Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a collector member 10 comprising a sheet-shaped base material 11 having a carbon-containing fiber 11a and catalyst particles 12 adhered to an outer periphery of the fiber 11a, containing a noble metal or an alloy thereof, and having an average particle diameter of 0.1 to 2 ?m.

Abstract: A fuel cell driving method of an embodiment includes applying a voltage with a potential cycle including repetitions of low potential and high potential by use of a power supply connected to an anode and a cathode of a membrane electrode assembly having the anode, an electrolyte membrane, and the cathode. The low potential is 0.85 V or less for the cathode with reference to a potential of the anode. The high potential is 1.10 V or more for the cathode with reference to a potential of the anode.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, the noble metal catalyst layer includes first noble metal layer and a second noble metal layer formed on the first noble metal layer. The first noble metal layer includes a first noble metal element and has a porosity of 65 to 95 vol. %, a volume of pores having a diameter of 5 to 80 nm accounts for 50% or more of a volume of total pores in the first noble metal layer. The second noble metal layer includes a second noble metal element, and has an average thickness of 3 to 20 nm and a porosity of 50 vol. % or less.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a catalyst-supporting substrate comprises a substrate and a catalyst layer including a plurality of pores, the catalyst layer being supported on the substrate. The average diameter of the section of the pore when the catalyst is cut in the thickness direction of the thickness is 5 nm to 400 nm, and the long-side to short-side ratio of the pore on the section is 1:1 to 10:1 in average.

Abstract: An electrode of an embodiment includes a substrate, an intermediate layer provided on the substrate, and a catalyst layer provided on the intermediate layer. The intermediate layer is a mixture that includes two or more substances among a compound, and single element of noble metal or an alloy including noble metal. In a composition ratio of the mixture, a composition ratio of the intermediate layer in the vicinity of an interface between the substrate and the intermediate layer is different from a composition ratio of the intermediate layer in the vicinity of an interface between the catalyst layer and the intermediate layer.

Abstract: An electrode of an embodiment includes a base material, and a catalyst layer provided on the base material and having a porous structure. When a sum of heights of all peaks belonging to Ir oxide is I0, the height of a peak of IrO2 (110) is T1, and the height of a peak of IrO2 (211) is I2, a ratio of (I1+I2)/I0, which is a ratio of spectra obtained by X-ray diffraction measurements using K? rays of Cu in the catalyst layer, is 50% or more and 100% or less in a range of a diffraction angle of 20 degrees or more and 70 degrees or less.

Abstract: An electrode includes a base material, and a catalyst layer provided on the base material, the catalyst layer including a plurality of catalyst units having a porous structure. The catalyst layer has a first catalyst layer provided near the base material, the first catalyst layer including a plurality of the catalyst units dispersed at a first dispersion degree. The catalyst layer has a second catalyst layer provided above the first catalyst layer, the second catalyst layer including a plurality of the catalyst units dispersed at a second dispersion degree. The second dispersion degree is different from the first dispersion degree.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a membrane electrode assembly comprises a catalyst layer being porous and containing a catalyst material, the catalyst layer comprising a plurality of catalyst units each having a porous body structure or a laminated structure containing a void layer, and an electrolyte membrane adjacent to the porous catalyst layer. The catalyst unit bites into the electrolyte membrane, and an average biting ratio is not less than 10%, and not more than 80% of a thickness of the catalyst layer.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, a porous catalyst layer includes a metal portion including plural noble metal-including sheets stacked apart from each other, and a porous nanocarbon layer disposed between two adjacent noble metal-including sheets. The plural noble metal-including sheets in the metal portion have an integrated portion. The porous nanocarbon layer includes fibrous nanocarbon.

Abstract: An electrode for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of an embodiment includes: a catalyst layer having a noble metal catalyst unit that has a porous structure or a layer-by-layer structure including void layers and a hydrophilic material; a porous water management layer arranged adjacent to the catalyst layer and including a hydrophilic material and a conductive material; and a gas diffusion layer arranged adjacent to the porous water management layer, where a size of the noble metal catalyst unit is equal to or more than 0.05 ?m and equal to or less than 2 ?m, the porosity of the porous water management layer is equal to or more than 30 vol % and equal to or less than 85 vol %, and the hydrophilicity thereof is equal to or more than 0.05 and equal to or less than 1.

