Abstract: A production method for producing a hydrogen gas through electrolysis of water is provided. The production method includes: decreasing a current density to a range that is greater than 0 A/cm2 and less than a value used in the electrolysis and in which the electrolysis does not stop; holding the current density for 1 second or more while introducing a gas to at least a hydrogen generating electrode; and decreasing the current density to a value at which the electrolysis does not take place so as to stop the electrolysis. It is preferable that the gas is a gas that is electrochemically inert to a fuel cell reaction. It is also preferable that the gas is at least one selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and a noble gas.

Abstract: An electrode catalyst is provided in which degradation of catalytic action over time is suppressed. The electrode catalyst includes a mesoporous carbon support having pores, and catalyst metal particles supported in at least some of the pores. The ratio r/R of the mean particle size r of the catalyst metal particles to the modal pore size R of the pores is from 0.01 to 0.6, and the mean particle size r is 6 nm or less. The modal pore size R of the pores is preferably from 2 to 50 nm.

Abstract: Provided is a fluorine-containing synthetic silica glass powder which contains a sufficient amount of fluorine, and in which a reduction in the fluorine concentration caused by dissociation of fluorine from silica can be inhibited. Problems are solved by a fluorine-containing silica glass powder which contains particles having a particle size of more than 150 ?m but 300 ?m or less in an amount of 25% by weight or more as a whole. Also provided as a method of producing the glass powder is, for example, a method of producing a fluorine-containing silica glass powder, which method includes: prefiring a silicon oxide at a temperature of lower than 1,000° C. in the presence of SiF4 to prepare a fluorine-containing silica; and subsequently firing the fluorine-containing silica at a temperature of 1,000° C. or higher but lower than 1,400° C. to produce a silica glass powder.

Abstract: A cooling fan device includes an electronic control unit that controls an engagement rate of a fan clutch. The electronic control unit executes a first calculation process that calculates an air conditioner requested engagement rate, a second calculation process that calculates, as a first guard value, a value of an engagement rate at which a fan rotation speed increases at a specified speed and an upper limit guarding process that sets a value of the air conditioner requested engagement rate to the first guard value when a calculated value of the air conditioner requested engagement rate in the first calculation process exceeds the first guard value. The electronic control unit further controls the engagement rate of the fan clutch based on a value of the air conditioner requested engagement rate after execution of the upper limit guarding process.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a composition for forming an undercoat layer capable of forming an undercoat layer that does not easily peel off from the substrate, an undercoat layer formed by the composition, as well as an exhaust gas purification catalyst and an exhaust gas purification apparatus each including the undercoat layer, and, to achieve the object, the present invention provides a composition for forming an undercoat layer, the composition containing tin oxide microparticles and tin oxide nanoparticles, wherein a content of the tin oxide nanoparticles is 8% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less, with respect to a total content of the tin oxide microparticles and the tin oxide nanoparticles, an undercoat layer formed by the composition, as well as an exhaust gas purification catalyst and an exhaust gas purification apparatus each including the undercoat layer.

Abstract: An electrode catalyst layer for fuel cells capable of effectively preventing reduction of cell voltage in a high current density region. The electrode catalyst layer contains a catalyst-on-support composed of a support made of a conductive inorganic oxide having a catalyst supported thereon and a hydrophilic material. The hydrophilic material is an agglomerate including hydrophilic conductive particles. The content of the hydrophilic material in the catalyst layer is 2 mass % or higher and lower than 20 mass % relative to the sum of the support and the hydrophilic material. The ratio of the particle size d1 of the hydrophilic particles to the particle size D of the catalyst-on-support is 0.5 to 3.0. The ratio of the particle size d2 of the hydrophilic material to the thickness T of the catalyst layer is 0.1 to 1.2.

Abstract: Provided is a method with which it is possible to easily produce an electrode catalyst having excellent catalytic performance such as kinetically controlled current density. The method involves: a dispersion liquid preparation step of preparing a dispersion liquid by mixing (i) at least one type of solvent selected from the group consisting of sulfoxide compounds and amide compounds, (ii) a catalyst carrier powder constituted by a metal oxide, (iii) a platinum compound, (iv) a transition metal compound, and (v) an aromatic compound including a carboxyl group; and a loading step of heating the dispersion liquid to thereby load a platinum alloy of platinum and a transition metal on a surface of the catalyst carrier powder.

