JP2008147081A - Fuel cell and its storage vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell exhibiting an excellent restart characteristic by achieving, by a simple mechanism, removal of a liquid adhering to a cathode after storage of a liquid supply type fuel cell or the like; and its storage vessel. <P>SOLUTION: This fuel cell comprises: a cell of the fuel cell including a polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode arranged on one-side surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and a cathode arranged on the other-side surface thereof; and a storage vessel 200 provided with a housing 205 supporting the cell of the fuel cell, and a wipe material 201 and/or a wiper 202 in an inner upper part. The storage vessel is also provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell, and more particularly to a liquid fuel supply type fuel cell used for a portable device.

  A fuel cell is a power generation device that generates power by supplying fuel to an anode and supplying air containing oxygen as an oxidant to a cathode. Since the product generated by power generation is water, the fuel cell is discharged into the environment. It is attracting attention as a power generator with less load. In particular, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell using a liquid fuel is easily developed as a power source for various electronic devices such as portable devices because it is easy to reduce the size and weight.

  The polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes an electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly (hereinafter referred to as “MEA”) having a structure in which a polymer electrolyte membrane is sandwiched between an anode and a cathode. A fuel cell of a type that supplies liquid fuel directly to the anode is called a liquid fuel supply type fuel cell, and its power generation mechanism is based on decomposition of the supplied liquid fuel on the catalyst of the anode to produce cations, electrons, and intermediate products. The generated cations permeate the solid polymer electrolyte membrane and move to the cathode side, the generated electrons move to the cathode side through an external load, and the cations and electrons are in the air at the cathode. It reacts with oxygen to generate electricity. At this time, carbon dioxide is generated as a reaction product. For example, in a direct methanol fuel cell (hereinafter referred to as “DMFC”) using a methanol aqueous solution as a liquid fuel as it is, the reaction represented by the following formula 1 occurs at the anode, and the reaction represented by the following formula 2 is performed at the cathode. Happens at.

[Formula 1]
CH ₃ OH + H ₂ O → 6H ⁺ + 6e ⁻ + CO ₂

[Formula 2]
3 / 2O ₂ + 6H ⁺ + 6e ⁻ → 3H ₂ O

  In a fuel cell that directly uses liquid fuel such as DMFC, it is desirable that the MEA is always moistened with the fuel in order to improve the starting characteristics. Patent Document 1 discloses a method in which water or fuel is present on the anode side during a suspension period of operation so that the MEA is not dried during long-term storage or suspension and the startup performance at restart can be improved. ing.

  When an ideal MEA is used, fuel consumption should not occur when power generation is stopped. However, in reality, methanol and water as fuel permeate the MEA solid polymer electrolyte membrane and volatilize from the cathode side. . This phenomenon is particularly noticeable in passive fuel cells that are considered promising as fuel cells for small portable devices such as mobile phones. This is because in the case of a passive fuel cell, the cathode is exposed to the outside air, so that volatilization from the cathode surface easily occurs. In order to suppress this waste of fuel due to volatilization, Patent Document 2 discloses a fuel cell having means for covering the cathode surface with a shielding member.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a fuel cell having means for preventing damage to the fuel cell due to freezing or the like and deterioration of the electrolyte membrane due to methanol fuel by discharging fuel or moisture when the DMFC is stopped or stored. Yes.

JP 2003-77512 A JP 2006-134588 A JP-A-2005-32602

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, the fuel that has permeated from the anode to the cathode during storage of the fuel cell hardly volatilizes due to the shielding member, and condenses on the cathode surface to cover the gas diffusion layer of the cathode with a liquid. End up. When power is regenerated after storage in this situation, the supply of oxidant is hindered by the liquid layer on the cathode surface, so the output does not improve until the liquid layer evaporates and the startup characteristics are Deteriorate. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the MEA may be deteriorated by continuing the power generation with insufficient supply of the oxidizing agent.

  Moreover, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, a drive unit and the like are provided to bring the shielding member into close contact with the cathode. This method has a problem that the structure is complicated and the cost is increased. Since passive fuel cells used in small portable devices are required to minimize the use of auxiliary equipment, it is difficult to realize such a structure, more easily shielding the cathode, Furthermore, there is a need for a structure that can remove the liquid layer formed on the cathode in a short time after storage.

