Fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10553880-B2
Application number	US-201615743851-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2016
Priority date	Jul 16, 2015
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

A fuel cell includes a MEA that includes a cathode, an anode, and a solid electrolyte layer disposed between the cathode and the anode, the solid electrolyte layer containing an ion-conducting solid oxide; at least one first porous metal body arranged to oppose at least one of the cathode and the anode; and an interconnector arranged to oppose the first porous metal body and having a gas supply port and a gas discharge port formed therein. The first porous metal body includes a porous metal body S that opposes the gas supply port and has a three-dimensional mesh-like skeleton, and a porous metal body H that has a three-dimensional mesh-like skeleton and is other than the porous metal body S. A porosity Ps of the porous metal body S and a porosity Ph of the porous metal body H satisfy a relationship: Ps<Ph.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel cell comprising:
a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) that includes a cathode, an anode, and a solid electrolyte layer disposed between the cathode and the anode, the solid electrolyte layer containing an ion-conducting solid oxide;
at least one first porous metal body arranged to oppose at least one of the cathode and the anode; and
an interconnector arranged to oppose the at least one first porous metal body, and the interconnector having a gas supply port and a gas discharge port formed therein,
wherein the at least one first porous metal body includes i) a porous metal body S that opposes the gas supply port and has a three-dimensional mesh-like skeleton, and ii) a porous metal body H that has a three-dimensional mesh-like skeleton and is other than the porous metal body S,
wherein a porosity Ps of the porous metal body S and a porosity Ph of the porous metal body H satisfy a relationship: Ps<Ph, and
wherein, in a view from a direction normal to a main surface of the at least one first porous metal body, two porous metal bodies H oppose each other with the porous metal body S therebetween.

2. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the porous metal body S also opposes the gas discharge port and has a shape of a strip that extends along a shortest straight line that connects a center of the gas supply port and a center of the gas discharge port.

3. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the porous metal body S has a shape of a circle or polygon with a center corresponding to a center of the gas supply port.

4. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the porosity Ps is 85 vol % or more.

5. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein a surface of the interconnector opposing the at least one first porous metal body is smooth and flat.

6. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second porous metal body that is stacked on the at least one first porous metal body and has a three-dimensional mesh-like skeleton.

7. The fuel cell according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one first porous metal body and the second porous metal body are bonded, and
wherein, in a bonded portion of the at least one first porous metal body and the second porous metal body, the three-dimensional mesh-like skeleton of the at least one first porous metal body and the three-dimensional mesh-like skeleton of the second porous metal body are entangled.

8. The fuel cell according to claim 6 , wherein the second porous metal body is disposed between the at least one first porous metal body and the cathode or anode, and
the second porous metal body has a pore size of 100 to 1000 μm.

9. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first porous metal body opposes at least the anode.

10. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the porosity Ph to the porosity Ps is 1.05 to 2.

11. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the porous metal body S has a pore size of 100 to 1000 μm, and the porous metal body H has a pore size of 300 to 3500 μm.

12. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein, in the view from the direction normal to the main surface of the at least one first porous metal body, each porous metal body H of the two porous metal bodies H has a semicircular shape, and the semicircular shapes of the two porous metal bodies H oppose each other with the porous metal body S therebetween.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Electric Industries

Inventors

• Hiraiwa Chihiro
• Majima Masatoshi
• Tawarayama Hiromasa
• Mizuhara Naho
• Higashino Takahiro
• Noda Yohei
• Miyamoto Kazunari
• Yoshida Toshihiro

Classifications

• H01M8/12

  operating at high temperature, e.g. with stabilised ZrO2 electrolyte · CPC title

• H01M2008/1293

  Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M2300/0077

  based on zirconium oxide · CPC title

• H01M4/9033

  Complex oxides, optionally doped, of the type M1MeO3, M1 being an alkaline earth metal or a rare earth, Me being a metal, e.g. perovskites · CPC title

• H01M8/1231

  with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised · CPC title