Abstract: This method for producing an electrode catalyst includes: a dispersion liquid preparation step wherein a dispersion liquid is prepared by mixing (i) at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of sulfoxide compounds and amide compounds, (ii) a catalyst carrier powder composed of a metal oxide, (iii) a platinum compound, (iv) a transition metal compound and (v) an aromatic compound that contains a carboxyl group; a loading step wherein the dispersion liquid is heated so that a platinum alloy of platinum and a transition metal is loaded on the surface of the catalyst carrier powder; a solid-liquid separation step wherein a dispersoid is separated from the dispersion liquid after the loading step, thereby obtaining a catalyst powder wherein the catalyst carrier powder is loaded with the platinum alloy; and a heat treatment step wherein the catalyst powder is heated under vacuum or in a reducing gas atmosphere.

Abstract: An agglomerated boron nitride powder, including a tap density of 0.6 g/ml or more and less than 0.8 g/ml and an interparticle void volume of 0.5 ml/g or more. A heat dissipation sheet, including the agglomerated boron nitride powder. An agglomerated boron nitride powder that enables a heat dissipation sheet to have improved thermal conductivity and good withstand voltage characteristics, a heat dissipation sheet containing the agglomerated boron nitride powder, and a semiconductor device including the heat dissipation sheet are provided.

Abstract: An electrode catalyst layer for fuel cells capable of effectively preventing reduction of cell voltage in a high current density region. The electrode catalyst layer contains a catalyst-on-support composed of a support made of a conductive inorganic oxide having a catalyst supported thereon and a hydrophilic material. The hydrophilic material is an agglomerate including hydrophilic conductive particles. The content of the hydrophilic material in the catalyst layer is 2 mass % or higher and lower than 20 mass % relative to the sum of the support and the hydrophilic material. The ratio of the particle size d1 of the hydrophilic particles to the particle size D of the catalyst-on-support is 0.5 to 3.0. The ratio of the particle size d2 of the hydrophilic material to the thickness T of the catalyst layer is 0.1 to 1.2.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolytic solution, containing an electrolyte, a nonaqueous solvent and an aromatic carboxylate ester of formula (1): wherein A1 is an optionally substituted aryl group, n1 is an integer of 1 or greater, R2 and R3 are a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom or an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, a1 is an integer of 1 or 2, and when a1 is 1, R1 is an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, a1 is 2, R1 is an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, n1 is 1, at least one of R2 and R3 is an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and n1 is 2 and R2s and R3s are all hydrogen atoms, R1 is an optionally substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms.

Abstract: In this fuel cell electrode catalyst layer, a catalyst is supported on a carrier comprising inorganic oxide particles. The fuel cell electrode catalyst layer is provided with a porous structure. When a mercury penetration method is used to measure the pore size distribution of the porous structure, a peak is observed in the range spanning from 0.005 ?m to 0.1 ?m inclusive, and a peak is also observed in the range spanning from over 0.1 ?m to not more than 1 ?m. When P1 represents the peak intensity in the range spanning from 0.005 ?m to 0.1 ?m inclusive, and P2 represents the peak intensity in the range spanning from over 0.1 ?m to not more than 1 ?m, the value of P2/P1 is 0.2-10 inclusive. It is preferable that the inorganic oxide be tin oxide.

Abstract: This method for producing an electrode catalyst includes: a dispersion liquid preparation step wherein a dispersion liquid is prepared by mixing (i) at least one solvent selected from the group consisting of sulfoxide compounds and amide compounds, (ii) a catalyst carrier powder composed of a metal oxide, (iii) a platinum compound, (iv) a transition metal compound and (v) an aromatic compound that contains a carboxyl group; a loading step wherein the dispersion liquid is heated so that a platinum alloy of platinum and a transition metal is loaded on the surface of the catalyst carrier powder; a solid-liquid separation step wherein a dispersoid is separated from the dispersion liquid after the loading step, thereby obtaining a catalyst powder wherein the catalyst carrier powder is loaded with the platinum alloy; and a heat treatment step wherein the catalyst powder is heated under vacuum or in a reducing gas atmosphere.