  Furthermore, when the liquid condenses on the cathode surface, this liquid may leak from the fuel cell during re-generation after storage.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to store the liquid fuel supply type fuel cell in a sealed state and to remove the liquid adhering to the cathode before use such as after the storage. An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell exhibiting good restart characteristics and a storage container therefor by realizing the removal with a simple mechanism. Another object of the present invention is to provide a highly safe and reliable fuel cell and its storage container that prevents the liquid adhering to the cathode surface from leaking out of the fuel cell.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, a fuel cell comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode disposed on one surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and a cathode disposed on the other surface; A fuel cell comprising a housing for supporting the fuel cell and a storage container for storing the fuel cell pack in which the fuel cell is mounted on the housing, the wiper being provided on the inner upper portion of the storage container It is characterized by. As a result, when the fuel cell pack is taken out of the storage container at the time of restart after storage, the wipe material comes into contact with the cathode surface of the fuel cell, whereby the liquid adhering to the cathode surface can be removed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, a fuel cell comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode disposed on one surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and a cathode disposed on the other surface; A fuel cell comprising a housing for supporting fuel cells and a storage container for storing a fuel cell pack in which the fuel cells are mounted in the housing, wherein a wiper and a storage container A water-absorbing part for absorbing the liquid collected by the wiper is provided at the bottom. As a result, when the fuel cell pack is taken out from the storage container, the liquid attached to the cathode surface is removed by the wiper, and the liquid collected by the wiper can be absorbed by the water absorption part.

  According to the 3rd viewpoint of this invention, it is preferable to provide the water absorption part of the storage container with a water absorption material, and to provide the mechanism which can replace a water absorption material. Thereby, the water absorption material which reached the full water state can be exchanged.

  According to the 4th viewpoint of this invention, it is preferable to provide a wipe material in the upper part of the wiper provided inside the storage container. Thereby, not only can the liquid adhering to the cathode surface be removed more suitably, but also scattering of the liquid to the outside of the storage container can be prevented.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the wipe member and / or the wiper have a replaceable mechanism. As a result, even when the properties of the wipe material and wiper are deteriorated, the storage container can be continuously used by simply replacing the wipe material and / or wiper, and the liquid adhering to the cathode surface after storage can be efficiently removed. Can maintain the function.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, a fuel cell in which a cathode closing member is provided inside the storage container is preferable. Thereby, during storage of the fuel cell, it is possible to further improve the sealing property of the cathode space, and to suppress the performance deterioration of the MEA. Further, since the amount of liquid adhering to the cathode surface can be reduced by improving the sealing property of the cathode surface, the liquid adhering to the cathode surface can be removed more effectively.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the fuel cell includes a wipe material and / or a wiper on the inside upper part of the storage container, so that when the fuel cell pack is taken out from the storage container, the wipe material and / or the wiper is removed. The liquid adhering to the cathode surface can be removed by contacting the cathode surface of the fuel cell.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the fuel cell is provided with a storage container only by the operation of storing the fuel cell pack in the storage container by disposing a sealing material on the contact surface of the housing with the storage container. The fuel cell pack can be securely sealed and stored. Compared to the prior art, it has a feature that it can be realized easily and at low cost.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the storage container is a storage container for a fuel cell that stores and stores a fuel cell pack in which a liquid fuel supply type fuel cell is mounted in a support housing. A wipe material and / or a wiper is provided on the inner upper part.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the storage container including a wiper preferably includes a water absorption part for absorbing the liquid collected by the wiper at the bottom of the storage container.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the storage container includes a water absorbing material in a water absorbing portion of the storage container and includes a mechanism capable of exchanging the water absorbing material.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the storage container includes a mechanism capable of replacing the wipe material and / or the wiper.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the storage container preferably includes a cathode closing member inside the storage container.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the storage container includes a wipe material and / or a wiper on an inner upper portion of the storage container, so that when the fuel cell pack is taken out from the storage container, the wipe material and / or the wiper is removed. By contacting the cathode surface of the fuel cell, the liquid adhering to the cathode surface can be removed.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, a method for storing a liquid fuel supply type fuel cell is characterized in that the fuel cell pack is stored in the storage container and the fuel cell pack is taken out from the storage container when the fuel cell is used. To do.

