JPWO2018146809A1 - Electrochemical cell stack - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrochemical cell stack according to an embodiment includes an electrochemical cell, first and second separators, first and second current collectors, a sealing material, and a member. The electrochemical cell comprises a hydrogen electrode, an electrolyte layer, and an oxygen electrode, and has first and second main surfaces. The first and second separators face the first and second main surfaces, respectively. A first current collector is disposed between the first main surface and the first separator, and electrically connects the electrochemical cell and the first separator. A second current collector is disposed between the second main surface and the second separator, and electrically connects the electrochemical cell and the second separator. A seal material is disposed between the first major surface and the first separator to form a space between the electrochemical cell and the first separator. The member is disposed between the second main surface and the second separator, and has higher compressive strength than the second current collector.

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to electrochemical cell stacks.

  Solid oxide electrochemical cells are being developed as a fuel cell for power generation, an electrolysis cell for hydrogen production, and an electric power storage system combining these. The solid oxide electrochemical cell uses a solid oxide as an electrolyte, so that the reaction temperature is high (eg, 600 to 1000 ° C.), and a large reaction rate can be obtained without using an expensive precious metal catalyst. Is possible. Therefore, high power generation efficiency can be obtained by operating this as a fuel cell (solid oxide fuel cell: SOFC), and high power at a low electrolytic voltage when operating as an electrolysis cell (solid oxide electrolysis cell: SOEC). Hydrogen can be produced efficiently.

  In order to generate a large amount of power and hydrogen, a plurality of electrochemical cells are stacked to form an electrochemical cell stack. At this time, in order to prevent gas leak in the electrochemical cell, the sealing material is pressed and sealed. As a result, stress is applied to the electrochemical cell from the sealing material. Since the solid oxide electrochemical cell is generally made of a ceramic material, this stress (especially bending stress) may cause deformation or breakage.

JP, 2014-041704, A JP, 2016-126893, A

  The present invention aims to provide an electrochemical cell stack which facilitates the sealing of the electrochemical cell without damage.

  An electrochemical cell stack according to an embodiment includes an electrochemical cell, first and second separators, first and second current collectors, a sealing material, and a member. The electrochemical cell comprises a hydrogen electrode, an electrolyte layer, and an oxygen electrode, and has first and second main surfaces. The first and second separators face the first and second main surfaces, respectively. A first current collector is disposed between the first main surface and the first separator, and electrically connects the electrochemical cell and the first separator. A second current collector is disposed between the second main surface and the second separator, and electrically connects the electrochemical cell and the second separator. A seal material is disposed between the first major surface and the first separator to form a space between the electrochemical cell and the first separator. The member is disposed between the second main surface and the second separator, and has higher compressive strength than the second current collector.

It is an exploded perspective view of electrochemical cell stack 10 concerning an embodiment. 1 is an exploded cross-sectional view of an electrochemical cell stack 10 according to an embodiment. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electrochemical cell stack 10 according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an electrochemical cell stack 10a according to a modification 1; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an electrochemical cell stack 10b according to a modification 2; FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of an electrochemical cell stack 10c according to a third modification.

  Hereinafter, although the solid oxide electrochemical cell stack which concerns on embodiment is demonstrated, this invention is not limited to the following embodiment or an Example. Further, the schematic diagrams referred to in the following description are diagrams showing the positional relationship of each configuration, and the size of particles, the ratio of the thickness of each layer, etc. do not necessarily coincide with the actual one.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the electrochemical cell stack 10 according to the embodiment. 2 and 3 are an exploded sectional view and a sectional view schematically showing a cross section of a part of the electrochemical cell stack 10 according to the embodiment.
The electrochemical cell stack 10 is a flat plate type, and the electrochemical cell 11, the separators 12, 13, the insulating layer 14, the sealing material 15, and the current collectors 16, 17 are stacked.

  Here, although only one electrochemical cell 11 is shown for the sake of easy understanding, it is customary to stack several to several tens of electrochemical cells 11. That is, in general, a plurality of cell units each including the electrochemical cell 11, the separators 12, 13, the insulating layer 14, the sealing material 15, and the current collectors 16 and 17 are vertically stacked.

  Electrodes and end plates are attached to upper and lower ends of the electrochemical cell stack 10 (not shown). In addition, a heater, a power supply, and a controller are added as needed. The heater generates heat by the current from the power supply and heats the electrochemical cell 11. The controller controls the heater, the power supply, and the like.

