Patents Assigned to W.L, GORE & ASSOCIATES CO., LTD.
  • Publication number: 20130224522
    Abstract: A technology is provided that is capable of improving deterioration of a fuel cell due to non-stationary operation (startup/shutdown, fuel depletion). An anode-side catalyst composition comprising a catalyst having catalyst particles carried on electrically conductive material and an ion exchange resin, characterized in that the catalyst particle are formed of an alloy, of which oxygen reduction capability and water electrolysis are both lower than those of platinum, and which has hydrogen oxidation capability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masashi Maruyama, Atsushi Sakamoto, Tomoyuki Kawaguchi, Takuya Kosaka
  • Publication number: 20130209914
    Abstract: Disclosed is a fluororesin-coated polymer film for reinforcing a polymer electrolyte membrane, wherein the fluororesin-coated polymer film is fabricated by forming on at least one side of a polymer film a coating of a reaction product of (A) a fluorine-containing copolymer composed of a fluoroolefin, a cyclohexyl group-containing acrylic ester, and a hydroxyl group-containing vinyl ether, and (B) a crosslinking agent having two or more isocyanate groups. The polymer film according to the present invention not only exhibits sufficiently high initial adhesion strength, with respect to the polymer electrolyte membrane, but also retains thereafter high adhesion strength in actual operating environments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: W. L. Gore & Associates, Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: W. L. Gore & Associates, Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130202875
    Abstract: An elastic composite film provided with a sintered ePTFE film and an elastomeric resin layer, produced by continuously forming the elastomeric resin layer on at least one side of the sintered ePTFE film, continuously elongating the resulting multilayer film at less than the yield point of the expanded, sintered, porous film and at an elongation factor of 1.3 times or more in the biaxial directions, or in the uniaxial direction without contracting in the direction perpendicular to the direction of elongation, and relaxing the resulting elongated multilayer film, wherein when the composite film is elongated by 10% in the longitudinal and/or transverse direction, the tensile stress of the composite film is 2.5 N/15 mm or less, and/or the elongation percentage of the composite film in the longitudinal and/or transverse direction is 30% or more and the elongation recovery rate is 70% or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: W. L. Gore & Associates, Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: W. L. Gore & Associates, Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130192748
    Abstract: A stretch composite fabric comprises a sintered expanded porous polytetrafluoroethylene film and a stretch cloth laminated to each other while maintaining a flat state. The stretch composite fabric has a tensile stress at 10% elongation, as measured in at least one direction, of 1.8 N/15 mm or less. When a 5 cm-width test piece of the stretch composite fabric is stretched in a length direction under a load of 300 g and then released from the stress, an elongation recovery R of the stretch composite fabric, which is given by the following equation, is preferably 700 or more. R=(L2?L3)/(L2?L1)×100 (In the equation, L1, L2, and L3 represent the lengths of the composite fabric before the load is applied, when the load is applied, and after the load is removed, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicant: W. L. Gore & Associates, Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Imai
  • Patent number: 8475970
    Abstract: Disclosed is a fluororesin-coated polymer film for reinforcing a polymer electrolyte membrane, wherein the fluororesin-coated polymer film is fabricated by forming on at least one side of a polymer film a coating of a reaction product of (A) a fluorine-containing copolymer composed of a fluoroolefin, a cyclohexyl group-containing acrylic ester, and a hydroxyl group-containing vinyl ether, and (B) a crosslinking agent having two or more isocyanate groups. The polymer film according to the present invention not only exhibits sufficiently high initial adhesion strength, with respect to the polymer electrolyte membrane, but also retains thereafter high adhesion strength in actual operating environments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: W. L. Gore & Associates, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideki Yamada, Shizu Okazaki, Hiroyoshi Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20130157163
    Abstract: In a carbon black (CB)/PTFE composite porous sheet that can be used as a gas diffusion layer in an electrochemical device in applications involving electro chemical reaction such as a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, electrolysis, gas sensor and the like, wrinkle or breakage may be produced due to its flexibility. A method is provided which makes it possible to easily handle this sheet that is difficult to handle, without giving rise to wrinkle or breakage. The present invention relates to a method for laminating the composite sheet on MEA, comprising the steps of: providing a membrane electrode assembly (MEA); providing a composite sheet comprising functional powder and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE); providing a release film; superimposing the composite sheet on the release film and pressing them at normal temperature; superimposing the composite sheet having the release film pressed at normal temperature thereto on MEA and hot-pressing them; and separating the release film from the composite sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Applicant: W. L. Gore & Associates, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takafum Nanba, Naoki Ohashi
  • Publication number: 20120174789
    Abstract: An object is to provide a vent plug having a structure in which an air-permeable membrane is unlikely to be damaged. More specifically, a vent plug is produced, which includes: a cylindrical member 1 having a through-hole 1a; a support 2 connected to the cylindrical member 1 so as to be across the through-hole 1a; and an air-permeable membrane 3 circumferentially attached to the cylindrical member 1, wherein the air-permeable membrane 3 is held on the support 2 and a convex portion 3a that follows the shape of the support 2 is formed on the air-permeable membrane 3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2010
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Applicant: W.L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masashi Ono, Hiroshi Manabe
  • Publication number: 20110287335
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell electrolyte membrane reinforced with a porous substrate which has excellent durability and in which the amount of cross leakage as a result of chemical deterioration of electrolyte membrane components due to the presence of peroxide and/or radicals is particularly reduced. The present invention relates to an electrolyte membrane for a fuel cell comprising a polyelectrolyte, which contains a porous substrate and a radical scavenger dispersed in the polyelectrolyte.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2009
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Applicants: W.L, GORE & ASSOCIATES CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Akita, Masanori Aimu, Tatsuya Kawahara, Takeshi Nagasawa, Toyohiro Matsuura, Takeyuki Suzuki, Hiroshi Kato, Hideki Yamada