Abstract: According to the present invention, an electrolyte is composed of one or more lithium salts of asymmetric imides each having a perfluoroalkyl group, or a mixed salt of a lithium salt of an asymmetric imide having a perfluoroalkyl group and a lithium salt of a symmetric imide having a perfluoroalkyl group. The composition ratio of the one or more lithium salts and the mixed salt is expressed by (lithium salt of asymmetric imide)x(lithium salt of symmetric imide)1-x (wherein x is from 0.1 to 1.0) in terms of the molar ratio; the asymmetric imide lithium salt is (C2F5SO2) (CF3SO2)NLi or (C3F7SO2) (CF3SO2)NLi; the symmetric imide lithium salt is (CF3SO2)2NLi; and the composition of an electrolyte solution according to the present invention contains 1.0 mole or more but less than 2 moles of a solvent per 1 mole of the one or more lithium salts or the lithium salts of the mixed salt.

Abstract: A cathode for a lithium ion secondary battery of the present invention is provided with a current collector and an active material layer formed on a surface of the current collector. The active material layer has holes in its surface and has an active material density of 68 to 83% relative to a true density of an active material included in the active material layer. The thickness of the active material layer is 150 to 1000 ?m. Hence, the amount of the active material included in the cathode is increased. When the cathode is used in the battery, transfer of an electron and insertion/release of lithium ion take place deep in the thickness direction from the surface and in the surface of the active material layer. Hence, the active material deep in the thickness direction from the surface of the active material layer is effectively utilized.

Abstract: A cathode for lithium ion secondary battery of the present invention includes a cathode including a current collector and active material supported on the current collector. The current collector is made of porous metal. The cathode has holes in its surface, and active material density is 50 to 80% of true density of the active material. Because the cathode is thick and supported with the active material densely and the holes are formed in its surface, transfer of an electron and insertion/release of lithium ion take place in the cathode surface and deep in the cathode in the lithium ion secondary battery. Therefore, the lithium ion released from the active material can migrate in the electrolyte solution in the holes, so that the active material present deep in the cathode is effectively utilized, and thus, the lithium ion secondary battery has high capacity and can promptly charge/discharge.

Abstract: An electrode for a lithium ion secondary cell includes a conductive auxiliary agent, a binder and an active material. The conductive auxiliary agent includes carbon black and carbon nanofibers. The carbon nanofibers are configured to electrically crosslink the active material and the carbon black so that the carbon nanofibers coat part or all of a surface of the active material to be secured by a binder. In addition, by defining the entire surface of the active material as 100%, 10 to 100% of the surface of the active material is coated with the carbon nanofibers. By bonding the carbon black to the carbon nanofibers with which the surface of the active material is coated, the active material and the carbon black are electrically crosslinked.

Abstract: An electrode of a lithium-ion secondary battery includes: an electrode film that contains a conductive auxiliary agent, a binder and an active material; and an electrode foil, on a surface of which the electrode film is formed. The conductive auxiliary agent is carbon nano-fibers and the carbon nano-fibers are contained in the range of 0.1 to 3.0% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the electrode film. Further, when using an organic solvent as a solvent, 1.0 to 8.0% by mass of the binder excluding the organic solvent is contained. The active material is made of a mixed powder of a coarse particle powder having an average particle size of 1 to 20 ?m and a fine particle powder having an average particle size of ? to 1/10 of an average particle size of the coarse particle powder, and the porosity of the electrode film is 10 to 30%.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell includes a separator which has a fuel gas passageway and an oxidant gas passageway thereinside, and a plurality of power generation cells arranged in a parallel connection state on the same plane. Each of the power generation cells has a solid electrolyte layer sandwiched between a fuel electrode layer and an oxidant electrode layer. The oxidant gas passageway may start at an edge portion of the separator, extend to a central portion of the separator at a position enclosed by the power generation cells, be divided at the central portion, and be introduced in a portion facing the respective oxidant electrode layer.