The electrochemical cell 11 is a hydrogen supporting type having a planar shape, and a hydrogen electrode 112, an electrolyte layer 113, and an oxygen electrode 114 are sequentially stacked on a supporting substrate 111. That is, the electrochemical cell 11 includes a hydrogen electrode 112, an electrolyte layer 113, and an oxygen electrode 114, and has first and second main surfaces.
At the time of power generation, for example, a reducing agent such as hydrogen and an oxidizing agent such as oxygen react electrochemically to generate electric energy and water vapor. At the time of electrolysis, water vapor and the like are reduced by electrolysis at the hydrogen electrode 112, and oxygen ions are released from the oxygen electrode 114.

  The support substrate 111 is a layer to be a support of the electrochemical cell 11, and maintenance or improvement of mechanical strength of the electrochemical cell 11 can be achieved.

  The support substrate 111 is made of a porous material having appropriate porosity to allow gas to permeate. The thickness of the support substrate 111 is preferably, for example, in the range of 200 μm to 2 mm. Both mechanical strength and gas permeability can be secured.

  The hydrogen electrode 112 contains catalyst particles and oxide ion conductive oxide particles. The catalyst includes, for example, metals such as nickel, silver or platinum, and metal oxides such as nickel oxide or cobalt oxide. Examples of oxygen ion conductive oxides include ceria-based oxides such as samaria-stabilized ceria (SDC) or gadolinia-stabilized ceria (GDC), or zirconia-based oxides such as yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). It can be mentioned. The oxide which comprises the electrolyte layer 113 may be used as an oxide of oxygen ion conductivity.

  The thickness of the hydrogen electrode 112 can be set appropriately, and can be, for example, in the range of 50 μm to 1000 μm.

The electrolyte layer 113 is a layer of solid oxide having electronic insulation and oxygen ion conductivity. Solid oxides include, for example, stabilized zirconia, perovskite oxides, or ceria (CeO ₂ ) based electrolyte solid solutions.
Stabilized zirconia is zirconia in which a stabilizer is dissolved in zirconia. As the stabilizer, for _{example, Y 2 O 3, Sc 2} O 3, Yb 2 O 3, Gd 2 O 3, Nd 2 O 3, CaO, include MgO. Moreover, as a perovskite type oxide, LaSrGaMg oxide, LaSrGaMgCo oxide, and LaSrGaMgCoFe oxide are mentioned, for example. Further, as the ceria-based electrolyte solid solution, a solid solution in which Sm ₂ O ₃ , Gd ₂ O ₃ , Y ₂ O ₃ , La ₂ O ₃ or the like is solid-solved in a material containing CeO ₂ can be mentioned.

The electrolyte layer 113 has, for example, electronic insulation and oxygen ion conductivity in a temperature range of 600 to 1000 ° C. Oxygen ions can pass through the electrolyte layer 113 within this temperature range.
The thickness of the electrolyte layer 113 can be set appropriately, and can be, for example, in the range of 5 μm to 500 μm.

  The oxygen electrode 114 is made of a material capable of efficiently dissociating oxygen and having electron conductivity. As this material, for example, lanthanum-strontium-manganese (LaSrMn) -based perovskite oxide (LSM), LaSrCo oxide (LSC), LaSrCoFe oxide (LSCF), LaSrFe oxide (LSF), LaSrMnCo oxide (LSMC) ), LaSrMnCr oxide (LSMC), LaCoMn oxide (LCM), LaSrCu oxide (LSCu), LaSrFeNi oxide (LSFN), LaNiFe oxide (LNF), LaBaCo oxide (LBC), LaNiCo oxide (LNC) LaSrAlFe oxide (LSAF), LaSrCoNiCu oxide (LSCNC), LaSrFeNiCu oxide (LSFNC), LaNi oxide (LN), GdSrCo oxide (GSC), GdSrMn oxide (GSM) PrCaMn oxide (PCaM), PrSrMn oxide (PSM), PrBaCo oxide (PBC), SmSrCo oxide (SSC), NdSmCo oxide (NSC), BiSrCaCu oxide (BSCC), BaLaFeCo oxide (BLFC), BaSrFeCo The oxide (BSFC), the YSrFeCo oxide (YLFC), the YCuCoFe oxide (YCCF), or the YBaCu oxide (YBC) may be mentioned.

