Abstract: A fuel cell gas diffusion layer includes a porous member containing electrically-conductive particles and polymeric resin as major components, and a plurality of holes extending from a main surface of the fuel cell gas diffusion layer are formed.

Abstract: A fuel cell module includes an electrode membrane assembly and a pair of separators. The electrode membrane assembly includes an electrode portion and a pair of gas diffusion layers. The electrode portion includes a polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode electrode formed on a first surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and a cathode electrode formed on a second surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane. One of the pair of gas diffusion layers is in contact with an anode surface of the electrode portion at which the anode electrode is disposed, and the other is in contact with a cathode surface of the electrode portion at which the cathode electrode is disposed. The separators sandwich the electrode membrane assembly from respective the anode surface and the cathode surface. The electrode membrane assembly and each separator are adhered to each other by a plurality of resin portions.

Abstract: A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; a cathode positioned on a first surface of the electrolyte membrane; an anode positioned on a second surface of the electrolyte membrane; a cathode-side sealant positioned on a surface of the cathode different from the electrolyte membrane side of the cathode; an anode-side sealant positioned on a surface of the anode different from the electrolyte membrane side of the anode; a cathode-side separator positioned on a surface of the cathode-side sealant different from the cathode side of the cathode-side sealant; and an anode-side separator positioned on a surface of the anode-side sealant different from the anode side of the anode-side sealant. The anode-side separator has a projection on a surface stacked on the anode-side sealant, or the cathode-side separator has a projection on a surface stacked on the cathode-side sealant.

Abstract: A positive electrode for an air battery includes a porous body including carbon. The porous body includes first pores each having a pore diameter of 4 nm or more and less than 100 nm and second pores each having a pore diameter of 100 nm or more and 10 ?m or less. In the porous body, a second pore volume is greater than a first pore volume. The second pore volume is a cumulative pore volume of the second pores. The first pore volume is a cumulative pore volume of the first pores.

Abstract: A fuel cell, including: a polymer electrolyte membrane; a pair of catalyst layers; a pair of gas-diffusion layers; a pair of separators including first and second separators; and at least one frame, wherein the catalyst layers, the gas-diffusion layers, and the separators are placed respectively on both sides of the polymer electrolyte membrane in this order, the at least one frame is placed between the pair of the separators, and surrounds outer peripheries of the gas-diffusion layers and the catalyst layers, and the frame has a rigidity of about 1 GPa or higher in terms of the Young's modulus.

Abstract: Disclosed is a gas-diffusion layer used for fuel cells, including: a porous material that includes as main ingredients conductive particles and a polymer resin, wherein said gas-diffusion layer internally possesses pores with a size from 0.01 ?m to 0.05 ?m, and hollows with a size from 1 ?m to 200 ?m. Further disclosed is a process for producing a gas-diffusion layer used for fuel cells, including: (i) kneading conductive particles, a polymer resin, a pore-forming agent, a surfactant, and a dispersion solvent; (ii) rolling the mixture obtained in Step (i) to shape said mixture into a sheet; (iii) baking the sheet-shaped mixture to sublime the pore-forming agent, thereby forming hollows therein, and to remove the surfactant and the dispersion solvent; and (iv) further rolling the baked mixture to adjust a thickness of the baked mixture.

Abstract: A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; a fuel-side catalyst layer placed on one surface of the electrolyte membrane; an oxidant-side catalyst layer placed on another surface of the electrolyte membrane; a fuel-side gas-diffusion layer placed on a main surface of the fuel-side catalyst layer; an oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer placed on a main surface of the oxidant-side catalyst layer; a pair of separators that hold the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer therebetween; a frame that surrounds outer peripheries of the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side gas diffusion layer; a fuel-side seal member placed on a main surface of the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer; and an oxidant-side seal member placed on a main surface of the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer. In the fuel cell, no spaces are provided between the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the fuel-side catalyst layer and between the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side catalyst layer.

Abstract: A fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly, an anode gas diffusion layer, and a cathode gas diffusion layer, a pair of separators for clamping a laminate made up of the membrane electrode assembly, the anode gas diffusion layer and cathode gas diffusion layer, and a frame that is formed from thermosetting resin and disposed between the separators to surround a periphery of the laminate. At least one of the anode gas diffusion layer and cathode gas diffusion layer is formed from a composite of thermoplastic resin and conductive particles, and includes a protrusion that protrudes beyond a level of a surface of the frame which faces one of the pair of separators in a state that the laminate is not clamped between the separators under a predetermined pressure.

Abstract: A fuel cell module includes an electrode membrane assembly and a pair of separators. The electrode membrane assembly includes an electrode portion and a pair of gas diffusion layers. The electrode portion includes a polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode electrode formed on a first surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and a cathode electrode formed on a second surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane. One of the pair of gas diffusion layers is in contact with an anode surface of the electrode portion at which the anode electrode is disposed, and the other is in contact with a cathode surface of the electrode portion at which the cathode electrode is disposed. The separators sandwich the electrode membrane assembly from respective the anode surface and the cathode surface. The electrode membrane assembly and each separator are adhered to each other by a plurality of resin portions made of a resin which at least partially contains fibers.

Abstract: A fuel cell gas diffusion layer includes: a porous layer containing conductive particles and binder resin as primary components; a groove-shaped fluid flow path provided on one of main surfaces of the porous layer; and a conductive wire portion extending along the one of the main surfaces and a surface of the fluid flow path, the conductive wire portion being a layered collection of a plurality of conductive fibers which has pores.