  As described above, in the present invention, by improving the storage container for hermetically storing the fuel cell pack, it is possible to easily remove the liquid on the cathode surface and seal the cathode space at the time of restarting. It becomes possible to provide. Further, when the fuel cell pack is taken out from the storage container, leakage of the liquid adsorbed on the cathode surface to the outside of the fuel cell can be prevented. The present invention has a dramatic effect in a thin and passive type fuel cell suitable for application to a portable device, particularly a small portable device such as a cellular phone.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The configuration of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fuel cell 100 including a storage container according to the present embodiment. The fuel cell 101, a housing 120 that supports the fuel cell 101, and a fuel in which the fuel cell 101 is mounted on the housing 120. It is comprised with the storage container 130 which accommodates a battery pack. The direction in which the fuel cell 101 is mounted on the housing 120 and the direction in which the fuel cell pack is stored in the storage container 130 are indicated by dotted arrows.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of each member of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel cell 101 includes a polymer electrolyte membrane 102, and an anode 103 and a cathode 106 disposed on different surfaces of the polymer electrolyte membrane 102, and liquid fuel is directly applied to the anode 103. The structure is supplied. As will be described later, the anode 103 and the cathode 106 have a configuration in which a catalyst layer 105 or 108 containing a catalyst and a polymer electrolyte is provided on a substrate 104 or 107, and each electrode is surrounded by a resin layer 109 on the same plane. It is a structure surrounded by. The resin layer 109 is preferably the same height as or lower than the substrate 104 or 107. Each electrode is provided with an extraction electrode 110. The material of the resin layer 109 may be any material that can be injection-molded, such as a thermoplastic resin or an elastomer (including rubber), and may be appropriately selected depending on the application in consideration of heat-resistant temperature and hardness.

  The polymer electrolyte membrane 102 has a role of separating the anode 103 and the cathode 106 and moving hydrogen ions between them. For this reason, the polymer electrolyte membrane is preferably a membrane having high hydrogen ion conductivity. Further, it is preferably chemically stable and has high mechanical strength. As a material constituting the polymer electrolyte membrane, an organic polymer having a polar group such as a strong acid group such as a sulfone group, a phosphoric acid group, a phosphone group or a phosphine group or a weak acid group such as a carboxyl group is preferably used. Examples of such organic polymers include aromatic-containing polymers such as sulfonated poly (4-phenoxybenzoyl-1,4-phenylene) and alkylsulfonated polybenzimidazole, polystyrene sulfonic acid copolymers, polyvinyl sulfonic acid copolymers, Copolymers such as cross-linked alkyl sulfonic acid derivatives, fluorine-containing polymers composed of fluororesin skeleton and sulfonic acid, acrylamides such as acrylamide-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid and acrylates such as n-butyl methacrylate. Copolymer obtained by polymerization, sulfone group-containing perfluorocarbon (Nafion (registered trademark, manufactured by DuPont), Aciplex (registered trademark, manufactured by Asahi Kasei Chemicals)), carboxyl group-containing perfluorocarbon (Flemion (registered trademark) S) Membrane (Asahi Glass Ltd.)), and the like.

  The anode 103 and the cathode 106 have a configuration in which a catalyst is attached to the substrates 104 and 107, and various modes can be adopted as specific configurations. As the bases 104 and 107, a porous metal such as foam metal or metal nonwoven fabric, carbon paper, or the like can be used. Among these, a porous metal is a more preferable material because good current collecting property can be obtained.

  About the catalyst layers 105 and 108, it can be set as the structure which the catalyst resin containing a catalyst and hydrogen ion conductive resin adhered to the porous metal, for example. Moreover, it can also be set as the structure by which the plating layer containing a catalyst was formed in the porous metal.

