Abstract: The present invention relates to a catalyst for a solid polymer fuel cell, including platinum, cobalt, and zirconium supported as a catalytic metal on a carbon powder carrier, in which the supporting ratio of platinum, cobalt, and zirconium on the carbon powder carrier is Pt:Co:Zr=3:0.5 to 1.5:0.1 to 3.0 by molar ratio. In the present invention, it is preferable that the peak position of Pt3Co seen in the X-ray diffraction pattern of catalyst particles is 2?=41.10° or more and 42.00° or less, and moderate alloying has occurred in the catalytic metal.

Abstract: Provided is a catalyst that can exhibit high activity. The catalyst is an electrode catalyst having catalytic metals supported on a catalyst support, in which the catalytic metals include platinum and a metal component other than platinum; the electrode catalyst has mesopores having a mode radius of pore distribution of mesopores having a radius of 1 nm or more, of 1 nm or more and less than 2.5 nm; alloy microparticles of platinum and the metal component other than platinum are supported inside the mesopores; and a molar content ratio of platinum with respect to the metal component other than platinum in the alloy microparticles supported inside the mesopores is 1.0 to 10.0.

Abstract: Provided is a catalyst that can exhibit high activity. The catalyst is an electrode catalyst having catalytic metals supported on a catalyst support, in which the catalytic metals include platinum and a metal component other than platinum; the electrode catalyst has mesopores having a mode radius of pore distribution of mesopores having a radius of 1 nm or more, of 1 nm or more and less than 2.5 nm; alloy microparticles of platinum and the metal component other than platinum are supported inside the mesopores; and a molar content ratio of platinum with respect to the metal component other than platinum in the alloy microparticles supported inside the mesopores is 1.0 to 10.0.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a catalyst for a solid polymer fuel cell, including platinum, cobalt, and zirconium supported as a catalytic metal on a carbon powder carrier, in which the supporting ratio of platinum, cobalt, and zirconium on the carbon powder carrier is Pt:Co:Zr=3:0.5 to 1.5:0.1 to 3.0 by molar ratio. In the present invention, it is preferable that the peak position of Pt3Co seen in the X-ray diffraction pattern of catalyst particles is 2?=41.10° or more and 42.00° or less, and moderate alloying has occurred in the catalytic metal.

Abstract: Provided is a catalyst for solid polymer fuel cell that exhibits excellent initial activity and favorable durability and a method for manufacturing the same. The invention is a catalyst for solid polymer fuel cell which is formed by supporting catalyst particles including platinum, cobalt and manganese on a carbon powder carrier, wherein a composition ratio (molar ratio) among platinum, cobalt and manganese in the catalyst particles is Pt:Co:Mn=1:0.06 to 0.39:0.04 to 0.33, a peak intensity ratio of a Co—Mn alloy appearing in the vicinity of 2?=27° is 0.15 or less with respect to a main peak appearing in the vicinity of 2?=40° in X-ray diffraction analysis of the catalyst particles, and a fluorine compound having a C—F bond is supported at least on the surface of the catalyst particles. The amount of the fluorine compound supported is preferably from 3 to 20% with respect to the entire mass of the catalyst.

Abstract: The present invention provides a catalyst for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell including catalyst particles made of platinum supported on a carbon powder carrier, wherein the carbon powder carrier includes 0.7 to 3.0 mmol/g (based on the weight of the carrier) of a hydrophilic group bonded thereto; and the platinum particles have an average particle size of 3.5 to 8.0 nm and the platinum specific surface area based on CO adsorption (COMSA) of 40 to 100 m2/g. The catalyst for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to the present invention is a catalyst excellent in initial activity and satisfactory in durability.

Abstract: Provided is a catalyst for solid polymer fuel cell that exhibits excellent initial activity and favorable durability and a method for manufacturing the same. The invention is a catalyst for solid polymer fuel cell which is formed by supporting catalyst particles including platinum, cobalt and manganese on a carbon powder carrier, wherein a composition ratio (molar ratio) among platinum, cobalt and manganese in the catalyst particles is Pt:Co:Mn=1:0.06 to 0.39:0.04 to 0.33, a peak intensity ratio of a Co—Mn alloy appearing in the vicinity of 2?=27° is 0.15 or less with respect to a main peak appearing in the vicinity of 2?=40° in X-ray diffraction analysis of the catalyst particles, and a fluorine compound having a C—F bond is supported at least on the surface of the catalyst particles. The amount of the fluorine compound supported is preferably from 3 to 20% with respect to the entire mass of the catalyst.

