PROTON CONDUCTOR, MEMBRANE ELECTRODE, JUNCTION, FUEL CELL, FUEL CELL SYSTEM, AND VOLTAGE CONVERTER

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a proton conductor, a membrane electrode junction, a fuel cell, a fuel cell system and voltage converter, by which power is efficiently extracted from the fuel cell at desired voltage values. SOLUTION: A control electrode 11 is arranged in the proton conductor 12, held between a current collecting negative electrode 2 and a current collecting positive electrode 3, and a voltage corresponding to the power to be extracted is applied to the control electrode 11, by which an electric field corresponding to the applied voltage is generated at the control electrode 11. Since proton has a positive electric charge here, if a positive voltage is applied to the control electrode 11, the movement of the proton can be controlled, due to an affection of a coulomb power generated between the control electrode 11 and the proton. Thus, output from the fuel cell 1 can be controlled by controlling the applied voltage to the control electrode 11. COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO