1-17. (canceled)
18. An electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell, comprising:
a reinforce membrane made of nonwoven fibers, the nonwoven fibers having a mass per unit area continuously varying; and
an electrolyte provided in a space among the nonwoven fibers,
wherein the electrolyte membrane has a power generating region and an incapable region for power generating, the incapable region for power generating provided on all outer circumference of the power generating region,
the nonwoven fibers have a non-uniform mass distribution in a plane of the electrolyte membrane, the mass of the nonwoven fibers per unity area ranging from 0.1 mgcm2 to 1.5 mgcm2, and
the nonwoven fibers have a mass per unit area in a region underneath the incapable region for power generating and a region corresponding to at least part of a peripheral portion of the region underneath the incapable region for power generating which is greater than a mass per unit area in a region corresponding to a center portion of the power generating region.
19. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 18,
wherein the nonwoven fibers have a mass per unit area in a region other than the center portion of the power generating region which is greater than the mass per unit area in the region corresponding to the center portion of the power generating region.
20. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 19,
wherein the nonwoven fibers have a mass per unit area in a region having a width corresponding to 10% of a length of a side of the power generating region which is greater than the mass per unit area in the region corresponding to the center portion of the power generating region.
21. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 18,
wherein the nonwoven fibers have a mass per unit area in a region corresponding to a fuel gas inlet of solid fuel cell to which the electrolyte membrane is adapted, the mass per unit area being greater than the mass per unit area in the region corresponding to the center portion of the power generating region.
22. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 21,
wherein the nonwoven fibers have a mass per unit area in a region having a width corresponding to 30% of a length of a side of the power generating region provided with the fuel gas inlet of solid fuel cell to which the electrolyte membrane is adapted, the mass per unit area being greater than the mass per unit area in the region corresponding to the center portion of the power generating region.
23. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 18,
wherein the nonwoven fibers have a mass per unit area in a region corresponding to a fuel gas outlet of solid fuel cell to which the electrolyte membrane is adapted, the mass per unit area being greater than the mass per unit area in the region corresponding to the center portion of the power generating region.
24. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 23,
wherein the nonwoven fibers have a mass per unit area in a region having a width corresponding to 30% of a length of a side of the power generating region provided with the fuel gas outlet of solid fuel cell to which the electrolyte membrane is adapted, the mass per unit area being greater than the mass per unit area in the region corresponding to the center portion of the power generating region.
25. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 18,
wherein the nonwoven fibers have a mass per unit area in the region underneath the incapable region for power generating and the region corresponding to at least part of the peripheral portion of the region underneath the incapable region for power generating which is smaller than 15 times as great as the mass per unit area in the region corresponding to the center portion of the power generating region.
26. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 18,
wherein the nonwoven fibers have a thickness in the region underneath the incapable region for power generating and the region corresponding to at least part of the peripheral portion of the region underneath the incapable region for power generating which is greater than and 15 times or less of a thickness in the region corresponding to the center portion of the power generating region.
27. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 18,
wherein the nonwoven fibers have a fiber diameter in the region underneath the incapable region for power generating and the region corresponding to at least part of the peripheral portion of the region underneath the incapable region for power generating which is greater than and 15 times or less of a fiber diameter in the region corresponding to the center portion of the power generating region.
28. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 18,
wherein the nonwoven fibers have a voidage in the region underneath the incapable region for power generating and the region corresponding to at least part of the peripheral portion of the region underneath the incapable region for power generating which is lower than and 115 times or more of a voidage in the region corresponding to the center portion of the power generating region.
29. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 18,
wherein the nonwoven fibers contain polyvinylidene fluoride copolymer.
30. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 18,
wherein the nonwoven fibers are prepared through electrospinning
31. The electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 18,
wherein the electrolyte is a proton conductive ion exchange membrane.
32. A membrane electrode assembly for solid polymer fuel cell, comprising:
the electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell according to claim 18; and
a module having the electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell fixed to a gasket and clamped between separators.
33. A solid polymer fuel cell, including:
at least one cell, the cell being structured with the membrane electrode for solid polymer fuel cell assembly according to claim 32 and a pair of anode separator and cathode separator clamping the membrane electrode assembly for solid polymer fuel cell.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-23. (canceled)
24. A composition for coating walls, facades, or the like, comprising:
at least one binder; and
at least one photocatalytically-active substance adapted to absorb light at one or more absorption wavelengths in the range of about 380 nm to about 500 nm.
25. The composition of claim 24, wherein the ratio of the light absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R00)) for the photocatalytically-active substance to the absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R00)) of the binder at one or more absorption wavelengths in the range of about 380 nm to about 500 nm is greater than about 6.25\xd710\u22123.
26. The composition of claim 25, wherein the ratio is greater than about 1\xd710\u22122.
27. The composition of claim 24, wherein at one or more absorption wavelengths in the range of about 380 nm to about 500 nm, the binder has an absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R00)) of less than about 0.8, and the photocatalytically-active substance has an absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R00)) of more than about 0.005.
28. The composition of claim 27, wherein the absorbance of the binder is less than about 0.5
29. The composition of claim 27, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance has an absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R00)) of more than about 0.01.
30. The composition of claim 29, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance has an absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R00)) of more than about 0.02.
31. The composition of claim 27, wherein at one or more absorption wavelengths in the range of about 400 nm to about 450 nm, the binder has an absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R00)) of less than about 0.8, and the photocatalytically-active substance has an absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R00)) of more than about 0.005.