Abstract: An optical fiber comprising a first core, a second core, a third core, and a cladding, wherein with a refractive index of the cladding as a reference, ?1 is a maximum value of a relative refractive index difference of the first core, ?2 is a maximum value of a relative refractive index difference of the second core, ?3 is a minimum value of a relative refractive index difference of the third core, “a” is a half-value radial width for the relative refractive index difference (?1??2) of the first core, “b” is a radius of a second core/third core boundary, and “c” is a radius of a third core/cladding boundary, the expressions 0.30%??1?0.45%, ?0.05%??2?0.05%, ?0.6%??3??0.3%, 2.85?b/a, 10 ?m?b?15 ?m, and 3 ?m?c?b?5.5 ?m are satisfied, and transmission loss for a wavelength of 1550 nm when the optical fiber is wound around a mandrel with a diameter of 10 mm is no greater than 0.2 dB/turn.

Abstract: Provided is an optical fiber glass base material manufacturing method that includes flame polishing an outside of a starting base material that includes a core and a first cladding with an oxyhydrogen flame and then arranging a glass fine particle synthesis burner facing the starting base material, which rotates, moving the starting base material and the burner back and forth relative to each other along the starting base material, and depositing glass fine particles produced by hydrolysis of glass raw material in the oxyhydrogen flame as a porous glass layer of a second cladding, the method comprising synthesizing and depositing the glass fine particles under conditions in which a hydrogen flow rate during a first back and forth deposition pass performed immediately after supply of raw material is started is greater than a normal hydrogen flow rate.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a liquefied fuel oil using biomass as a feedstock, in which a relatively inexpensive liquefaction apparatus is used; a good balance is maintained between the liquefaction of water-insoluble lignin and the liquefaction of water-soluble cellulose to achieve a high yield of the liquefied fuel oil based on the biomass solids content; and the amount of ash derived from an alkali catalyst and the like is low. The method for producing a liquefied fuel oil using biomass as a feedstock is characterized by adding, to biomass comprising lignocellulose, a solvent comprising an organic solvent and having a moisture content adjusted to 10 to 25 wt %, including moisture contained in the biomass, and liquefying the biomass at a temperature of 250 to 350° C.

Abstract: An optical fiber comprising a first core, a second core, a third core, and a cladding, wherein with a refractive index of the cladding as a reference, ?1 is a maximum value of a relative refractive index difference of the first core, ?2 is a maximum value of a relative refractive index difference of the second core, ?3 is a minimum value of a relative refractive index difference of the third core, “a” is a half-value radial width for the relative refractive index difference (?1??2) of the first core, “b” is a radius of a second core/third core boundary, and “c” is a radius of a third core/cladding boundary, the expressions 0.30%??1?0.45%, ?0.05%??2?0.05%, ?0.6%??3??0.3%, 2.85?b/a, 10 ?m?b?15 ?m, and 3 ?m?c?b?5.5 ?m are satisfied, and transmission loss for a wavelength of 1550 nm when the optical fiber is wound around a mandrel with a diameter of 10 mm is no greater than 0.2 dB/turn.

Abstract: The present invention provides a catalyst for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell including catalyst particles made of platinum supported on a carbon powder carrier, wherein the carbon powder carrier includes 0.7 to 3.0 mmol/g (based on the weight of the carrier) of a hydrophilic group bonded thereto; and the platinum particles have an average particle size of 3.5 to 8.0 nm and the platinum specific surface area based on CO adsorption (COMSA) of 40 to 100 m2/g. The catalyst for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to the present invention is a catalyst excellent in initial activity and satisfactory in durability.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method which enable detecting a microscopic defect sensitively by efficiently collecting and detecting scattering light from a defect in a wider region without enlarging the apparatus. In the apparatus for inspecting a defect on a surface of a sample, including illumination means which irradiates a surface of a sample with laser, reflected light detection means which detects reflected light from the sample, and signal processing means which processes a detected signal and detecting a defect on the sample, the reflected light detection means is configured to include a scattering light detection unit which collects scattering light components of the reflected light from the sample by excluding specularly reflected light components by using an aspheric flannel lens and detecting the scattering light components.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method which enable detecting a microscopic defect sensitively by efficiently collecting and detecting scattering light from a defect in a wider region without enlarging the apparatus. In the apparatus for inspecting a defect on a surface of a sample, including illumination means which irradiates a surface of a sample with laser, reflected light detection means which detects reflected light from the sample, and signal processing means which processes a detected signal and detecting a defect on the sample, the reflected light detection means is configured to include a scattering light detection unit which collects scattering light components of the reflected light from the sample by excluding specularly reflected light components by using an aspheric flannel lens and detecting the scattering light components.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a liquefied fuel oil using biomass as a feedstock, in which a relatively inexpensive liquefaction apparatus is used; a good balance is maintained between the liquefaction of water-insoluble lignin and the liquefaction of water-soluble cellulose to achieve a high yield of the liquefied fuel oil based on the biomass solids content; and the amount of ash derived from an alkali catalyst and the like is low. The method for producing a liquefied fuel oil using biomass as a feedstock is characterized by adding, to biomass comprising lignocellulose, a solvent comprising an organic solvent and having a moisture content adjusted to 10 to 25 wt %, including moisture contained in the biomass, and liquefying the biomass at a temperature of 250 to 350° C.