The oxygen electrode 114 is a mixture of these oxides, for example, LSM-YSZ, LSCF-SDC, LSCF-GDC, LSCF-YDC, LSCF-LDC, LSCF-CDC, LSM-ScSZ, LSM-SDC, LSM-GDC May be.
Furthermore, a component such as Pt, Ru, Au, Ag, Pd may be added to the oxygen electrode 114.
The thickness of the oxygen electrode 114 can be set appropriately, for example, in the range of 10 μm to 100 μm.

  The separators 12 and 13 have functions of supplying reactive gas (oxidant, reducing agent, or water vapor) to the respective electrodes, and equal current collection from the entire surface of the electrodes. The separators 12 and 13 have through holes 18 serving as oxygen flow paths and fuel flow paths in order to supply the reaction gas to the respective electrodes. The through holes 18 are, for example, spaces extending in the plate thickness direction of the separators 12 and 13 along the sides facing each other.

The separators 12 and 13 have recesses 121 and 131 and grooves 122 and 132, respectively, and face the first and second main surfaces of the electrochemical cell 11, respectively.
The electrochemical cell 11 is disposed in the recess 121, 131.
A plurality of grooves 122 are disposed on the bottom of the recess 121, and are channels for supplying the reaction gas of the hydrogen electrode 112 in the X-axis direction.
A plurality of grooves 132 are disposed on the upper surface of the recess 131 and are channels for supplying the reaction gas of the oxygen electrode 114 in the Y-axis direction.

The reaction gas (hydrogen electrode gas) of the hydrogen electrode 112 enters the recess 121 from one of the pair of through holes 18 opposed in the X axis direction, flows along the groove 122 in the X axis direction, and reaches the hydrogen electrode 112. The reaction gas reacted at the hydrogen electrode 112 is discharged from the hydrogen electrode 112 through the groove 122 and from the other through hole 18.
The reaction gas (oxygen electrode gas) of the oxygen electrode 114 enters the recess 131 from one of the pair of through holes 18 opposed in the Y-axis direction, flows along the groove 132 in the Y-axis direction, and reaches the oxygen electrode 114. The reaction gas reacted at the oxygen electrode 114 is discharged from the oxygen electrode 114 through the groove 132 and the other through hole 18.

  In FIG. 1, the hydrogen electrode gas and the oxygen electrode gas flow in directions orthogonal to each other (cross flow), but other configurations may be adopted. For example, the hydrogen electrode gas and the oxygen electrode gas may flow in the same direction in the plane of the electrochemical cell 11 (cocurrent flow: coflow) or flow in the opposite direction (counterflow: counterflow).

  The separators 12 and 13 are generally formed of a plate-like conductive material in order to collect current uniformly from the entire surface of the hydrogen electrode 112 and the oxygen electrode 114. The electrochemical cell 11 is electrically connected to the current collectors 16 and 17 and the separators 12 and 13. Electric power is supplied to the electrochemical cell 11 from the outside through the separators 12 and 13, or power is supplied from the electrochemical cell 11 to the outside.

The separators 12 and 13 are preferably made of a material that is conductive at an operating temperature (600 to 1000 ° C.) and has a thermal expansion coefficient close to that of the electrochemical cell 11, such as steel, stainless steel, or a ferritic alloy. As the ferrite-based alloy, a Crofer 22-based material or a ZMG-based material is preferable, and as a stainless steel, SUS310 or SUS430 (JIS standard) or the like is preferable.
The thickness of the separator 12 is preferably 0.3 to 3 mm.

  The separators 12 and 13 and the insulating layer 14 have through holes 19 penetrating in the stacking direction. In general, a plurality of through holes 19 are provided around the electrochemical cell stack 10.

  A fastening portion (for example, a bolt) is inserted into the through hole 19, and a fixing portion (for example, a nut) is fitted and fixed to the end of the fastening portion. The electrochemical cell 11, the separators 12, 13, the insulating layer 14, the sealing material 15, and the current collectors 16 and 17 are stacked and fixed by the tightening portion and the fixing portion.

The insulating layer 14 is disposed between the separators 12 to electrically insulate them.
The insulating layer 14 can be made of a material having high electrical insulation and high temperature resistance, such as alumina, zirconia, silica, or a material containing at least these. The insulating layer 14 is desirably compact, but may be porous. The shape of the insulating layer 14 is not particularly limited.