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell capable of efficient heat recovery and effective temperature control in a fuel cell stack. In order to achieve the object stated above, there is provided an internal reforming type fuel cell (1) in which a fuel cell stack (3) constructed by laminating a plurality of power generation cells is placed in a container (2a) having heat insulating layer (18) on the outer side thereof, and reactant gas is supplied to an inside of the fuel cell stack (3) at the time of operation to cause power generating reaction. A vapor generator (30) for generating fuel-reforming steam utilizing exhaust heat from the fuel cell stack (3) as a heat source is mounted on a wall of the container (2a).

Abstract: A conductive and tabular separator is inserted into the gap between the fuel electrode layer of an i-th power generating cell and the oxidizer electrode layer of an (i+1)-th power generating cell adjacent to the fuel electrode layer. A fuel supply passage is so formed on one face of each of these separators that a fuel gas flows radially from almost the center of the fuel electrode layer to its edge. An oxidizer supply passage is so formed on the other face that an oxidizer gas outgoes almost uniformly in a shower toward the oxidizer polar layer. Thus, all of the surfaces of the power generating cells contribute to power generation to increase the frequency of collision between the fuel gas and the fuel electrode layer and that between the oxidizer gas and the oxidizer electrode layer, and to improve the generation efficiency.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell is formed by arranging a fuel electrode layer and an air electrode layer on both surfaces of a solid electrolyte, respectively, a fuel electrode current collector and an air electrode current collector outside the fuel electrode layer and the air electrode layer, respectively, and separators outside the fuel electrode current collector and the air electrode current collector. A fuel gas and an oxidant gas are supplied from the separators to the fuel electrode layers and the oxidant electrode layers, respectively, through the fuel electrode current collectors and the air electrode current collectors, respectively. Alternatively, indents are provided on the surface of each of the separators, which surface is in contact with one of the current collectors, to increase the dwell volume and hence the retaining time of the gas in the interior of the current collectors.

Abstract: A conductive and tabular separator is inserted into the gap between the fuel electrode layer of an i-th power generating cell and the oxidizer electrode layer of an (i+l)-th power generating cell adjacent to the fuel electrode layer. A fuel supply passage is so formed on one face of each of these separators that a fuel gas flows radially from almost the center of the fuel electrode layer to its edge. An oxidizer supply passage is so formed on the other face that an oxidizer gas outgoes almost uniformly in a shower toward the oxidizer polar layer. Thus, all of the surfaces of the power generating cells contribute to power generation to increase the frequency of collision between the fuel gas and the fuel electrode layer and that between the oxidizer gas and the oxidizer electrode layer, and to improve the generation efficiency.

Abstract: It is possible to rapidly start a fuel cell and perform temperature increase operation and temperature decrease operation at start/stop without providing a separate purge gas supply system. The solid oxide type fuel cell includes a reformer (21) or the reformer (21) together with a water vapor generator (22), and a heating device (24) for heating at least the reformer (21) which are arranged in a housing (20). In the fuel cell operation method, upon start or stop of the operation, the reformer (21) generates a reductive gas containing hydrogen by a partial oxidization reforming reaction or auto-thermal reforming reaction and supplies the reductive gas to the fuel electrode side of the generation cell, thereby increasing or decreasing the temperature of the fuel cell while maintaining the fuel electrode atmosphere in a reduction condition.

