Abstract: The present invention aims at providing a fuel cell and a fuel cartridge in which a fuel contained in the fuel cartridge is determined to be appropriate for the fuel cell or not, and when it is appropriate, the connection of the fuel cartridge is mechanically made possible. A fuel cartridge for a fuel cell is provided with a specific member for distinguishing the methanol concentration of a contained methanol solution fuel according to the methanol concentration. Further, a fuel cell is provided with a concentration recognizing member for determining whether the member for distinguishing the fuel concentration provided at the fuel cartridge is the one for a desired concentration.

Abstract: An inorganic solid electrolytic rechargeable battery having positive and negative electrodes and an inorganic electrolyte interposed therebetween is provided. The positive and negative electrodes each contain an active material layer and a current collector layer. The positive electrode collector layer or the negative electrode collector layer is a conductive metal oxide layer. The negative electrode active material layer contains lithium metal or lithium alloys. This negative active layer may optionally be made of a material which provides an operation voltage potential of the negative electrode to be more noble than 1.0 V with respect to the potential of a metallic lithium.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for determining the operating parameters of individual cells (2) or short stacks (10) of fuel cells, preferably of medium-temperature or high-temperature fuel cells.

Abstract: This invention provides a type of cathode flow field plate for fuel cells. The cathode flow field plate comprises a cooling flow field and a reacting flow field, gas entrances, gas exits and plate ribs. Here, an end of said flow field is connected to the gas entrances. The other end is connected to the gas exits. Said cooling flow field comprises of a distributing rib. Said distributing rib is located between the gas entrances and the gas exits. There are connecting pores between said gas entrances and the distributing rib. The cathode flow field plate for fuel cells provided in this invention uses the distributing rib and the connecting pores to divide the gas into cooling gas and reacting gas. Since a single gas source is used, the only parameter subject to adjustment is the total amount of gas flow. Thus the control of the gases is relatively simple. The devices controlling the sources of the cooling gas and the reacting gas can be minimized.

Abstract: A method of operating an electrochemical conversion assembly is provided where a shut down sequence is introduced where a substantially dry gas is driven through the cathode flow field. The dry gas is supplied for an amount of time sufficient to reduce the water content of the proton exchange membrane to a level sufficient to suppress corrosion and catalyst dissolution in the membrane electrode assembly. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: A power supply apparatus has a fuel cell unit as a source of input power. A control device limits the output of the fuel cell unit within an operating range of up to a maximum power point, even if a load power is not lower than the maximum power of said fuel cell unit. In addition to the fuel cell, a charge storing device is provided at the output side of the power supply apparatus. The charge storing device is capable of making up a shortage of power of the fuel cell.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present subject matter includes a stack of substantially planar electrodes, the stack in alignment and having a stack form factor. Embodiments include a first housing portion including a first beveled edge at least partially defining a first stack aperture adapted to at least partially receive the stack, the first stack opening having a first thickness proximal the beveled edge, and a second thickness away from the first beveled edge and a second housing portion including a second edge defining a second stack aperture adapted to at least partially receive the stack. Embodiments are included wherein the second housing portion is joined to the first housing portion such that the first housing portion and the second housing portion define an interior space which substantially conforms to the stack form factor.

Abstract: A rechargeable battery includes a housing having a housing wall, at least one cell in the housing, and a contact element electrically connected to the at least one cell. The rechargeable battery also includes a plastic sealing element extrusion-coated on the contact element. The sealing element includes a supporting surface which lies flat against the housing wall at an interface. The supporting surface is transmission laser-welded to the housing wall at the interface. One of the supporting surface and the housing wall is at least partially transparent for the laser beam and the other of the supporting surface and the housing wall is absorbent for the laser beam.

Abstract: A medical device includes a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for providing power to the medical device. The lithium-ion battery includes a positive electrode comprising a current collector and a first active material and a negative electrode comprising a current collector, a second active material, and a third active material. The first active material, second active material, and third active material are configured to allow doping and undoping of lithium ions. The third active material exhibits charging and discharging capacity below a corrosion potential of the current collector of the negative electrode and above a decomposition potential of the first active material.

Abstract: A flexible flow field separator includes a substrate layer formed of a flexible material and having first and second surfaces. A structured flow field pattern is defined on the first surface of the substrate layer. The structured flow field pattern defines one or more fluid channels. The separator includes a first layer formed of one or more metals and disposed on the first surface of the substrate layer. The first layer is formed of an electrically conductive material. The separator further includes a second layer disposed on the second surface of the substrate layer. The second layer is formed of a flexible electrically conductive material. The first layer contacts the second layer at one or more locations to define an electrical connection between the first and second layers.

Abstract: Batteries and related compositions and methods are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method of making a battery can include heating at least one cathode including a cathode material in an atmosphere including oxygen, heating the cathode in a vacuum, adding the cathode into a housing, adding a separator into the housing, and adding an anode into the housing.