  Examples of the catalyst used for the anode 103 and the cathode 106 include platinum, rhodium, palladium, iridium, osmium, ruthenium, rhenium, gold, silver, nickel, cobalt, lithium, lanthanum, strontium, yttrium, etc. Two or more types can be used in combination. The catalyst for the anode 103 and the cathode 106 may be the same or different.

  When the catalyst is supported on conductive particles, carbon particles can be preferably used as the conductive particles. Examples of the carbon particles include acetylene black (DENKA BLACK (registered trademark, manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo), Vulcan (registered trademark) XC72 (manufactured by Cabot)), ketjen black, carbon nanotube, carbon nanohorn, and the like. The particle size of the carbon particles is, for example, 0.01 to 0.1 μm, preferably 0.02 to 0.06 μm.

  As the hydrogen ion conductive resin, those exemplified as the constituent material of the polymer electrolyte membrane 102 can be used, and for example, sulfone group-containing perfluorocarbon (Nafion, Aciplex) and the like can be preferably used.

  Various methods are conceivable for attaching the catalyst to the porous metal. For example, the following methods can be used. First, a catalyst is supported on carbon particles. This can be done by a commonly used impregnation method. Next, the carbon particles supporting the catalyst and the polymer electrolyte particles are dispersed in a solvent to form a paste, which is then applied to a substrate and dried to obtain an anode or a cathode. Here, the particle size of the carbon particles is, for example, 0.01 to 0.1 μm. The particle size of the catalyst particles is, for example, 1 nm to 50 nm. The particle diameter of the polymer electrolyte particles is, for example, 0.05 to 1 μm. The carbon particles and the polymer electrolyte particles are used, for example, in a weight ratio of 2: 1 to 40: 1. Further, the weight ratio of water and solute in the paste is, for example, about 1: 2 to 10: 1. Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular about the coating method of the paste to a base | substrate, For example, methods, such as brush coating, spray coating, and screen printing, can be used. The paste is applied with a thickness of about 1 μm to 2 mm. After applying the paste, the MEA is manufactured by adhering the anode and the cathode to the polymer electrolyte membrane by hot pressing. The heating temperature and the heating time are appropriately selected depending on the material to be used. For example, the heating temperature may be 100 ° C. to 250 ° C., and the heating time may be 30 seconds to 30 minutes.

  The above is an example using a carbon particle-supported catalyst. However, platinum particles such as platinum black can be used as they are, or a catalyst can be directly formed on a porous metal.

  When the catalyst is directly formed on the porous metal, for example, a metal serving as a catalyst is formed on the surface of the porous metal using a plating method such as electroplating or electroless plating, or a vapor deposition method such as vacuum vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). It can be formed by adhering.

  It is also possible to form a fuel cell stack in which a plurality of fuel cells obtained by the above method are arranged on the same plane and connected in series or in parallel. In this case, it is good also as a structure where the circumference | surroundings of the electrode of several fuel battery cell were enclosed by the resin layer. As an example, FIG. 3 shows a case where two fuel cells are connected in series. In the fuel cell stack shown in FIG. 3, the anode 152 a of the first fuel cell is connected to the cathode 153 b of the adjacent second fuel cell via a metal rivet 151.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the casing 120 in which the fuel cell 101 is mounted includes a fuel tank 121 for supplying fuel to the fuel cell 101. A fuel inlet and a gas vent 122 are provided at the top. As will be described later, a seal member 123 is provided at a portion in contact with the outlet of the storage container 130 to block air from entering and exiting.

  The material of the housing 120 can be any material as long as it can secure electrical insulation and has resistance to fuel. For example, resins such as polyethylene, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyacetal (POM: polyoxymethylene) can be used. If the surface is covered with a resin or the like, a metal can be used.

