Patents by Inventor Yoshihiro Ikoma

Yoshihiro Ikoma has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8017274
    Abstract: A fuel cell is provided which can enhance the CO resistance to thereby improve the voltage characteristics thereof. A fuel cell includes an electrolyte layer, a first electrode provided on one surface of the electrolyte layer, and a second electrode provided on the other surface of the electrolyte layer. In this fuel cell, a reaction fluid to be supplied to the first electrode contains carbon monoxide or carbon monoxide is generated from a reaction fluid having been supplied to the first electrode. The first electrode of the fuel cell includes a first catalyst material (Pt) having a function of extracting an electron from the reaction fluid, a second catalyst material (WAu) having a function of reducing the activation energy for conversion of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide, and an oxygen-supplying material (Ru) supplying oxygen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Matsuoka, Yoshihiro Ikoma
  • Patent number: 7700220
    Abstract: A fuel cell is provided which can enhance the CO resistance to thereby improve the voltage characteristics thereof. A fuel cell includes an electrolyte layer, a first electrode provided on one surface of the electrolyte layer, and a second electrode provided on the other surface of the electrolyte layer. In this fuel cell, a reaction fluid to be supplied to the first electrode contains carbon monoxide or carbon monoxide is generated from a reaction fluid having been supplied to the first electrode. The first electrode of the fuel cell includes a first catalyst material (Pt) having a function of extracting an electron from the reaction fluid, a second catalyst material (WAu) having a function of reducing the activation energy for conversion of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide, and an oxygen-supplying material (Ru) supplying oxygen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Matsuoka, Yoshihiro Ikoma
  • Publication number: 20100055542
    Abstract: A fuel cell is provided which can enhance the CO resistance to thereby improve the voltage characteristics thereof. A fuel cell includes an electrolyte layer, a first electrode provided on one surface of the electrolyte layer, and a second electrode provided on the other surface of the electrolyte layer. In this fuel cell, a reaction fluid to be supplied to the first electrode contains carbon monoxide or carbon monoxide is generated from a reaction fluid having been supplied to the first electrode. The first electrode of the fuel cell includes a first catalyst material (Pt) having a function of extracting an electron from the reaction fluid, a second catalyst material (WAu) having a function of reducing the activation energy for conversion of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide, and an oxygen-supplying material (Ru) supplying oxygen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: SANYO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji MATSUOKA, Yoshihiro Ikoma
  • Patent number: 7585585
    Abstract: The invention provides a high activity electrode catalyst for fuel cells whose catalytic activity due to an expensive noble metal, such as platinum, has been improved to a higher level through the use of an inexpensive material to enable a reduction in noble metal catalyst usage, a fuel cell in which the above high activity electrode catalyst is used, a membrane-electrode assembly in which the above high activity electrode catalyst is used, and a gas diffusion electrode in which the above high activity electrode catalyst is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignees: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichi Ozaki, Asao Oya, Akira Hamada, Yoshihiro Ikoma
  • Publication number: 20070077465
    Abstract: A fuel cell is provided which can enhance the CO resistance to thereby improve the voltage characteristics thereof. A fuel cell includes an electrolyte layer, a first electrode provided on one surface of the electrolyte layer, and a second electrode provided on the other surface of the electrolyte layer. In this fuel cell, a reaction fluid to be supplied to the first electrode contains carbon monoxide or carbon monoxide is generated from a reaction fluid having been supplied to the first electrode. The first electrode of the fuel cell includes a first catalyst material (Pt) having a function of extracting an electron from the reaction fluid, a second catalyst material (WAu) having a function of reducing the activation energy for conversion of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide, and an oxygen-supplying material (Ru) supplying oxygen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Publication date: April 5, 2007
    Inventors: Koji Matsuoka, Yoshihiro Ikoma
  • Publication number: 20050037255
    Abstract: The invention provides a high activity electrode catalyst for fuel cells whose catalytic activity due to an expensive noble metal, such as platinum, has been improved to a higher level through the use of an inexpensive material to enable a reduction in noble metal catalyst usage, a fuel cell in which the above high activity electrode catalyst is used, a membrane-electrode assembly in which the above high activity electrode catalyst is used, and a gas diffusion electrode in which the above high activity electrode catalyst is used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2004
    Publication date: February 17, 2005
    Inventors: Junichi Ozaki, Asao Oya, Akira Hamada, Yoshihiro Ikoma
  • Publication number: 20040157112
    Abstract: There is disclosed an electrode for a fuel cell in which a catalyst utilization is enhanced, and cell performances such as a cell voltage are enhanced, or a catalyst amount can be reduced. For the electrode for the fuel cell of the present invention, carbon particles 323 having small particle sizes are charged onto a conventional gas diffusion layer, and accordingly an arithmetic average roughness Ra of an interface 33 between a catalyst layer 31 and a gas diffusion layer 32 is reduced. When the arithmetic average roughness Ra is small, that is, when the catalyst layer 31 is formed on the flat/smooth gas diffusion layer 32, a reaction gas spreads over the thin and uniform catalyst layer 31, and an utilization of the catalyst layer 31 is enhanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Shuichi Suzuki, Yoshihiro Ikoma
  • Publication number: 20040157111
    Abstract: A fuel cell is capable of suppressing the deterioration and instability in the performance which result from the plugging of water in separators as well as the reduction of the service life of cell units, and further the single fuel cell is capable of preventing the reactant gas from flowing into the adjacent gas flow channels via gas diffusion layers, so that the reaction uniformly takes place in the surface of electrodes, thereby enabling a rated electric power to be obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Shigeru Sakamoto, Yasunori Yoshimoto, Yoshihiro Ikoma
  • Publication number: 20040121220
    Abstract: The invention provides a fuel cell and an electrode for a fuel cell, wherein a gas diffusion path and three-phase interface are secured in an air electrode, so that a desired output is stably maintained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2003
    Publication date: June 24, 2004
    Applicant: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Ikoma