Abstract: Provided are: a separator material for a fuel cell, in which a uniform first Au-plated layer having a thickness of 0.5-4 nm is formed on one surface of a metal thin plate and a uniform second Au-plated layer having a larger thickness than that of the first Au-plated layer is formed on the other surface of the metal base material, wherein the covering rate of each of the cross-sections of the first Au-plated layer and the second Au-plated layer is 80% or more as observed on a transmission electron microscope, and which can have excellent corrosion resistance even when the thicknesses of the Au-plated layers formed on the surface of the base material are small, and can be produced at reduced cost; and a separator for a fuel cell and a fuel cell stack, each of which is produced using the separator material.

Abstract: A fuel cell separator material, comprising a metal base and an Au plated layer formed on the surface of the metal base, wherein the Au plated layer has a thickness of 2 to 20 nm and arithmetic mean deviation of the profile (Ra) of 0.5 to 1.5 nm measured by an atomic force microscope within a crystal grain of the metal base.

Abstract: An Au plated film 12 is formed on the surface of a plate-formed metal base 13 composed of a metal less noble than Au, and the product is cut along a planned cutting line 18 reflecting a contour of a desired component, to thereby form a separator 10. Thus-formed separator 10 has the Au plated film 12 formed on the main surface 10a thereof, and has a cutting plane 16 formed as an end face 16 stretched up to the main surface 10a. The metal base 13 exposes in a part of the cutting plane 16, in a width of the exposed region of 1 mm or less. This is successful in providing a metal component for fuel cell which is satisfactory in the corrosion resistance and allows easy fabrication at low costs, a method of manufacturing the same, and also in providing a fuel cell having thus-fabricated metal component for fuel cell.

Abstract: An Au plated film 12 is formed on the surface of a plate-formed metal base 13 composed of a metal less noble than Au, and the product is cut along a planned cutting line 18 reflecting a contour of a desired component, to thereby form a separator 10. Thus-formed separator 10 has the Au plated film 12 formed on the main surface 10a thereof, and has a cutting plane 16 formed as an end face 16 stretched up to the main surface 10a. The metal base 13 exposes in a part of the cutting plane 16, in a width of the exposed region of 1 mm or less. This is successful in providing a metal component for fuel cell which is satisfactory in the corrosion resistance and allows easy fabrication at low costs, a method of manufacturing the same, and also in providing a fuel cell having thus-fabricated metal component for fuel cell.

Abstract: An Au plated film 12 is formed on the surface of a plate-formed metal base 13 composed of a metal less noble than Au, and the product is cut along a planned cutting line 18 reflecting a contour of a desired component, to thereby form a separator 10. Thus-formed separator 10 has the Au plated film 12 formed on the main surface 10a thereof, and has a cutting plane 16 formed as an end face 16 stretched up to the main surface 10a. The metal base 13 exposes in a part of the cutting plane 16, in a width of the exposed region of 1 mm or less. This is successful in providing a metal component for fuel cell which is satisfactory in the corrosion resistance and allows easy fabrication at low costs, a method of manufacturing the same, and also in providing a fuel cell having thus-fabricated metal component for fuel cell.

Abstract: The present invention provides a metallic bipolar plate for fuel cells, including: a pair of metallic plates for fuel cells each including a substrate which contains a stainless steel, an Fe—Ni based alloy or an Ni-base alloy, has a front surface and a back surface, and has a plurality of channels of a reaction gas formed on the front surface; and a brazed portion joining the back surfaces of the substrates in such a way that the pair of metallic plates are made to face each other, wherein, in the pair of metallic plates, a thin layer of a noble metal is coated on an entirety of the front surface of each of the substrates or on at least a part of a convex portion between the plurality of channels of a reaction gas on the front surface of each of the substrates, and another thin layer of a noble metal having a thickness of from 0.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a metallic bipolar plate for fuel cells, including: a plate-like metallic substrate containing a metal capable of being passivated; and a noble-metal layer disposed partially on both surfaces of the metallic substrate to coat the metallic substrate, the metallic bipolar plate having a concave-convex portion formed at least in a region facing an electrode of a membrane electrode assembly, in which both surfaces of the metallic bipolar plate respectively have a contact surface which contacts with the electrode and a non-contact surface which does not contact with the electrode, and in which both surfaces of the metallic bipolar plate respectively have a coating area ratio of the noble-metal layer to the contact surface within a range of from 20% to 100%, and a coating area ratio of the noble-metal layer to the non-contact surface within a range of from 5% or more but less than 100%.

Abstract: An Au plated film 12 is formed on the surface of a plate-formed metal base 13 composed of a metal less noble than Au, and the product is cut along a planned cutting line 18 reflecting a contour of a desired component, to thereby form a separator 10. Thus-formed separator 10 has the Au plated film 12 formed on the main surface 10a thereof, and has a cutting plane 16 formed as an end face 16 stretched up to the main surface 10a. The metal base 13 exposes in a part of the cutting plane 16, in a width of the exposed region of 1 mm or less. This is successful in providing a metal component for fuel cell which is satisfactory in the corrosion resistance and allows easy fabrication at low costs, a method of manufacturing the same, and also in providing a fuel cell having thus-fabricated metal component for fuel cell.

Abstract: A bearing mechanism eliminates the need for lubricating oil, is capable of generating enough radial dynamic pressure even in lower-speed regions, and yet can be easily surface-machined for the generation of radial dynamic pressure and manufactured with low cost. In at least either one of an outer circumferential surface 2a of a first member 2 or an inner circumferential surface 3a of a second member 3 (hereinafter, referred to as roughened surface), the two circumferential surfaces being opposed to each other with a bearing gap G therebetween, dot-like minute dips and bumps are formed dispersedly, by which the surface is roughened so that its center-line mean roughness is controlled within a range of 0.1 &mgr;m-1.0 &mgr;m.