  Although liquid fuel such as aqueous methanol solution is accommodated in the fuel tank 121, a liquid fuel holding portion 124 may be provided in the fuel tank as shown in FIG. The liquid fuel holding portion 124 has a foam structure in which pores are three-dimensionally continuous, and the pore diameter is preferably 30 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and the porosity is preferably 50% or more and 95% or less. The liquid fuel holding part 124 is preferably made of a material having elastic force and acid resistance. Specific examples of the material for the liquid fuel holding unit 124 having the above-described function include a polyurethane material having a methanol-resistant property and a polymer material made of a crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol polymer. In addition to the liquid fuel holding unit 124, as shown in FIG. 4, a gas-liquid separation membrane 125 may be provided between the liquid fuel holding unit 124 and a fuel battery cell (not shown). The gas-liquid separation membrane 125 is provided to vaporize and supply liquid fuel to the anode. The gas-liquid separation membrane 125 is an electrically insulating material and is a polymer porous body. Specifically, a fluororesin such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is used. As the gas-liquid separation membrane 125, other membranes can be used as long as they are insulative and can supply a necessary amount of fuel. For example, a partially insulating film such as a pore filling film in which an ion conductor is injected into a polymer porous body can also be used.

  The sealing material 123 is elastically deformable, and is preferably a material having resistance to liquid fuel and gas tightness. Examples of such materials include elastomers such as ethylene propylene rubber and silicone rubber. When the sealing material 123 is ethylene propylene rubber, an ethylene / propylene copolymer (EPM) or an ethylene / propylene / third component copolymer (EPDM) can be used. Moreover, it can also be set as a vulcanized rubber.

  The storage container 130 shown in FIG. 2 has a function of hermetically storing a fuel cell pack in which the fuel cell 101 is mounted on a housing 120 having a fuel tank 121. Inside the storage container 130, a wipe member 131 is installed at the upper part (near the outlet). The upper part means that the upper part is above the upper end part of the cathode part (take-out side) when at least the fuel cell pack is accommodated. This is to absorb the liquid condensed on the cathode surface.

  The wipe member 131 has a function of quickly sucking the liquid condensed on the surface of the cathode 106 while contacting the surface of the cathode 106 of the fuel cell 101 when the fuel cell pack is taken out from the storage container 130. Therefore, it is desirable that the wipe material can be elastically deformed. Further, when the fuel cell pack is not present in the storage container 130, that is, when the storage container 130 is left in the atmosphere, it is desirable to use a water absorbing material having a performance capable of evaporating the absorbed liquid to the outside. Furthermore, it is more preferable to have chemical durability against the fuel. As the water-absorbing material, materials including water-absorbing polymers can be used in addition to cloth and paper made of polyester, rayon, nylon, cotton, cellulose and the like.

  The wipe material 131 can be appropriately changed in size, material, configuration, and the like. In addition, although not shown, a mechanism that can be replaced may be provided in consideration of a case where a change with time occurs with the insertion and removal of the fuel cell pack.

  FIG. 5 shows another form of the storage container. The storage container 200 is provided with a wiper 202 for collecting the liquid accumulated at the cathode of the fuel cell instead of the wipe material. When removing the fuel cell from the storage container 200, the wiper 202 removes the liquid adhering to the cathode surface and drops it to the bottom surface. The wiper 202 is preferably made of a material that can be elastically deformed, has water repellency, and is resistant to liquid fuel. Examples include ethylene propylene rubber and silicone rubber. Further, like the wipe material, the wiper 202 may be provided with a replaceable mechanism.

  It is preferable to provide a water absorption part for absorbing the liquid collected by the wiper 202 on the bottom surface of the storage container 200. A water absorbing material 204 can be installed in the water absorbing portion. Thereby, the liquid collected on the bottom surface of the storage container 200 is absorbed by the water absorbing material 204. The water-absorbing material 204 preferably has a property of not releasing again the liquid once absorbed, and for example, a water-absorbing polymer or a cloth containing the water-absorbing polymer can be used.

  The storage container 200 may have a separable structure. The housing 205 of the storage container 200 shown in FIG. 5 can be separated, and the housing 207 including the bottom surface and the water absorbent 204 can be replaced with a new one when the water absorbent is full. It has become. A sealing material 208 is provided between the housings 206 and 207, which is provided to block the entry and exit of air, like the sealing material 123 described above. Although not shown, an indicator that can perceive whether or not the water is full may be provided.

  The inside of the housing 205 of the storage container 200 preferably has water repellency. Then, the liquid can be reliably guided to the water absorbing material 204.