Abstract: A solid electrolyte type fuel cell which incorporates a metal separator comprising a base material of a metal other than silver or a silver alloy which is plated with silver or a silver alloy. The fuel cell can achieve improved efficiency for electricity generation with no increase of the resistance of the metal separator, even when it is operated at a low temperature.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell provided with a power cell (1) in which a fuel electrode layer (4) is arranged on one surface of a solid electrolyte layer (3) and an air electrode layer (2) is arranged on the other surface thereof, wherein the solid electrolyte layer (3) has a two layer structure including a first electrolyte layer (3a) made of a ceria based oxide material and a second electrolyte layer (3b) made of a lanthanum gallate based oxide material, and the second electrolyte layer is formed on the side of the air electrode layer. Preferably, the material composition for the fuel electrode layer (4) is a mixture of Ni and CeSmO2, wherein the composition ratio of component materials is graded along the thickness thereof in such a way that the quantity of Ni is made less than the quantity of CeSmO2 near the boundary interface with said solid electrolyte layer, and the mixing ratio of Ni is gradually increased with an increasing distance away from the interface.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell structured so that an oxidizer gas and a fuel gas are fed to each of multiple power generation cells disposed in parallel relationship through an oxidizer gas passageway and a fuel gas passageway having diverged from each other in a separator. In this structuring, as the gas seal points of the separator can be limited to two points consisting of an oxidizer gas hole and a fuel gas hole, the seal structure of the separator can be simplified. Further, there is provided a solid oxide fuel cell comprising an exhaust gas flow channel disposed in a stack interior so that any exhaust gas resulting from power generation reaction flows in the direction of stacking, wherein the rate of gas flow toward one side along the stacking direction in the exhaust gas flow channel is greater than that toward the other side.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell is formed by arranging a fuel electrode layer and an air electrode layer on both surfaces of a solid electrolyte, respectively, a fuel electrode current collector and an air electrode current collector outside the fuel electrode layer and the air electrode layer, respectively, and separators (8) outside the fuel electrode current collector and the air electrode current collector. In the first embodiment, a fuel gas and an oxidant gas are supplied from the separators (8) to the fuel electrode layers and the oxidant electrode layers, respectively, through the fuel electrode current collectors and the air electrode current collectors, respectively. Each separator (8) is formed by laminating a plurality of thin metal plates at least including a thin metal plate (21) in which a first gas discharge opening (25) is arranged in the central part and second gas discharge openings (24) are circularly arranged in the peripheral part, and a thin metal plate (22) with an indented surface.

Abstract: A conductive and tabular separator is inserted into the gap between the fuel electrode layer of an i-th power generating cell and the oxidizer electrode layer of an (i+l)-th power generating cell adjacent to the fuel electrode layer. A fuel supply passage is so formed on one face of each of these separators that a fuel gas flows radially from almost the center of the fuel electrode layer to its edge. An oxidizer supply passage is so formed on the other face that an oxidizer gas outgoes almost uniformly in a shower toward the oxidizer polar layer. Thus, all of the surfaces of the power generating cells contribute to power generation to increase the frequency of collision between the fuel gas and the fuel electrode layer and that between the oxidizer gas and the oxidizer electrode layer, and to improve the generation efficiency.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell is formed by arranging a fuel electrode layer and an air electrode layer on both surfaces of a solid electrolyte, respectively, a fuel electrode current collector and an air electrode current collector outside the fuel electrode layer and the air electrode layer, respectively, and separators outside the fuel electrode current collector and the air electrode current collector. In a first embodiment, a fuel gas and an oxidant gas are supplied from the separators to the fuel electrode layer and the oxidant electrode layer, respectively, through the fuel electrode current collector and the air electrode current collector, respectively. Each separator is formed by laminating a plurality of thin metal plates at least including a thin metal plate in which a first gas discharge opening is arranged in a central part and second gas discharge openings are circularly arranged in a peripheral part, and a thin metal plate with an indented surface.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell is formed by arranging a fuel electrode layer and an air electrode layer on both surfaces of a solid electrolyte, respectively, a fuel electrode current collector and an air electrode current collector outside the fuel electrode layer and the air electrode layer, respectively, and separators outside the fuel electrode current collector and the air electrode current collector. In a first embodiment, a fuel gas and an oxidant gas are supplied from the separators to the fuel electrode layer and the oxidant electrode layer, respectively, through the fuel electrode current collector and the air electrode current collector, respectively. Each separator is formed by laminating a plurality of thin metal plates at least including a thin metal plate in which a first gas discharge opening is arranged in a central part and second gas discharge openings are circularly arranged in a peripheral part, and a thin metal plate with an indented surface.

Abstract: A solid electrolyte type fuel cell which incorporates a metal separator comprising a base material of a metal other than silver or a silver alloy which is plated with silver or a silver alloy. The fuel cell can achieve improved efficiency for electricity generation with no increase of the resistance of the metal separator, even when it is operated at a low temperature.

Abstract: A solid electrolyte type fuel cell which incorporates a metal separator comprising a base material of a metal other than silver or a silver alloy which is plated with silver or a silver alloy. The fuel cell can achieve improved efficiency for electricity generation with no increase of the resistance of the metal separator, even when it is operated at a low temperature.