Abstract: A fuel cell of the present disclosure includes an electrolyte-layer-electrode assembly, a first separator, a second separator, and one or more gas permeation suppressing sections, the inner surface of the first separator and the inner surface of the second separator have a first region and a second region, the gas permeation suppressing section is provided at least one of a first reactant gas channel and a second reactant gas channel so as to overlap with the first region when viewed in a thickness direction of the first separator, and the gas permeation suppressing section is provided at least one of the first reactant gas channel and the second reactant gas channel so as to overlap with the second region when viewed in the thickness direction of the first separator.

Abstract: Provided is a gas diffusion layer for a fuel cell, wherein a reactive gas passage groove for distributing a reactive gas is formed in one principal surface of the gas diffusion layer, and a reinforcing member is provided along the reactive gas passage grooves. Thus, the deformation of the gas diffusion layer due to a fastening pressure can be suppressed to improve the power generation performance.

Abstract: A polymer electrolyte fuel cell of the present invention includes: a membrane-electrode assembly having a polymer electrolyte membrane and a pair of electrodes; a first separator having one main surface on which a first reactant gas channel is formed so as to bend; and a second separator having one main surface on which a second reactant gas channel is formed so as to bend. The first reactant gas channel is formed such that a first particular portion of the first reactant gas channel is smaller in width than each of a portion located upstream of the first particular portion and a portion located downstream of the first particular portion, the first particular portion being within a region of the electrode and including a portion where the first reactant gas channel extending from an upstream end thereof first separates from the second reactant gas channel.

Abstract: The present invention includes a fuel cell (11), a fuel gas supplying device (16), an oxidizing gas supplying device (17) and a control apparatus (20) and further includes at least one of a temperature control device (19) which controls the temperature of the fuel cell (11) and a humidifying device (24) which humidifies at least one of the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas to be supplied to the fuel cell (11), wherein: the control apparatus (20) controls at least one of the temperature control device (19), the humidifying device (24), the fuel cell (11) and the fuel gas supplying device (16) to cause the temperature of the fuel cell (11) to be equal to at least one of the dew point of the fuel gas and the dew point of the oxidizing gas, before cutting off an electrical connection between the fuel cell (11) and a load; and then the control apparatus (20) cuts off the electrical connection between the fuel cell (11) and the load.

Abstract: In order to provide a fuel cell system (which ensures high proton conductivity and high energy conversion efficiency and, in addition, copes with an operating mode of the startup/shutdown type and which has excellent durability capable of effectively preventing a polymer electrolyte membrane from deterioration) and an operating method of such a fuel cell system, a fuel cell system (100) is provided with a fuel cell (11), a fuel gas supplier (16) and an oxidizing gas supplier (17), a temperature supplier (19) which controls the temperature of the fuel cell, and a humidifier unit (18) which humidifies oxidizing gas, wherein there is further provided a controller (20) which controls the dew point of fuel gas and the dew point of oxidizing gas as follow: during the generation of electric power, the fuel gas dew point is made higher than or equal to the temperature of the fuel cell while the oxidizing gas dew point is made less than the temperature of the fuel cell and, before interrupting the electric connection

Abstract: A polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes: a membrane-electrode assembly (10) having a polymer electrolyte membrane (1) and a pair of electrodes (4, 8) sandwiching a portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane (1) which portion is located inwardly of a peripheral portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane (1); an electrically-conductive first separator (30) disposed to contact the membrane-electrode assembly (10) and formed such that a groove-like first reactant gas channel (37) is formed on one main surface thereof so as to bend; and an electrically-conductive second separator (20) disposed to contact the membrane-electrode assembly (10) and formed such that a groove-like second reactant gas channel (27) is formed on one main surface thereof so as to bend, wherein the first reactant gas channel (27) is formed such that a width of a portion of the first reactant gas channel (27) which portion is formed at least a portion (hereinafter referred to as an uppermost stream portion 8C of the first separator 30) loc

Abstract: A fuel cell of the present invention includes a membrane-electrode assembly (10), an anode separator (20), and a cathode separator (30). The membrane-electrode assembly (10) includes: a polymer electrolyte membrane (1); a first anode catalyst layer (2A) and an anode gas diffusion layer (4) sequentially stacked on one of main surfaces of the polymer electrolyte membrane (1); a second anode catalyst layer (2B) disposed between the polymer electrolyte membrane (1) and the first anode catalyst layer (2A); and a cathode catalyst layer (3) and a cathode gas diffusion layer (5) sequentially stacked on the other main surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane (1). The second anode catalyst layer (2B) contains a catalyst which adsorbs a sulfur compound.