  A wiper and a wipe material may be used in combination. FIG. 6 shows a case where the wipe material 201 is provided on the upper part of the wiper 202 provided in the storage container 200 shown in FIG. In this case, the wipe member 201 not only removes the liquid slightly remaining on the cathode surface but also serves to prevent the liquid from splashing outside the storage container when the fuel cell pack is taken in and out.

  Although not shown here, a replaceable mechanism may be provided for the wiper and the wipe material. In this way, the function of removing the liquid adhering to the cathode can be maintained by exchanging the wipe material and the wiper.

  In FIG. 7, cathode closing members 132 and 203 are provided inside the storage containers 130 and 200. The cathode closing member is provided in the back part (low part) from the wipe material or the wiper and reliably shields the cathode surface of the fuel cell without any gap. Since the gas-liquid equilibrium at the cathode surface is maintained by the cathode closing member, the amount of fuel that permeates the electrolyte membrane and reaches the cathode side during storage of the fuel cell can be suppressed. As a result, the amount of liquid removed by the wipe material or wiper can be minimized.

  The cathode closing members 132 and 203 are desirably made of an elastically deformable material having an area that covers the surface of the cathode of the fuel cell without gaps. In addition, the material of the cathode closing members 132 and 203 is preferably a material having resistance to liquid fuel. Examples of such materials include elastomers such as ethylene propylene rubber and silicone rubber. When the cathode closing member 132 is made of ethylene propylene rubber, an ethylene / propylene copolymer (EPM) or an ethylene / propylene / third component copolymer (EPDM) can be used. Moreover, it can also be set as a vulcanized rubber.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view when the fuel cell pack in which the fuel cell 101 is mounted in the housing 120 is hermetically stored in the storage container 130 shown in FIG.

  The fuel cell pack that has completed power generation is hermetically stored in the storage container 130 and stored until re-power generation. During storage, the cathode closing member 132 is in close contact with the cathode surface of the fuel cell 101, so that permeation of fuel to the cathode is suppressed. Further, since the sealing material 123 provided in the housing 120 is in surface contact with the upper end surface of the outlet of the storage container 130, it serves to prevent the intrusion of air from the outside and the evaporation of the liquid from the inside. On the other hand, the fuel cell pack is taken out from the storage container 130 at the time of re-power generation. At that time, the wipe 131 provided near the outlet of the storage container 130 removes the liquid adhering to the cathode surface. The storage container 130 is left in the atmosphere during power generation of the fuel cell pack. Since the liquid absorbed by the wipe member 131 evaporates quickly, the wipe member 131 returns to the dry state.

The fuel cell stack shown in FIG. 3 was created. The size of each fuel cell is 20 mm × 40 mm. This was mounted on the casing 120 shown in FIG. 2 to produce a fuel cell pack. After adding about 12 ml of 20% methanol aqueous solution as fuel to the fuel tank 121 of this fuel cell pack, constant power generation at an output density of 30 mW / cm ² was performed for 30 minutes. After completion of power generation, this fuel cell pack was stored in the storage container 130 shown in FIG. 7 and stored for 12 hours. Thereafter, fuel was added, the fuel cell pack was taken out from the storage container 130, and after confirming that the liquid on the cathode surface was removed, constant power generation at 30 mW / cm ² was performed again. FIG. 9 shows the transition of output immediately after the start of constant power generation.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a desired output can be obtained in a short time by adding the above-described improvements. On the other hand, before the improvement, that is, when the wiper and the cathode closing member were not provided in the storage container, the cathode surface was covered with the liquid after storage. In this case, diffusion of oxygen as an oxidant into the cathode catalyst layer is unlikely to occur. As a result, the fuel cell pack before improvement has a problem that not only the desired output cannot be taken out in a short time after storage, but also the output is not stable due to unstable diffusion of oxygen to the cathode. Further, when no improvement was made, there was a problem that liquid dropped from the cathode when the fuel cell pack was taken out of the storage container before the start of power generation after storage.