Abstract: A solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprises: a plurality of electrode structures comprising an anode and a cathode, and polymer electrolyte membrane held between the anode and the cathode, and a plurality of separators for holding the respective electrode structures, with a fuel gas passage for supplying and discharging fuel gas containing hydrogen on a surface opposing the anode; and an oxidant gas passage for supplying and discharging oxidant gas on a surface opposing the cathode. The catalyst layer of the anode comprises a mixture of an ion conductive material, a platinum powder and/or platinum alloy powder and a carbon, the platinum powder and/or platinum alloy powder and carbon substantially exist independently from each other, and the catalyst layer of the cathode comprises a metal support mixture in which the ion conductive material and the electro-conductive material having the supported catalyst material are mixed.

Abstract: A battery array cools battery modules (1) by flowing cooling air through a holder case (2) housing three or more levels of battery modules (1). The holder case (2) has a pair of opposing sidewalls (4) that are closed off by an inlet panel (5) on the inlet side and an outlet panel (6) on the outlet side to form an enclosed chamber (7) that houses battery modules (1). The inlet panel (5) has cooling air intakes (8) opened on both sides. The outlet panel (6) has an exhaust opening (9) at its central region to exhaust cooling air. Opposing sidewalls (4) have projections (10) between adjacent battery modules (1), and the protrusion height of the inner surfaces of those projections (10) increases from upstream to downstream in the cooling air flow.

Abstract: Lithium is a soft malleable metal and sticks to most materials when a fresh surface is exposed. Currently lithium anodes are pressed in a die with temporary polymer components protecting the pressing die. During anode pressing, the lithium anode sticks to these temporary components. They facilitate easy release of the lithium anode from the die via operator intervention. The pressed anode is then manually wrapped with a micro-porous polymeric separator material and built into the battery. This process is labor intensive and would be difficult to automate. By utilizing a formed polymer cup on the anode, both the anode pressing process and separator sealing process would be simplified and have potential options for automation. The cup would allow easy release from the anode pressing die and provide some of the insulation of the anode from regions of opposite polarity.

Abstract: The rechargeable battery comprises an electrode assembly including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between those two electrodes. The battery further comprises a container that receives the electrode assembly inside it and a cap assembly that is coupled with the container to seal it. The cap assembly includes a cap plate that is coupled with the container, an external terminal that is disposed in the cap plate to be coupled with to the electrode assembly, and a tubular body that surrounds the external terminal to fix the external terminal to the cap plate.

Abstract: A fuel cell arrangement including a plurality of fuel cells, each fuel cell including an electrolyte membrane disposed between an anode and a cathode, first and second flow field plates adjacent the anode and cathode, respectively; a fuel cell health management (FCHM) device; a plurality of plate members interposed between each of the fuel cells and being made of an electrically conductive metallic material and disposed between the first and second flow field plates of adjacent fuel cells to connect the fuel cells in series, and having an electrically conductive tab. The tab of each of the plate members being electrically connected to the FCHM to conduct current provided by the FCHM to provide a substantially uniform voltage over each electrically of the plate members to rejuvenate each fuel cell, to monitor each fuel cell, and to control each fuel cell, and having a heat sink for dissipating heat.

Abstract: The invention provides a fuel cell metallic separator, wherein the metallic plate's edges include a resin portion comprising the communication ports. The resin portion around the communication ports is shaped so as to be capable of interlocking with a fuel cell stack component adjacently located in a fuel cell system. The invention also provides a resin portion capable of press fitting or thermal bonding with adjacent a fuel cell stack components.

Abstract: A membrane-electrode assembly having superior hot water resistance has a membrane containing an aromatic polymer having a repeating unit expressed by general formula (1): in which A represents independently either —CO— or —SO2—; B represents independently an oxygen atom or sulfur atom; R1 to R8, which may be identical or different from each other, represent a hydrogen atom, fluorine atom, alkyl group, phenyl group or nitrile group; R9 to R24, which may be identical or different from each other, represent a hydrogen atom, alkyl group or phenyl group; and ‘a’ represents an integer of 0 to 4.

Abstract: A method for making a super-hydrophobic composite bipolar plate including providing a substrate comprising a composite material including carbon, and a surface layer on the substrate, and wherein the surface layer includes silicon and oxygen, and heating the substrate and surface layer to cause moieties including carbon from the substrate to diffuse outwardly through the surface layer so that the moiety is attached to one of the silicon or oxygen.

Abstract: Water flooding at the cathode of a fuel cell is a common problem in fuel cells. By integrating an electroosmotic (EO) pump to remove product water from the cathode area, fuel cell power can be increased. Integration of EO pumps transforms the designs of air channel and air breathing cathodes, reducing air pumping power loads and increasing oxidant transport. Hydration of gas streams, management of liquid reactants, and oxidant delivery can also be accomplished with integrated electroosmotic pumps. Electroosmotic pumps have no moving parts, can be integrated as a layer of the fuel cell, and scale with centimeter to micron scale fuel cells.