Abstract: Even when a reaction gas flows into a gap formed between a gasket and a membrane electrode assembly, the flowing of the reaction gas to the outside without flowing through an electrode is prevented and thus a decrease in power generation efficiency is prevented. In order to allow the water vapor contained in the reaction gas that flows into an anode-side gap 10a formed between an anode-side gasket 9a and a membrane electrode assembly 5 to condense in at least a part of the gap 10a, and to allow the condensed water to fill the gap 10a, the upstream portion of a cooling fluid channel 8a of an anode-side separator 6a is formed such that it includes a region corresponding to the gap 10a, and the upstream portion is formed such that it includes a region corresponding to a middle stream portion and subsequent portion of a fuel gas channel 7a.

Abstract: Provided is a gas diffusion layer for a fuel cell, wherein a reactive gas passage groove for distributing a reactive gas is formed in one principal surface of the gas diffusion layer, and a reinforcing member is provided along the reactive gas passage grooves. Thus, the deformation of the gas diffusion layer due to a fastening pressure can be suppressed to improve the power generation performance.

Abstract: A polymer electrolyte fuel cell of the present invention includes: a membrane-electrode assembly (5) having a polymer electrolyte membrane (1) and a pair of electrodes (4A and 4B); a first separator (6A) having one main surface on which a groove-like first reactant gas channel (8) is formed so as to bend; and a second separator (6B) having one main surface on which a groove-like second reactant gas channel (9) is formed so as to bend.

Abstract: The present invention includes a fuel cell (11), a fuel gas supplying device (16), an oxidizing gas supplying device (17) and a control apparatus (20) and further includes at least one of a temperature control device (19) which controls the temperature of the fuel cell (11) and a humidifying device (24) which humidifies at least one of the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas to be supplied to the fuel cell (11), wherein: the control apparatus (20) controls at least one of the temperature control device (19), the humidifying device (24), the fuel cell (11) and the fuel gas supplying device (16) to cause the temperature of the fuel cell (11) to be equal to at least one of the dew point of the fuel gas and the dew point of the oxidizing gas, before cutting off an electrical connection between the fuel cell (11) and a load; and then the control apparatus (20) cuts off the electrical connection between the fuel cell (11) and the load.

Abstract: A fuel cell of the present disclosure includes an electrolyte-layer-electrode assembly, a first separator, a second separator, and one or more gas permeation suppressing sections, the inner surface of the first separator and the inner surface of the second separator have a first region and a second region, the gas permeation suppressing section is provided at least one of a first reactant gas channel and a second reactant gas channel so as to overlap with the first region when viewed in a thickness direction of the first separator, and the gas permeation suppressing section is provided at least one of the first reactant gas channel and the second reactant gas channel so as to overlap with the second region when viewed in the thickness direction of the first separator.

Abstract: A fuel cell of the present invention includes a membrane-electrode assembly (10), an anode separator (20), and a cathode separator (30). The membrane-electrode assembly (10) includes: a polymer electrolyte membrane (1); a first anode catalyst layer (2A) and an anode gas diffusion layer (4) sequentially stacked on one of main surfaces of the polymer electrolyte membrane (1); a second anode catalyst layer (2B) disposed between the polymer electrolyte membrane (1) and the first anode catalyst layer (2A); and a cathode catalyst layer (3) and a cathode gas diffusion layer (5) sequentially stacked on the other main surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane (1). The second anode catalyst layer (2B) contains a catalyst which adsorbs a sulfur compound.

