may be cut off to expose a new electrode surface, and this new electrode surface may be coated with a material which does not impede an electrode reaction, whereby the reactant can be prevented from flowing out. Thus, the carbon micro-sensor electrode of the present invention can be repeatedly utilized.

Abstract: A carbon micro-sensor electrode is disclosed which is prepared by impregnating, adsorbing or chemically modifying a pure composite carbon wire having many micropores extending to its surface and interior with a reactant such as an enzyme, a metal complex compound, an organic compound or a metabolite; and a method for preparing this carbon micro-sensor electrode is also disclosed.The above-mentioned electrode can be used for a long period of time, since the reactant is received in the many micropores. Furthermore, after used, the electrode may be cut off to expose a new electrode surface, and this new electrode surface may be coated with a material which does not impede an electrode reaction, whereby the reactant can be prevented from flowing out. Thus, the carbon micro-sensor electrode of the present invention can be repeatedly utilized.

Abstract: A tapered carbon microelectrode is produced by extruding an organic material or a composition composed of crystalline carbon fine powder and an organic binder into a thin rod form, carbonizing said rod by calcining to produce a pure carbon thin rod, soaking the resulting thin rod as an anode in an electrolytic solution, gradually pulling up the thin rod while electrochemically oxidizing the tip portion of the thin rod. Then a lead wire is connected with the thick portion of the thin rod followed by coating all the surface except the conically sharp tip portion.The tapered carbon electrode can be used for various electrochemical measurements and scanning tunneling microscope.

Abstract: A process for preparing a wholly carbonaceous diaphragm includes blending a powder of graphite with a chlorine-containing resin and a monomer or a primary condensate of a thermosetting resin containing a triazine ring; adding thereto a solvent or a plasticizer capable of dissolving these resin components; thoroughly kneading the resulting mixture so that crystals of graphite cleft and binder resin are allowed to disperse with strong affinity, whereby a resulting composition is made into a sheet-form in which the crystal surfaces of graphite are oriented to a high degree; further passing the sheet-form through a calendering roll to preform it into a film or a sheet; then forming these materials into a shape of a diaphragm in heated air to remove the solvent or plasticizer, and to produce a completely cured body causing no thermal deformation by promoting cross linking reaction and curing reaction of the chlorine-containing resin by triazine; and then baking the cured body in an inert atmosphere.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a full carbonaceous diaphragm for acoustic equipment, which bridging agent which accelerates bridging by reacting, when heated, with a chlorine-containing resin component used as a raw material for carbonation binder binding said graphite powder, kneading the mixture sufficiently to which a resin component dissolution solvent or a plasticizer is added by using a mixer having high shearing force, developing a great affinity for the cloven graphite crystals and the binder resin and dispersing them by a mechanochemical reaction, making the mixture in a sheet form with the graphite crystal face thereof being highly oriented in the face direction of the film, preforming said sheet into a film or a sheet form having a desired thickness by passing it through the calender rolls, molding the preformed film or sheet into a diaphragm shape, removing the contained solvent or plasticizer therefrom by treatment in heated air, accelerating the bridging reaction of the chlo