Abstract: A catalyst layer includes a layered structure. The layered structure is laminated with sheet-like unit catalysts and pore layers. The sheet-like unit catalysts have mean thicknesses of 4 to 30 nm. The pore layers are sandwiched between the sheet-like unit catalysts.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an electrolytic apparatus includes a diaphragm of a porous membrane having a water permeability of 0.0024 to 0.6 mL/min per cm2 at a differential pressure of 20 kPa, a first electrode provided to oppose the diaphragm, and a second electrode opposing the first electrode via the diaphragm, and the difference between the hydraulic pressures applied onto both sides of the porous membrane is within ±20 kPa.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an electrode unit of an electrolytic device includes a first electrode including a first surface, a second surface located on a side opposite to the first surface, and a plurality of through-holes opening on the first surface and the second surface, a second electrode opposed to the first surface of the first electrode, and a porous membrane containing an inorganic oxide and provided on the first surface of the first electrode to cover the first surface and the through-holes.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an electrolytic device includes an electrolytic cell including a first electrode, a second electrode opposing the first electrode and a diaphragm provided between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode is formed of a plate including a first surface opposing the diaphragm, a second surface located on an opposite side to the diaphragm, and first recess portions formed in the first surface with a first pattern. The first recess portions include a bottom surface apart from the first surface and through-holes opening to the second surface of the first electrode and to a part of the bottom surface.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an electrode unit of an electrolytic device includes a first electrode including a first surface, a second surface located on an opposite side to the first surface, a plurality of first pores opened in the first surface, a plurality of second pores opened in the second surface and having an opening area greater than that of the first pores, and a plurality of the first pores communicating with a respective one of the second pores, a second electrode opposing the first surface of the first electrode, and a continuous porous membrane arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode, so as to cover the first surface of the first electrode.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly, including: forming a catalyst layer precursor containing a mixture of a catalyst material and a pore-forming material on a substrate having a flatness of 60% or more; removing the pore-forming material from the catalyst layer precursor on the substrate, thereby forming a catalyst layer containing the catalyst material and having a porosity of 20 to 90% by volume; transferring the catalyst layer from the substrate to a gas diffusion layer, to provide an electrode; and bonding the catalyst layer of the electrode to an electrolyte membrane, to provide a membrane electrode assembly.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure aim to provide a catalyst layer ensuring a high cell voltage and having both excellent robustness and sufficient endurance, and also to provide a process for producing the layer, a membrane electrode assembly and an electrochemical cell.

Abstract: A catalyst layer containing a catalyst material, the catalyst layer having a porosity of 20 to 90% by vol and satisfying a relation: R1?R0×1.2, wherein R1 is an alignment ratio of the catalyst layer; and R0 is an alignment ratio of the catalyst material in powder form having a random crystalline plane distribution, and each of the alignment ratios is calculated from a X-ray diffraction spectrum having a diffraction angle 2? range from 10 to 90 degree measured using Cu-K?-rays.

Abstract: The processes include: a layer superposition step in which the step of sputtering or vapor-depositing a mixture layer including a first pore-forming metal and a catalyst metal on a substrate and the step of forming an interlayer of a second pore-forming metal or a fibrous-carbon interlayer are alternately conducted repeatedly two or more times to thereby form a multilayer structure containing mixture layers and interlayers; and a pore formation step in which after the layer superposition step, the multilayer structure is subjected to a pore formation treatment.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, the noble metal catalyst layer includes first noble metal layer and a second noble metal layer formed on the first noble metal layer. The first noble metal layer includes a first noble metal element and has a porosity of 65 to 95 vol. %, a volume of pores having a diameter of 5 to 80 nm accounts for 50% or more of a volume of total pores in the first noble metal layer. The second noble metal layer includes a second noble metal element, and has an average thickness of 3 to 20 nm and a porosity of 50 vol. % or less.