  The sealing material 15 is disposed between the electrolyte layer 113 of the electrochemical cell 11 and the separator 13 to prevent a gas leak from between them. The sealing material 15 makes one round in a ring along the side of the electrochemical cell 11 and surrounds the current collector 17. That is, the sealing material 15 forms a space between the electrochemical cell 11 and the separator 13 and seals it. However, the reaction gas can flow into and out of the space (oxygen electrode 114) through the groove 132 (between the upper surface of the separator 13 and the sealing material 15).

The sealing material 15 can be made of a material having high electrical insulation and high temperature resistance, such as alumina, zirconia, silica, or a material containing at least these. This material may be the same as the insulating layer 14.
In order to prevent gas leak, it is desirable that the sealing material 15 be dense. However, the sealing material 15 may be made of a material that is porous at room temperature and becomes dense by being exposed to a high temperature under pressure.
The shape of the sealing material 15 is not particularly limited. That is, if it is annular (ring shape), it can be made various shapes, such as a circle and a square.

The current collector 16 is disposed between the electrochemical cell 11 and the separator 12 and electrically connects the hydrogen electrode 112 and the separator 12.
The current collector 17 (first current collector) is disposed between the electrochemical cell 11 and the separator 13 and electrically connects the oxygen electrode 114 and the separator 13.

  The current collector 16 is divided into current collectors 161 and 162 having different compressive strengths. The current collector 161 (second current collector) has a relatively low compressive strength, and is disposed at the center of the electrochemical cell 11. The current collector 162 (a member having a higher compressive strength than the second current collector: the third current collector) has a relatively high compressive strength and is disposed on the outer periphery of the electrochemical cell 11 opposite to the sealing material 15 Be done.

  The compressive strength as referred to herein is represented by the magnitude of the compression amount (deformation amount) with respect to the same pressure, and is an amount corresponding to Young's modulus. When the compressive strength is high, the amount of compression for the same pressure is small (not easily crushed), and the Young's modulus is large. That is, the compressive strength, unlike the breaking strength, generally represents the resistance to pressure in the elastic deformation range.

  The oxygen electrode 114 is not disposed on the surface of the current collector 162, the electrolyte layer 113 is disposed, and the sealing material 15 is disposed on the electrolyte layer 113.

  As described above, the reason why the compressive strengths of the current collectors 161 and 162 differ is to reduce bending stress when members such as the electrochemical cell 11 and the separators 12 and 13 are stacked and sealed. As described above, a plurality of members are tightened and fixed by the tightening portion (for example, a bolt) and the fixing portion (for example, a nut). At this time, the sealing material 15 is compressed to a certain extent to seal the space between the gas chemical cell 11 and the separator 13. For this reason, stress (bending stress) is applied from the sealing material 15 to the electrochemical cell 11, and the electrochemical cell 11 may be bent or broken.

  Since the current collector 162 has a relatively high compressive strength, it does not collapse even if stress is applied from the sealing material 15, and the electrochemical cell 11 is prevented from being bent (bending stress is applied). If the current collector 162 is crushed by the stress from the sealing material 15, the electrochemical cell 11 may be bent and may be damaged.

  It is desirable that the current collector 17 has a small compressive strength to some extent, for example, a similar or similar compressive strength to the current collector 161. If the compressive strength of the current collector 17 is too large, the distribution of the stress applied from the sealing material 15 and the current collector 17 to the electrochemical cell 11 becomes nonuniform, which is not preferable. That is, the stress applied from the current collector 17 to the electrochemical cell 11 may be significantly larger than the stress applied from the sealing material 15 to the electrochemical cell 11.

The current collectors 16 and 17 preferably have conductivity at the operating temperature (600 to 1000 ° C.).
The current collector 16 can be made of a material resistant to a reducing gas, for example, a metal (for example, Ni, Au, Pt, Ag, Fe, Cu, or an alloy of one or more selected from Cu).
The current collector 17 is a material resistant to an oxidizing gas, for example, a metal (for example, one or two or more alloys selected from Ag, Au, and Pt), a conductive oxide (for example, LSM, LSC) , LSCF, LSF, LSMC, LSMC, LCM, LSCu, LS, LN, GSC, GSM, PCaM, PSM, PBC, SSC, NSC, BSCC, BLFC, BSFC, YLFC, YCCF, YBC).

In order to make the compressive strengths different between the current collectors 161 and 162, the following methods (1) and (2) can be used.
(1) Different materials are used for the current collectors 161 and 162.
For example, the combination is as follows.
Current collector 161: Ni, Ag, Au, or Pt
Current collector 162: Ti, Fe, Cu, Ni, or an alloy thereof Preferably, the current collector 161 is Ni, the current collector 162 is a Ni alloy, and more preferably the current collector 161 is porous Ni, current collector The body 162 is made of Ni alloy.

