Polymer electrolyte fuel cell

• US 7,005,205 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hatoh, Kazuhito, Sakai, Osamu, Ohara, Hideo, Niikura, Junji, Gyoten, Hisaaki, Nishida, Kazufumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Alejandro, Raymond
• Application Number:
  US10/069,900
• Time in Patent Office: 2,008 Days
• Field of Search: 429/44, 429/34, 429/38, 429/40, 429/30, 252/500, 252/511, 427/115, 427/419.6, 427/113, 427/122, 427/193, 427/195, 427/201, 427/222
• US Class Current: 429/480
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2300/0082 Organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0206 Metals or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/021 Alloys based on iron
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0213 Gas-impermeable carbon-containing materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0221 Organic resins; Organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0226 in the form of mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0228 in the form of layered or coated products
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A polymer-electrolyte fuel cell having: an electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly having a polymer-electrolyte membrane and a pair of gas-diffusion electrodes sandwiching the polymer-electrolyte membrane; a first electroconductive separator having a gas channel for supplying an oxidant gas to one of the gas-diffusion electrodes of said pair; and a second electroconductive separator having a gas channel for supplying a fuel gas to the other of the gas-diffusion electrodes of the pair. The polymer-electrolyte fuel cell is characterized in that: at least one of the first and second electroconductive separators has a metal substrate and an electroconductive resin layer on the substrate and contacting the electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly; and the electroconductive resin layer has a resin having water-repellant or basic radicals, and an electroconductive particulate substance which has a carbon powder of a specific surface area of less than 100 m²/g.

Claims

1. A polymer-electrolyte fuel cell, comprising:

an electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly comprising a polymer-electrolyte membrane, and a pair of gas-diffusion electrodes sandwiching said polymer-electrolyte membrane;

a first electroconductive separator having a gas channel for supplying an oxidant gas to one of the gas-diffusion electrodes of said pair; and

a second electroconductive separator having a gas channel for supplying a fuel gas to the other of the gas-diffusion electrodes of said pair;

wherein

the polymer-electrolyte fuel cell is characterized in that

at least one of said first electroconductive separator and said second electroconductive separator comprises a metal substrate and an electroconductive resin layer provided on said metal substrate and contacting said electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly, and

said electroconductive resin layer comprises a resin having at least one of water-repellant and basic radicals, and an electroconductive particulate substance which comprises a vitreous carbon powder having a specific surface area of less than 100 m²/g and having a mean particle diameter of approximately 5 to 50 μ

m.

2. The polymer-electrolyte fuel cell in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a layer including at least one selected from the group consisting of:

metallic Zn, metallic Sn, metallic Al, Cr-containing compounds, Mo-containing compounds and W-containing compounds, between said metal substrate and said electroconductive resin layer.