It is a perspective view which shows typically the structure of the fuel cell containing the storage container based on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of sectional drawing of each member of FIG. It is a schematic diagram of sectional drawing of two fuel battery cells (stack) connected in series on the same plane. It is a schematic diagram of sectional drawing which shows the housing | casing of another form. It is a schematic diagram of sectional drawing which shows the storage container of another form. It is a mimetic diagram of a sectional view showing a storage container of another form. It is a schematic diagram of sectional drawing which shows the storage container of another form. It is a schematic diagram of a cross-sectional view of the fuel cell and the housing in a state of being stored in a storage container. It is a figure which shows the output change immediately after starting start in the constant power generation operation | movement of the fuel cell stack using the storage container before and behind improvement.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Fuel cell 101 Fuel cell 102 Polymer electrolyte membrane 103 Anode 104 Base body 105 Catalyst layer 106 Cathode 107 Base body 108 Catalyst layer 109 Resin layer 110 Extraction electrode 120 Housing 121 Fuel tank 122 Fuel inlet and gas outlet 123 Sealing material 124 Liquid fuel holding part 125 Gas-liquid separation membrane 130 Storage container 131 Wipe member 132 Cathode closing member 150 Flat fuel cell stack 151 Metal rivet 152a First fuel cell anode 152b Second fuel cell anode 153a First fuel Battery cell cathode 153b Second fuel cell cathode 200 Storage container 201 Wipe material 202 Wiper 203 Cathode closing member 204 Water absorbing material (or water absorbing portion)
205 Housing 206 Separated housing upper part 207 Separated housing lower part 208 Sealing material

Claims (15)

  A fuel cell comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode disposed on one surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and a cathode disposed on the other surface; and a housing supporting the fuel cell A fuel cell comprising a storage container for storing a fuel cell pack in which the fuel cell is mounted in the casing, wherein the fuel cell is provided with a wipe material on the inner upper side of the storage container.   A fuel cell comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane, an anode disposed on one surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and a cathode disposed on the other surface; and a housing supporting the fuel cell A fuel cell comprising a storage container for storing a fuel cell pack in which the fuel cell is mounted in the housing, the wiper being collected by the wiper at the inner upper part of the storage container and the wiper at the bottom of the storage container And a water absorption part for absorbing the liquid.   3. The fuel cell according to claim 2, wherein the water absorbing portion of the storage container is provided with a water absorbing material and a mechanism capable of exchanging the water absorbing material.   4. The fuel cell according to claim 2, wherein a wipe material is provided on an upper portion of the wiper provided inside the storage container. 5.   5. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the wiper and / or the wiper includes a replaceable mechanism. 6.   6. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein a cathode closing member is provided inside the storage container.   7. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein a wipe material and / or a wiper is provided on the inside upper portion of the storage container, so that when the fuel cell pack is taken out from the storage container, the wipe material and The fuel cell is characterized in that the liquid attached to the cathode surface is removed by contacting the wiper with the cathode surface of the fuel cell.   The fuel cell according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a sealant is disposed on a contact surface of the casing with the storage container, so that the fuel cell pack is simply stored in the storage container. A fuel cell, characterized in that a storage container can hermetically store the fuel cell pack.   A storage container for a fuel cell for storing and storing a fuel cell pack in which a liquid fuel supply type fuel cell is mounted on a support housing, wherein a wipe material and / or a wiper are provided on an inner upper portion of the storage container. Storage container.   The storage container according to claim 9, further comprising a water absorption part for absorbing the liquid collected by the wiper at the bottom of the storage container. container.   The storage container according to claim 10, further comprising a water-absorbing material in the water-absorbing part of the storage container and a mechanism capable of exchanging the water-absorbing material.   The storage container according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the wiper and / or the wiper includes a replaceable mechanism.   The storage container according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein a cathode closing member is provided inside the storage container.   The storage container according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the wipe member and / or wiper is provided on an inner upper portion of the storage container, so that the wipe is removed when the fuel cell pack is taken out from the storage container. A storage container comprising: a material and / or a wiper contacting the cathode surface of the fuel cell to remove the liquid adhering to the cathode surface.   15. Storage of a liquid fuel supply type fuel cell, wherein the fuel cell pack is stored in the storage container according to claim 9, and the fuel cell pack is taken out from the storage container when the fuel cell is used. Method.

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