摘要:
A simple, inexpensive and highly efficient fuel cell has boundary structures made of a photo-sensitive material in combination with selective patterning. Printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication techniques combine boundary structures with two and three dimensional electrical flow path. Photo-sensitive material and PCB fabrication techniques are alternately or combined utilized for making micro-channel structures or micro stitch structures for substantially reducing dead zones of the diffusion layer while keeping fluid flow resistance to a minimum. The fuel cell assembly is free of mechanical clamping elements. Adhesives that may be conductively contaminated and/or fiber-reinforced provide mechanical and eventual electrical connections, and sealing within the assembly. Mechanically supporting backing layers are pre-fabricated with a natural bend defined in combination with the backing layers' elasticity to eliminate massive support plates and assist the adhesive bonding. Proton insulation between adjacent and electrically linked in-plane cell elements is provided by structural insulation within the central membrane.
摘要:
Water flooding at the cathode of a fuel cell is a common problem in fuel cells. By integrating an electroosmotic (EO) pump to remove product water from the cathode area, fuel cell power can be increased. Integration of EO pumps transforms the designs of air channel and air breathing cathodes, reducing air pumping power loads and increasing oxidant transport. Hydration of gas streams, management of liquid reactants, and oxidant delivery can also be accomplished with integrated electroosmotic pumps. Electroosmotic pumps have no moving parts, can be integrated as a layer of the fuel cell, and scale with centimeter to micron scale fuel cells.
摘要:
A method and device for fuel cell heat and water management is provided. A thermally and electrically conductive hydrophilic heat and mass transport element is provided to the fuel cell spanning from inside to outside the cell. The transport element is deposited between current collector and gas diffusion layers, where heat is transported along the transport element from an interior portion of the element inside the cell to an exterior portion of the element outside the cell. Liquid water is transported along the element into or out of the cell, and heat is removed from the exterior portion by any combination of radiation, free convection and forced convection, and where the liquid water is removed from the exterior portion by any combination of convection driven evaporation and advection. The water is added to the cell from the exterior to the interior by any combination of advection and capillary wicking.
摘要:
In a method for forming a light absorber layer (4) of a thin film solar cell, the absorber layer is formed from a plurality of sub-layers each of which is formed by preparing a plurality of mixtures containing Cu, Se, In and Ga in a liquid medium, a composition ratio of In to Ga being progressively increased from one mixture to another, the mixtures optionally including a mixture containing no In or Ga; applying a layer of one of the mixtures onto a back electrode layer (3) formed on a substrate (2); drying the applied layer of the mixture; and rapidly baking the dried layer of the mixture. By forming the absorber layer with a plurality of thin absorber sub-layers each having a controlled band gap, a solar cell having a large surface area can be fabricated at low cost and the efficiency of the solar cell can be improved by forming a favorable band gap gradient structure. As these sub-layers can be applied simply by any known processes, the method of the present invention is highly suited to be used for mass producing solar cells.
摘要:
In a fuel cell assembly (100, 200), a diffusion layer (113, 114, 201) comprises an electroconductive film (133, 133a, 133b) formed integrally with a separator (115, 116, 115a) so as to form a unitary separator-diffusion layer assembly (130, 131, 130a, 203). The electroconductive film of the diffusion layer can be formed on the separator by a process comprising physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, spin coating, sputtering or screen printing.
摘要:
In a fuel cell assembly (1) comprising an electrolyte layer (2) having a frame (21) and an electrolyte (22) retained in the frame, a pair of separators (5, 6) are bonded to the electrolyte layer by that a metallic material (27) is deposited on one of the frame and each separator and a laser beam is irradiated onto the metallic material through the frame or the separator in a state that the frame and each separator contact each other whereby the metallic material forms a eutectic with the other of the frame and each separator.
摘要:
In a fuel cell assembly (1) comprising an electrolyte layer (2) having a frame (21) and an electrolyte (22) retained in the frame, a pair of separators (5, 6) are bonded to the electrolyte layer by that a metallic material (27) is deposited on one of the frame and each separator and a laser beam is irradiated onto the metallic material through the frame or the separator in a state that the frame and each separator contact each other whereby the metallic material forms a eutectic with the other of the frame and each separator.
摘要:
In a fuel cell assembly with at least one cell including an electrolyte layer, a pair of gas diffusion electrode layers interposing said electrolyte layer between them, and a pair of flow distribution plates (5) for defining passages (10, 11) for fuel and oxidizer gases that contact said gas diffusion electrode layers, a heater 62 and various sensors (61a, 61b and 61c) are formed on at least one of the flow distribution plates so that the work needed for installing the heater and sensors is simplified. By embedding them in a substrate, the need for a complex sealing arrangement can be eliminated. In particular, if each flow distribution plate is formed by performing an etching process on a substrate, and forming the heater and sensors in succession to the step of forming each flow distribution plate, the installation of sensors and fabrication of the fuel call are simplified.
摘要:
A fuel cell assembly is provided with at least one cell including an electrolyte layer, a pair of gas diffusion electrode layers interposing the electrolyte layer between them, and a pair of flow distribution plates for defining passages for fuel and oxidizer gases that contact the gas diffusion electrode layers. The electrolyte layer includes a grid frame provided with a plurality of through holes, and electrolyte retained in each through hole, heater wire being disposed in a grid bar of the grid frame so that the entire catalyst and electrolyte may be heated up to a desired temperature suitable for the reaction, instead of being heated only locally, in a short period of time, and the desired output can be obtained in a short period of time following the start-up.
摘要:
A high strength amorphous aluminum-based alloy comprises 75 atom % (inclusive) to 90 atom % (inclusive) of Al; 3 atom % (inclusive) to 15 atom % (inclusive) of Ni; and 3 atom % (inclusive) to 12 atom % (inclusive) of at least one element selected from the group consisting of Dy, Er and Gd, and has an amorphous phase volume fraction (Vf) of at least 50%. This leads to a higher amorphous phase forming ability and a wider plastically workable temperature region so that the workability of the alloy is satisfactory to produce structural members utilizing a working process such as a hot extruding process, a hot forging process or the like.