Abstract: The present invention provides a catalyst for a fuel cell with excellent resistance for poisoning gas such as CO and the electrode using the same, and a high performance catalyst for a direct methanol-type fuel cell using methanol as fuel and the electrode using the same. For this purpose, the present invention uses a solid heteropolyacid catalyst for a fuel cell which is a partial salt of a heteropolyacid including a noble metal and/or a transition metal and having a molecular weight of 800 to 10000.

Abstract: Disclosed is a Lewis acid catalyst composition comprising a specific mixed medium and a Lewis acid catalyst (II), wherein the specific mixed medium is mixed medium (I) comprising a perfluorinated aliphatic hydrocarbon (A) and at least one non-fluorinated hydrocarbon or a mixed medium (I′) comprising a perfluorinated aliphatic hydrocarbon (A), a perfluorinated aromatic hydrocarbon (C) and water (D), and wherein the Lewis acid catalyst (II) is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds respectively represented by the following formulae (1), (2) and (3): (RfSO3)nM  (1), [(RfSO2)2N]nM  (2), and [(RfSO2)3C]nM  (3). Also disclosed is a Lewis acid catalyst represented by the above-mentioned formula (3).

Abstract: A mesopore molecular sieve having a hydrocarbon group bonded directly to a silicon atom in the metal oxide skeleton constituting the molecular sieve, wherein the content of said hydrocarbon group is from 0.01 to 0.6 mol per mol of the metal oxide. Also disclosed is a process for producing a mesopore molecular sieve having a hydrocarbon atom bonded to a silicon atom in the molecular sieve skeleton, which comprises synthesizing the mesopore molecular sieve, in the presence of a template, from: a silane compound represented by the following formula (1): RnSiX(4−n)  (1) wherein R represents a hydrocarbon group selected from C1-16 hydrocarbon groups and hydrocarbon groups substituted with an N—, O-, S-, P- or halogen-containing group; n represents 1, 2 or 3; and X is selected from C1-6 alkoxy groups, aryloxy groups, a hydroxyl group and halogen atoms and a plurality of X may be the same or different; and a metal oxide and/or a precursor thereof.

Abstract: An efficient method for producing a hydrogen-containing gas for a fuel cell by using a gas produced by reforming reaction of an organic compound is disclosed. The method comprises the following steps: adding an oxygen-containing gas to a hydrogen-containing gas containing carbon monoxide to form a mixed gas, and bringing the mixed gas into contact with a catalyst comprising a ruthenium metal as a main component and having a carbon monoxide adsorption of not less than 1 mmol/g-ruthenium and a carbon monoxide adsorption index of not less than 0.5, to thereby oxidize and remove carbon monoxide.

Abstract: A high thermal expansion member consisting substantially of Fe—Ni—Cr based alloy, a low thermal expansion member consisting substantially of an Fe—Ni based alloy, and an intermediary member, which comprises one kind of metal selected from Fe, Al and Cu or an alloy comprising these metals, possesses a thermal expansion coefficient &agr;3 which has a value between those of the high thermal expansion member (thermal expansion coefficient &agr;1) and the low thermal expansion member (thermal expansion coefficient &agr;2) (&agr;1>&agr;3>&agr;2), and is interposed therebetween, are laminated to form a thermal deformation member for an electron tube or a thermal deformation member for electric control. The intermediary member, without adversely affecting strength or long term reliability of the thermal deformation member, contributes to manufacturing cost reductions and improvement of workability.