Abstract: A first porous layer includes a fluid flow path that has a groove-shape and has an opening in one main surface of the first porous layer. A second porous layer is disposed on the other main surface of the first porous layer. A proportion of an area occupied by conductive fibers per unit area in a cross-sectional surface of the first porous layer is smaller than a proportion of an area occupied by conductive fibers per unit area in a cross-sectional surface of the second porous layer. The second porous layer is exposed in a part of a surface of the fluid flow path.

Abstract: An electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell includes a reinforce membrane made of nonwoven fibers and an electrolyte provided in a space among the nonwoven fibers. The nonwoven fibers have a non-uniform mass distribution in a plane of the electrolyte membrane. A mass of the nonwoven fibers per unit area in a region corresponding to at least part of a peripheral portion of a fuel cell-use gasket frame is greater than a mass of the nonwoven fibers per unit area in a region corresponding to a center portion of the gasket frame. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell is attached to the fuel cell-use gasket frame.

Abstract: A fuel cell gas diffusion layer includes a porous member containing electrically-conductive particles and polymeric resin as major components, and a plurality of holes extending from a main surface of the fuel cell gas diffusion layer are formed.

Abstract: An electrode-membrane-frame assembly for a polyelectrolyte fuel cell including of a membrane electrode assembly, a first frame body which has a separator-side surface on which a sealing member for sealing between the member and one separator and a membrane-side surface located on one surface of the peripheral edge portion of the membrane electrode assembly and is formed of a thermoplastic resin material, and a second frame body that has a separator-side surface on which a sealing member for sealing between the member and the other separator and a membrane-side surface located on the other surface of the peripheral edge portion of the membrane electrode assembly and is formed of a thermoplastic resin material and fitted to the first frame body holding the peripheral edge portion of the membrane electrode assembly between the second frame body and the first frame body.

Abstract: An electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell includes a reinforce membrane made of nonwoven fibers and an electrolyte provided in a space among the nonwoven fibers. The nonwoven fibers have a non-uniform mass distribution in a plane of the electrolyte membrane. A mass of the nonwoven fibers per unit area in a region corresponding to at least part of a peripheral portion of a fuel cell-use gasket frame is greater than a mass of the nonwoven fibers per unit area in a region corresponding to a center portion of the gasket frame. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell is attached to the fuel cell-use gasket frame.

Abstract: A fuel cell has a gas diffusion layer (15A, 15C) provided on at least one surface side of a polymer electrolyte membrane (12). The polymer electrolyte membrane is structured with a conductive carbon sheet. Fluid flow passages (16A, 16C) are formed on the surface of the gas diffusion layer (15A, 15C) contacting a separator (21A, 21C). The roughness of the surface of the gas diffusion layer (15A, 15C) provided with the fluid flow passage is smaller than the roughness of its surface contacting the catalyst layer (14A, 14C). Thus, it becomes possible to achieve a further improvement in power generation performance, and to suppress a reduction in durability.

Abstract: In a fuel cell of the present invention, a gas diffusion layer (15A, 15C) provided on at least one surface side of a polymer electrolyte membrane (12) is structured with a conductive carbon sheet. Fluid flow passages (16A, 16C) are formed on the surface of the gas diffusion layer (15A, 15C) contacting on a separator (21A, 21C). The roughness of the surface of the gas diffusion layer (15A, 15C) provided with the fluid flow passage is set to be smaller than the roughness of its surface contacting on the catalyst layer (14A, 14C). Thus, it becomes possible to achieve a further improvement in power generation performance, and to suppress a reduction in durability.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a knee protector structure for a vehicle. The present invention intends to make it possible to positively prevent an upper absorption bracket from being deformed with a tensile force exerted through a connecting bracket when a lower absorption bracket is deformed with knee input energy of a small-statured vehicle occupant. The knee protector structure for a vehicle according to the present invention comprises a lower absorption bracket 13 able to absorb knee input energy of a small-statured vehicle occupant, an upper absorption bracket 14 able to absorb knee input energy of a vehicle occupant of an average constitution, a connecting bracket 21 for connection between input-side end portions 18 and 20 of the lower absorption bracket 13 and the upper absorption bracket 14, and tensile force absorbing means 35 disposed near the input-side end portion 20 of the upper absorption bracket 14 and able to absorb a tensile force 34 exerted from the connecting bracket 21.

Abstract: In a fuel-cell stack in which a plurality of cells are stacked, each of the cells includes a membrane electrode assembly which is composed of a polyelectrolyte membrane and a pair of electrodes sandwiching the polyelectrolyte membrane, and a pair of separators by which the membrane electrode assembly is sandwiched, where the electrodes each have a catalytic layer brought into contact with the polyelectrolyte membrane and a gas diffusion layer brought into contact with the separator, and where a material of the gas diffusion layers is formed from carbon fiber woven cloth. In this fuel-cell stack, the warp direction and weft direction of the carbon fiber woven cloth are so set as to be uniform in all the cells with respect to the primary direction of the gas flow passages of the separators.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a knee protector structure for a vehicle. The present invention intends to make it possible to positively prevent an upper absorption bracket from being deformed with a tensile force exerted through a connecting bracket when a lower absorption bracket is deformed with knee input energy of a small-statured vehicle occupant. The knee protector structure for a vehicle according to the present invention comprises a lower absorption bracket 13 able to absorb knee input energy of a small-statured vehicle occupant, an upper absorption bracket 14 able to absorb knee input energy of a vehicle occupant of an average constitution, a connecting bracket 21 for connection between input-side end portions 18 and 20 of the lower absorption bracket 13 and the upper absorption bracket 14, and tensile force absorbing means 35 disposed near the input-side end portion 20 of the upper absorption bracket 14 and able to absorb a tensile force 34 exerted from the connecting bracket 21.