The current collector 162 may be made of the same material as the separator 12 as follows.
Current collector 161: Ni, Au, or Pt
Current collector 162: steel, stainless steel, or ferrite alloy Preferably, the current collector 161 is Ni and the current collector 162 is a ferrite alloy, and more preferably, the current collector 161 is porous Ni, current collector 162 Let Crofer22APU be.

Furthermore, it is also possible to use a material with low or virtually no conductivity for the current collector 162. In this case, the current collector 162 does not function as a current collector, but if the contact area of the current collector 161 is large, sufficient conductivity can be secured between the hydrogen electrode 112 and the separator 12.
Current collector 161: Ni, Au, Pt
Current collector 162: oxide (eg, gallium oxide, zirconia, ceria)
Preferably, the current collector 161 is Ni, the current collector 162 is stabilized zirconia or doped ceria, and more preferably, the current collector 161 is porous Ni, and the current collector 162 is YSZ or GDC.

(2) The porosity of the current collectors 161 and 162 is made different.
A porous metal is used for at least one of the current collectors 161 and 162.
The porous metal is a metal material having a large number of pores. The porous metal can be produced by (a) sintering metal powder or metal fiber, or (b) cooling while generating gas bubbles in the molten metal.
Even when the metal materials themselves used for the current collectors 161 and 162 are the same, the compressive strength of the current collector 161 can be made smaller than that of the current collector 162 by making the current collector 161 porous.
Further, both of the current collectors 161 and 162 are formed of a porous metal, and the porosity of the current collector 161 is made larger than that of the current collector 162, whereby the compressive strength of the current collector 161 is made higher than that of the current collector 162. It can be made smaller.
Preferably, the current collector 161 is made of porous Ni having a high porosity, and the current collector 162 is made of porous Ni (or non-porous Ni) having a low porosity.

  In the present embodiment, the current collector 16 is composed of current collectors 161 and 162 having different compressive strengths, and the current collector 162 having large compressive strength is disposed on the opposite side of the sealing material 15 with the electrochemical cell 11 interposed therebetween. Be done. For this reason, even if pressure is applied to the sealing material 15, the current collector 162 is not crushed, and the current collector 162 is crushed, whereby the nonuniformity of the stress applied to the electrochemical cell 11 is alleviated. That is, the bending stress to the electrochemical cell 11 at the time of gas sealing is reduced.

(Modification 1)
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view schematically showing a cross section of a part of the electrochemical cell stack 10 a according to the first modification.
Here, the current collector 162 is made of the same material as the separator 12 and is integrated.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view schematically showing a cross section of a part of the electrochemical cell stack 10 b according to the second modification.
The electrochemical cell stack 10b is a flat plate type, and the electrochemical cell 11a, the separators 12, 13, the insulating layer 14, the sealing material 15, and the current collectors 16, 17 are stacked.

  The electrochemical cell 11a is an oxygen supporting type having a planar shape, and an oxygen electrode 114, an electrolyte layer 113, and a hydrogen electrode 112 are sequentially stacked on a support substrate 111. That is, in the electrochemical cell stack 10 b, the hydrogen electrode 112 and the oxygen electrode 114 are interchanged as compared with the electrochemical cell stack 10.

The current collector 17 is disposed between the electrochemical cell 11 and the separator 12 to electrically connect the hydrogen electrode 112 to the separator 12.
The current collector 16 is disposed between the electrochemical cell 11 and the separator 13 and electrically connects the oxygen electrode 114 and the separator 13.

The current collector 16 includes current collectors 161 and 162 having different compressive strengths. The current collector 161 has a relatively low compressive strength and is disposed at the center of the electrochemical cell 11. The current collector 162 has a relatively high compressive strength and is disposed on the outer periphery of the electrochemical cell 11.
The hydrogen electrode 112 is not disposed on the surface of the current collector 162, the electrolyte layer 113 is disposed, and the sealing material 15 is disposed on the electrolyte layer 113.

  Since the current collector 162 has a relatively high compressive strength, it does not collapse even if stress is applied from the sealing material 15, and the electrochemical cell 11 is prevented from being bent (bending stress is applied).

  As described above, it is desirable that the current collector 17 has a small compressive strength to some extent, for example, a similar or similar compressive strength to the current collector 161.

