JP2011089944A5 - - Google Patents

Description

Fuel cells have various technical problems including cost, but one of the major problems is deterioration of battery performance over time. A fuel cell basically generates electricity by utilizing the reverse reaction of water electrolysis, supplying hydrogen to the negative electrode side and oxygen to the positive electrode side, and hydrogen ions pass through the electrolyte to form oxygen and oxygen on the positive electrode side. Electricity is generated by reacting with water. For this reason, the utilization and consumption of oxygen on the positive electrode side reflects the power generation situation, and evaluating this examines the relationship between the battery structure, the type of electrolyte and catalyst, power generation conditions, etc., and the battery performance. Very important to.

The block diagram of the principal part of the fuel cell reaction measuring device which is one Example of this invention. Sectional drawing of an example of the fuel cell which is a measuring object of the measuring apparatus of a present Example.

The fuel cell 21 generates power by causing the above reaction, but the fluorescence intensity with respect to the excitation light of the oxygen monitor substance 35 in the fuel cell changes depending on the distribution of oxygen in the positive electrode 302 and the positive separator 31. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the excitation light is irradiated into the rib groove 311 through the light transmission window 34, and the fluorescence emitted from the oxygen monitor substance 35 is taken out through the light transmission window 34 in response to this. By detecting the intensity, the oxygen concentration distribution in the fuel cell during the reaction can be measured.

Claims (3)

A fuel in which an oxygen monitor substance whose fluorescence characteristics change according to the oxygen concentration is fixed to an oxygen concentration measurement site facing the negative electrode and / or the positive electrode, and a light transmission window for irradiating light from the outside is formed on the oxygen monitor substance A fuel cell reaction measuring device that optically measures the oxygen concentration inside a battery cell,
An irradiation optical system for irradiating the oxygen monitor substance with excitation light includes a light source that emits excitation light in a visible wavelength range, a light diffusion plate made of a synthetic resin inserted in an optical path of excitation light emitted from the light source, The fuel cell reaction measuring device, comprising: an optical filter that allows the wavelength of the excitation light to pass while blocking the wavelength of the fluorescence emitted from the light diffusion plate. The fuel cell reaction measuring device according to claim 1,
The irradiation optical system includes a collimating optical system that collimates the excitation light that has passed through the optical filter, and irradiates the measurement target sample by reflecting or transmitting the collimated excitation light, and also emits fluorescence emitted from the measurement target sample. And a light selection optical system that transmits or reflects the light to the photodetector. The fuel cell reaction measuring device according to claim 2,
The irradiation optical system includes a shutter disposed between the light source and the light diffusing plate, which shields excitation light during non-measurement.