32. The composition of claim 24, wherein the binder includes at least one organic component andor at least one inorganic component.
33. The composition of claim 24, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance includes a semiconductor.
34. The composition of claim 33, wherein the semiconductor comprises titanium dioxide.
35. The composition of claim 34, wherein the titanium dioxide is present essentially in an anatase phase.
36. The composition of claim 34, wherein the titanium dioxide includes one or more additives selected from sulfur and carbon, the additive disposed essentially on a surface layer of the titanium dioxide particles.
37. The composition of claim 33, wherein the semiconductor includes one or more additives selected from sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon.
38. The composition of claim 37, wherein the additive is sulfur or carbon, and wherein the photocatalytically-active substance includes about 0.05 to about 4 percent by weight of the additive.
39. The composition of claim 38, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance includes about 0.05 to about 2 percent by weight of the additive.
40. The composition of claim 39, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance includes about 0.4 to about 1.5 percent by weight of the additive.
41. The composition of claim 24, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance includes one or more additives selected from sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon.
42. The composition of claim 41, wherein the additive is sulfur or carbon, and wherein the photocatalytically-active substance includes about 0.4 to about 0.8 percent by weight of the additive.
43. The composition of claim 24, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance exhibits a peak at a bond energy of about 285.6 eV having an intensity greater than an intensity of the oxygen 1s peak at about 530 eV, as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
44. The composition of claim 24, further comprising one or more additives selected from the group comprising a dispersing agent, a thickening agent, an anti-foaming agent, a pigment, a filler, a hydrophobization agent, and a microbiocide.
45. The composition of claim 24, wherein the composition is a supercritical composition in which a solid fraction including solids is adjusted to a liquid fraction such that the solids are incompletely wetted.
46. The composition of claim 24, further comprising one or more adsorption agents selected from the group comprising activated charcoal, silicic acid, microsilica, silica gel, zeolite, bentonite, diatomaceous earth, and foamed glass.
47. The composition of claim 24, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance exhibits essentially one signal for a g value of about 1.97 to about 2.05, as measured by electron spin resonance at a temperature of about 5 K
48. The composition of claim 47, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance exhibits essentially one signal for a g value of about 2.002 to about 2.004, as measured by electron spin resonance at a temperature of about 5 K.
49. The composition of claim 24, wherein the Kubelka-Munk function F (R00) proportional to the absorbance for the photocatalytically active substance at or about 500 nm is about 50% of the value at or about 400 nm, and at or about 600 nm is about 20% of the value at or about 400 nm.
50. The composition of claim 24, wherein the light absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R00)) for the photocatalytically-active substance at or about 500 nm is about 50% of the value at or about 400 nm, and at or about 600 nm is about 20% of the value at or about 400 nm.
51. The composition of claim 24, wherein the composition has a photoactivity of at least about 20%.
52. The composition of claim 51, wherein the composition has a photoactivity of at least about 40%.
53. The composition of claim 52, wherein the composition has a photoactivity of at least about 50%.
54. The composition of claim 24, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance exhibits substantially no carbonate bands as measured by a selected one or more of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy.
55. The composition of claim 24, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance has a specific surface of about 100 to about 250 m2g.
56. The composition of claim 55, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance has a specific surface of about 130 to about 200 m2g.
57. The composition of claim 56, wherein the photocatalytically-active substance has a specific surface of about 130 to about 170 m2g.
58. A method for making a coating composition, comprising:
providing a photocatalytically-active substance; and
dispersing the photocatalytically-active substance in a binder to produce an intermediate product.
59. The method of claim 58, wherein said providing the photocatalytically-active substance comprises providing a titanium-containing compound.
60. The method of claim 59, wherein said providing the titanium-containing compound comprises providing a titanium-containing compound dissolved in a solvent.
61. The method of claim 60, wherein said providing the titanium-containing compound dissolved in a solvent comprises providing a titanium-containing compound dissolved in water.
62. The method of claim 59, further comprising:
mixing the titanium-containing compound with an organic carbon compound;
heating the mixture at a temperature of about 500\xb0 C. or less and about 150\xb0 C. or more.
63. The method of claim 62, wherein said heating comprises heating the mixture at a temperature of about 400\xb0 C. or less.
64. The method of claim 63, wherein said heating comprises heating the mixture at a temperature of about 300\xb0 C. or less.
65. The method of claim 62, wherein said heating comprises heating the mixture at a temperature of about 200\xb0 C. or more.
66. The method of claim 58, wherein said dispersing comprises dispersing the photocatalytically-active substance in an inorganic binder to produce an intermediate produce.
67. The method of claim 58, further comprising mixing the intermediate product with another binder.
68. The method of claim 67, wherein the other binder is an organic material.
69. A method for coating a surface comprising:
providing a coating material including:
at least one binder; and
at least one photocatalytically-active substance adapted to absorb light at one or more absorption wavelengths in the range of about 380 nm to about 500 nm; and
coating a surface with the coating material.
70. The method of claim 69, wherein said providing the coating material comprises providing a coating material selected from the group comprising a paint, a plaster, a varnish, and a glaze.
71. The method of claim 69, wherein said coating comprises coating a surface selected from the group comprising masonry, a plaster surface, paintwork, wallpaper, wood, metal, glass, ceramic, a thermal insulation composite system, an interior facade, and an exterior facade.