The current collector 17 can be made of a material resistant to a reducing gas, for example, a metal (for example, Ni, Au, Pt, Ag, Fe, Cu, or an alloy of one or more selected from Cu).
The current collector 16 is made of a material resistant to an oxidizing gas, for example, a metal (for example, one or two or more alloys selected from Ag, Au, and Pt), a conductive oxide (for example, LSM, LSC) , LSCF, LSF, LSMC, LSMC, LCM, LSCu, LS, LN, GSC, GSM, PCaM, PSM, PBC, SSC, NSC, BSCC, BLFC, BSFC, YLFC, YCCF, YBC).
In the electrochemical cell stack 10 b, the constituent materials of the electrochemical cell stack 10 are interchanged because the atmospheres to which the current collectors 16 and 17 are exposed are reversed.

In order to make the compressive strengths different between the current collectors 161 and 162, the following methods (1) and (2) can be used.
(1) Different materials are used for the current collectors 161 and 162.
For example, the combination is as follows.
Current collector 161: Ag, Au, or Pt
Current collector 162: alloy containing Ag, Au, or Pt Preferably, the current collector 161 is Ag, and the current collector 162 is an Ag alloy, and more preferably, the current collector 161 is porous Ag, the current collector 162 Let it be (non-porous) Ag alloy.

The current collector 162 may be made of the same material as the separator 12 as follows.
Current collector 161: Ag, Au, or Pt
Current collector 162: steel, stainless steel, or ferrite alloy Preferably, current collector 161 is Ag, current collector 162 is ferrite alloy, and more preferably current collector 161 is porous Ag, current collector 162 Let Crofer22APU be.

Furthermore, it is also possible to use a material with low or virtually no conductivity for the current collector 162. In this case, the current collector 162 does not function as a current collector, but if the contact area of the current collector 161 is large, sufficient conductivity can be ensured between the oxygen electrode 114 and the separator 12.
Current collector 161: Ag, Au, Pt
Current collector 162: Ceramic in general, oxide (preferably, gallium oxide, zirconia, ceria)
Preferably, the current collector 161 is Ag, and the current collector 162 is stabilized zirconia or doped ceria. More preferably, the current collector 161 is porous Ag, and the current collector 161 is YSZ or GDC.

(2) The porosity of the current collectors 161 and 162 is made different.
A porous metal is used for at least one of the current collectors 161 and 162.
Even when the metal materials themselves used for the current collectors 161 and 162 are the same, the compressive strength of the current collector 171 can be made smaller than that of the current collector 162 by making the current collector 161 porous.
Further, both of the current collectors 161 and 162 are formed of a porous metal, and the porosity of the current collector 161 is made larger than that of the current collector 162, whereby the compressive strength of the current collector 161 is made higher than that of the current collector 162. It can be made smaller.
Preferably, the current collector 161 is made of porous Ag having a high porosity, and the current collector 161 is made of porous Ag (or non-porous Ag) having a low porosity.

(Modification 3)
FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view schematically showing a cross section of a part of an electrochemical cell stack 10c according to the third modification.
The electrochemical cell stack 10c has an electrochemical cell 11a like the electrochemical cell stack 10b, but the current collector 162 is made of the same material as the separator 12 and is integrated.

  While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and the gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Claims (7)

An electrochemical cell comprising a hydrogen electrode, an electrolyte layer, and an oxygen electrode and having first and second major surfaces;
First and second separators facing the first and second main surfaces, respectively;
A first current collector disposed between the first main surface and the first separator and electrically connecting the electrochemical cell to the first separator;
A sealing material disposed between the first main surface and the first separator to form a space between the electrochemical cell and the first separator;
A second current collector disposed between the second main surface and the second separator and electrically connecting the electrochemical cell to the second separator;
A member disposed between the second main surface and the second separator and having a compressive strength greater than that of the second current collector;
An electrochemical cell stack equipped with The electrochemical cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the member has conductivity and functions as a third current collector electrically connecting the electrochemical cell and the second separator. The sealing material surrounds the first current collector,
The electrochemical cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the member surrounds the second current collector. The electrochemical cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the member is disposed on the opposite side of the seal material with respect to the electrochemical cell. The compressive strength of the first current collector is smaller than the compressive strength of the member,
An electrochemical cell stack according to claim 1. The electrochemical cell stack according to claim 1, wherein the member is made of the same material as the second separator. The electrochemical cell stack according to claim 6, wherein the member is integrated with the second separator.

Images