FUEL CELL USING THE CATALYST OF METAL CLUSTERS
First Claim
1. A fuel cell comprising an anode electrode for oxidizing fuel, a cathode electrode for reducing oxygen, an electrolyte membrane for transmitting hydrogen ions, the electrolyte membrane being disposed between the two electrodes, and an electrode catalyst used in at least any one of said anode electrode and said cathode electrode,wherein said electrode catalyst has metal clusters and an electroconductive support for supporting said metal clusters, and said metal clusters contain species of a metal having different valences.
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Abstract
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a catalyst which includes metal clusters containing a non-platinum element as the catalyst active ingredient, these metal clusters having species of a metal having different valences, and exhibits an improved electrode performance per unit price of the used metal, compared to catalysts using platinum. When this catalyst is applied to an electrode catalyst for fuel cell, a low-cost fuel cell system can be realized without using expensive platinum as the active ingredient. This catalyst can be applied to DMFC and PEFC fuel cells.
30 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A fuel cell comprising an anode electrode for oxidizing fuel, a cathode electrode for reducing oxygen, an electrolyte membrane for transmitting hydrogen ions, the electrolyte membrane being disposed between the two electrodes, and an electrode catalyst used in at least any one of said anode electrode and said cathode electrode,
wherein said electrode catalyst has metal clusters and an electroconductive support for supporting said metal clusters, and said metal clusters contain species of a metal having different valences.
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14. A fuel cell comprising an anode electrode for oxidizing fuel, a cathode electrode for reducing oxygen, an electrolyte membrane for transmitting hydrogen ions, the electrolyte membrane being disposed between the two electrodes, and an electrode catalyst used in at least any one of said anode electrode and said cathode electrode,
wherein said electrode catalyst comprises metal clusters, and said metal clusters are supported on said electrode membrane.
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15. A membrane electrode assembly comprising an anode electrode for oxidizing fuel, a cathode electrode for reducing oxygen, an electrolyte membrane for transmitting hydrogen ions, the electrolyte membrane being disposed between the two electrodes, and an electrode catalyst used in at least any one of said anode electrode and said cathode electrode,
wherein said electrode catalyst contains metal clusters.
Specification