Method of manufacturing an integrated water vapor transfer device and fuel cell-II

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10680266-B2
Application number	US-201815897243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2018
Priority date	Feb 15, 2018
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing an integrated MEA, the method includes the following steps: (1) providing a substrate having an AA region and a WVT region; (2) simultaneously coating a microporous layer, a catalyst layer, and a first membrane ionomer layer onto the substrate; (3) applying an optional membrane support layer to the first membrane ionomer layer in the AA region and the WVT region; (4) applying an optional second membrane ionomer layer; (5) heating treating a coated substrate; and (6) assembling the coated substrate to a companion coated substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing an integrated membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for a fuel cell with an integrated water vapor transfer (WVT) device, the method comprising:
providing a substrate including a gas diffusion media and having an active area (AA) portion and a WVT portion adjacent the AA portion;
simultaneously coating a microporous layer, a catalyst-containing layer, and a first membrane ionomer layer onto the AA and WVT portions of the substrate to form a coated substrate with an AA region and a WVT region, the catalyst-containing layer including a catalyst layer solely applied to the AA region and a mixed carbon/ionomer layer solely applied to the WVT region, wherein the WVT region is hydrophilic and configured to transfer moisture therethrough, and the AA region is hydrophobic and configured to prevent the transfer of moisture therethrough;
heat-treating the coated substrate formed by coating the microporous, catalyst-containing, and first membrane ionomer layers onto the substrate; and
assembling the coated substrate to a companion coated substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a membrane support layer onto the first membrane ionomer layer.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising coating a second membrane ionomer layer onto the membrane support layer.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the AA region is defined, at least in part, by the substrate, the microporous layer, the catalyst layer of the catalyst-containing layer, the first membrane ionomer layer, the membrane support layer, and the second membrane ionomer layer.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the WVT region is defined, at least in part, by the substrate, the microporous layer, the mixed carbon/ionomer layer of the catalyst-containing layer, the first membrane ionomer layer, the membrane support layer, and the second membrane ionomer layer.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the WVT region consists essentially of the substrate, the microporous layer, the mixed carbon/ionomer layer, the first membrane ionomer layer, the membrane support layer, and the second membrane ionomer layer.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the membrane support layer is formed from expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE).

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a die coating tool applies the microporous layer, the catalyst-containing layer, and the first membrane ionomer layer simultaneously onto the substrate.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
attaching a first bipolar plate to a first side of the integrated MEA formed, at least in part, by the assembling the coated substrate to the companion coated substrate; and
attaching a second bipolar plate to a second side of the integrated MEA opposite the first side.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the WVT region includes first and second discrete WVT portions sandwiching therebetween the AA region.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first and second discrete WVT portions are located at opposing first and second ends, respectively, of the substrate.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the mixed carbon/ionomer layer is applied solely to the first and second discrete WVT portions.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the microporous layer is located directly against the substrate, the catalyst-containing layer is located directly against the microporous layer, and the first membrane ionomer layer is located directly against the catalyst-containing layer.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas diffusion media of the substrate includes a carbon-fiber-based paper bound chemically via a resin binder or mechanically via hydroentanglement.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the microporous layer includes a mixture of carbon black and a polymer binder in an alcohol and water solution.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first membrane ionomer layer includes a perfluorosulfonic acid coated from an alcohol and water solution.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst-containing layer includes nanoparticles supported on an electronically conductive support.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the companion coated substrate includes a second substrate coated with a second microporous layer and a second catalyst-containing layer.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the second microporous layer is located directly against the second substrate, and the second catalyst-containing layer is located directly against the second microporous layer.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the microporous layer is located directly against the substrate, the catalyst-containing layer is located directly against the microporous layer, the first membrane ionomer layer is located directly against the catalyst-containing layer, and the second catalyst-containing layer is located directly against the first membrane ionomer layer.

21. A method for manufacturing an integrated membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for a fuel cell with an integrated water vapor transfer (WVT) device, the method comprising:
providing a substrate including a gas diffusion media and having an active area (AA) portion and a WVT portion adjacent the AA portion;
coating a microporous layer across the AA and WVT portions of the substrate;
coating a catalyst-containing layer onto the microporous layer;
coating a first membrane ionomer layer onto the catalyst-containing layer such that the microporous, catalyst-containing, and first membrane ionomer layers coated onto the AA and WVT portions of the substrate form a coated substrate with an AA region and a WVT region;
applying a membrane support layer onto the first membrane ionomer layer;
applying a second membrane ionomer layer onto the membrane support layer, the WVT region being defined, at least in part, by the substrate, the microporous layer, the first membrane ionomer layer, the membrane support layer, and the second membrane ionomer layer;
heat-treating the coated substrate formed by the substrate and the layers applied to the substrate; and
assembling the coated substrate to a companion coated substrate.

22. The method of claim 3 , wherein the catalyst-containing layer includes a catalyst layer solely applied to the AA region and a mixed carbon/ionomer layer solely applied to the WVT region.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the AA region is defined, at least in part, by the substrate, the microporous layer, the catalyst-containing layer, the first membrane ionomer layer, the membrane support layer, and the second membrane ionomer layer.

24. A method for manufacturing an integrated membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for a fuel cell with an integrated water vapor transfer (WVT) device, the method comprising:
providing a substrate including a gas diffusion media and having an active area (AA) portion and a WVT portion adjacent the AA portion;
coating a microporous layer, a catalyst-containing layer, and a first membrane ionomer layer onto the AA and WVT portions of the substrate to form a coated substrate with an AA region and a WVT region, wherein the WVT region is hydrophilic and configured to transfer moisture therethrough, and the AA region is hydrophobic and configured to prevent the transfer of moisture therethrough, and wherein the microporous layer in the WVT region is a hydrophilic microporous layer with a hydrophilic binder, and the microporous layer in the AA region is a hydrophobic microporous layer with a hydrophobic binder;
heat-treating the

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Mathias Mark F
• Lakshmanan Balasubramanian
• Kumaraguru Swaminatha P
• Moose Scott C

Classifications

• H01M8/1081

  starting from solutions, dispersions or slurries exclusively of polymers · CPC title

• H01M4/8807

  Gas diffusion layers · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M4/8825

  Methods for deposition of the catalytic active composition · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title