Abstract: Provided is a method with which it is possible to easily produce an electrode catalyst having excellent catalytic performance such as kinetically controlled current density. The method involves: a dispersion liquid preparation step of preparing a dispersion liquid by mixing (i) at least one type of solvent selected from the group consisting of sulfoxide compounds and amide compounds, (ii) a catalyst carrier powder constituted by a metal oxide, (iii) a platinum compound, (iv) a transition metal compound, and (v) an aromatic compound including a carboxyl group; and a loading step of heating the dispersion liquid to thereby load a platinum alloy of platinum and a transition metal on a surface of the catalyst carrier powder.

Abstract: Objects of the invention are to provide nonaqueous electrolytic solutions that allow nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries to achieve improvements in initial battery characteristics and in battery characteristics after durability testing at the same time, and to provide nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries containing the nonaqueous electrolytic solutions.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolytic solution, containing an electrolyte, a nonaqueous solvent, an aromatic carboxylate ester and a compound is provided. The compound is fluorine-containing cyclic carbonates, sulfur-containing organic compounds, phosphonate esters, cyano group-containing organic compounds, isocyanate group-containing organic compounds, silicon-containing compounds, aromatic compounds, cyclic compounds having a plurality of ether bonds, monofluorophosphate salts, difluorophosphate salts, borate salts, oxalate salts or fluorosulfonate salts.

Abstract: In this fuel cell electrode catalyst layer, a catalyst is supported on a carrier comprising inorganic oxide particles. The fuel cell electrode catalyst layer is provided with a porous structure. When a mercury penetration method is used to measure the pore size distribution of the porous structure, a peak is observed in the range spanning from 0.005 ?m to 0.1 ?m inclusive, and a peak is also observed in the range spanning from over 0.1 ?m to not more than 1 ?m. When P1 represents the peak intensity in the range spanning from 0.005 ?m to 0.1 ?m inclusive, and P2 represents the peak intensity in the range spanning from over 0.1 ?m to not more than 1 ?m, the value of P2/P1 is 0.2-10 inclusive. It is preferable that the inorganic oxide be tin oxide.

Abstract: Objects of the invention are to provide nonaqueous electrolytic solutions that allow nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries to achieve improvements in initial battery characteristics and in battery characteristics after durability testing at the same time, and to provide nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries containing the nonaqueous electrolytic solutions.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide nonaqueous electrolyte batteries having high initial efficiency, excellent initial capacity and excellent overcharge safety, and nonaqueous electrolytic solutions realizing such batteries. A nonaqueous electrolytic solution includes an electrolyte and a nonaqueous solvent, and further includes an aromatic compound represented by Formula (I) (in which R1 to R5 are independently hydrogen, a halogen, or an unsubstituted or halogen-substituted hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, R6 and R7 are independently a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, at least two of R1 to R7 may be bonded together to form a ring, and Formula (I) satisfies at least one of the requirements (A) and (B): (A) at least one of R1 to R5 is a halogen, or an unsubstituted or halogen-substituted hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, (B) the total number of carbon atoms in R1 to R7 is 3 to 20). A nonaqueous electrolyte battery includes the nonaqueous electrolytic solution.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide nonaqueous electrolyte batteries having high initial efficiency, excellent initial capacity and excellent overcharge safety, and nonaqueous electrolytic solutions realizing such batteries. A nonaqueous electrolytic solution includes an electrolyte and a nonaqueous solvent, and further includes an aromatic compound represented by Formula (I) (in which R1 to R5 are independently hydrogen, a halogen, or an unsubstituted or halogen-substituted hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, R6 and R7 are independently a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, at least two of R1 to R7 may be bonded together to form a ring, and Formula (I) satisfies at least one of the requirements (A) and (B): (A) at least one of R1 to R5 is a halogen, or an unsubstituted or halogen-substituted hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, (B) the total number of carbon atoms in R1 to R7 is 3 to 20). A nonaqueous electrolyte battery includes the nonaqueous electrolytic solution.