Abstract: A polymer electrolyte fuel cell of the present invention comprises an electrolyte layer-electrode assembly (8), an anode separator (11) which is provided with a fuel gas channel (13), and a cathode separator (10) which is provided with an oxidizing gas channel (12), wherein low-level humidified reactant gases are supplied to a fuel gas channel (13) and to an oxidizing gas channel (12), respectively; and wherein a level of hydrophilicity of a section (hereinafter referred to as a cathode gas diffusion layer upstream section) of a cathode gas diffusion layer (3) which is opposite to an upstream region of the oxidizing gas channel (12) including a mostupstream region thereof is set lower than a level of hydrophilicity of a section (hereinafter referred to as anode gas diffusion layer upstream opposite section) of the anode gas diffusion layer (6) which is opposite to the cathode gas diffusion layer upstream section (3a) by making the level of hydrophilicity of an entire region of the anode gas diffusion layer up

Abstract: In order to provide a fuel cell system (which ensures high proton conductivity and high energy conversion efficiency and, in addition, copes with an operating mode of the startup/shutdown type and which has excellent durability capable of effectively preventing a polymer electrolyte membrane from deterioration) and an operating method of such a fuel cell system, a fuel cell system (100) is provided with a fuel cell (11), a fuel gas supplier (16) and an oxidizing gas supplier (17), a temperature supplier (19) which controls the temperature of the fuel cell, and a humidifier unit (18) which humidifies oxidizing gas, wherein there is further provided a controller (20) which controls the dew point of fuel gas and the dew point of oxidizing gas as follow: during the generation of electric power, the fuel gas dew point is made higher than or equal to the temperature of the fuel cell while the oxidizing gas dew point is made less than the temperature of the fuel cell and, before interrupting the electric connection

Abstract: A polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes: a membrane-electrode assembly (10) having a polymer electrolyte membrane (1) and a pair of electrodes (4, 8) sandwiching a portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane (1) which portion is located inwardly of a peripheral portion of the polymer electrolyte membrane (1); an electrically-conductive first separator (30) disposed to contact the membrane-electrode assembly (10) and formed such that a groove-like first reactant gas channel (37) is formed on one main surface thereof so as to bend; and an electrically-conductive second separator (20) disposed to contact the membrane-electrode assembly (10) and formed such that a groove-like second reactant gas channel (27) is formed on one main surface thereof so as to bend, wherein the first reactant gas channel (27) is formed such that a width of a portion of the first reactant gas channel (27) which portion is formed at least a portion (hereinafter referred to as an uppermost stream portion 8C of the first separator 30) loc

Abstract: The present invention includes a fuel cell (11), a fuel gas supplying device (16), an oxidizing gas supplying device (17) and a control apparatus (20) and further includes at least one of a temperature control device (19) which controls the temperature of the fuel cell (11) and a humidifying device (24) which humidifies at least one of the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas to be supplied to the fuel cell (11), wherein: the control apparatus (20) controls at least one of the temperature control device (19), the humidifying device (24), the fuel cell (11) and the fuel gas supplying device (16) to cause the temperature of the fuel cell (11) to be equal to at least one of the dew point of the fuel gas and the dew point of the oxidizing gas, before cutting off an electrical connection between the fuel cell (11) and a load; and then the control apparatus (20) cuts off the electrical connection between the fuel cell (11) and the load.

Abstract: A catalyst-coated membrane includes: a first catalyst layer (2a) and a second catalyst layer (2b) which are opposed to each other; a polymer electrolyte membrane 1 which is disposed between the first catalyst layer (2a) and the second catalyst layer (2b) and has a first main surface (F10) and a second main surface (F20) which are opposed to each other; and a membrane catalyst concentration reduced region 80 which is formed so as to contact an outer periphery of the first catalyst layer (2a) and the first main surface (F10) of the polymer electrolyte membrane 1 and has hydrogen ion conductivity and fire resistance, wherein: an outer periphery of the main surfaces of the second catalyst layer (2b) is located between an edge of the membrane catalyst concentration reduced region (80) which edge contacts the first catalyst layer (2a) and an edge opposed to the edge contacting the first catalyst layer (2a); and the membrane catalyst concentration reduced region (80) includes a first portion (8) which contacts the f

Abstract: Even when a reaction gas flows into a gap formed between a gasket and a membrane electrode assembly, the flowing of the reaction gas to the outside without flowing through an electrode is prevented and thus a decrease in power generation efficiency is prevented. In order to allow the water vapor contained in the reaction gas that flows into an anode-side gap 10a formed between an anode-side gasket 9a and a membrane electrode assembly 5 to condense in at least a part of the gap 10a, and to allow the condensed water to fill the gap 10a, the upstream portion of a cooling fluid channel 8a of an anode-side separator 6a is formed such that it includes a region corresponding to the gap 10a, and the upstream portion is formed such that it includes a region corresponding to a middle stream portion and subsequent portion of a fuel gas channel 7a.