Polymer electrolyte fuel cells and production method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10847826-B2
Application number	US-201815886816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2018
Priority date	Feb 16, 2017
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; a fuel-side catalyst layer placed on one surface of the electrolyte membrane; an oxidant-side catalyst layer placed on another surface of the electrolyte membrane; a fuel-side gas-diffusion layer placed on a main surface of the fuel-side catalyst layer; an oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer placed on a main surface of the oxidant-side catalyst layer; a pair of separators that hold the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer therebetween; a frame that surrounds outer peripheries of the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side gas diffusion layer; a fuel-side seal member placed on a main surface of the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer; and an oxidant-side seal member placed on a main surface of the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer. In the fuel cell, no spaces are provided between the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the fuel-side catalyst layer and between the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side catalyst layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell, comprising:
(i) an electrolyte membrane;
(ii) a fuel-side catalyst layer placed on one surface of the electrolyte membrane;
(iii) an oxidant-side catalyst layer placed on another surface of the electrolyte membrane;
(iv) a fuel-side gas-diffusion layer placed on a main surface of the fuel-side catalyst layer;
(v) an oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer placed on a main surface of the oxidant-side catalyst layer;
(vi) a pair of separators that hold the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer therebetween;
(vii) a frame that surrounds outer peripheries of the electrolyte membrane, the fuel-side catalyst layer and the oxidant-side catalyst layer;
(viii) a fuel-side seal member placed on a main surface of the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer; and
(ix) an oxidant-side seal member placed on a main surface of the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer,
wherein the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer cover an inner edge of the frame, and are adhered tightly onto the fuel-side seal member and the oxidant-side seal member, respectively, such that no spaces are provided between the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the fuel-side catalyst layer, and between the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side catalyst layer,
and wherein an interface between the fuel-side seal member and the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer is located on a surface of the frame, the frame has a rectangular cross-section, and an end portion of the frame directly sandwiches a laminate of the electrolyte membrane, the fuel-side catalyst layer and the oxidant-side catalyst layer from both sides in a thickness direction of the electrolyte membrane.

2. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein a mean thickness of the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer is larger than a mean thickness of the inner edge of the frame, and a mean thickness of the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer is larger than a mean thickness of the inner edge of the frame.

3. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the interface between the fuel-side seal member and the fuel-side gas diffusion layer is inclined against the frame or the electrolyte membrane at an acute angle when viewed from the outer periphery, and the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer penetrates into the fuel-side seal member so as to be inclined.

4. The fuel cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein, at the interface between the fuel-side seal member and the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer, the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer penetrates into a part of the fuel-side seal member, and a portion of the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer which penetrates into the fuel-side seal member is adjacent to one of the separators.

5. The fuel cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein, along the interface between the fuel-side seal member and the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer, the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer penetrates into an area between the fuel-side seal member and one of the separators that is adjacent to the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer.

6. The fuel cell according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one part of the interface between the fuel-side seal member and the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer, and at least one part of an interface between the oxidant-side seal member and the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer are laterally offset from each other along the frame or the electrolyte membrane.

7. The fuel cell according to claim 4 , wherein the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer penetrates farthest into the part of the fuel-side seal member at the portion of the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer which is adjacent to one of the separators.

8. The fuel cell according to claim 6 , wherein the interface between the fuel-side seal member and the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the interface between the oxidant-side seal member and the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer are arranged at asymmetric locations.

9. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the frame has a thickness which is smaller than that of the fuel-side gas diffusion layer and that of the oxidant-side gas diffusion layer.

10. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel-side seal member is in contact with the fuel-side gas diffusion layer and completely fills a space between the fuel-side gas diffusion layer and an outer peripheral surface of the fuel cell.

11. The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the interface is one flat plane, and the interface is inclined with respect to the frame or the electrolyte membrane at an acute angle when viewed from the outer periphery.

12. A method for producing a fuel cell according to claim 1 , comprising:
(i) providing a layer structure including an electrolyte membrane, a fuel-side catalyst layer that is located on one main surface of the electrolyte membrane, and an oxidant-side catalyst layer that is located on another main surface of the electrolyte membrane;
(ii) providing a frame so as to surround outer peripheries of the fuel-side catalyst layer and the oxidant-side catalyst layer;
(iii) providing a fuel-side seal member on one main surface of the frame adjacent to the fuel-side catalyst layer, and providing an oxidant-side seal member on one main surface of the frame adjacent to the oxidant-side catalyst layer;
(iv) providing a fuel-side gas-diffusion layer on one main surface of the fuel-side catalyst layer, and providing an oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer on one main surface of the oxidant-side catalyst layer;
(v) providing a pair of the separators, such that one of the separators is placed on another main surface of the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer, and the other separator is placed on another main surface of the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer;
(vi) applying a predetermined pressure to the pair of separators, such that the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer are deformed so as to cover an inner edge of the frame, thereby causing the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer to adhere tightly to the frame;
(vii) further causing the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer to the fuel-side seal member and the oxidant-side seal member, such that no spaces are provided between the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the fuel-side catalyst layer, and between the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side catalyst layer.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd
• Panasonic Intelletual Property Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kasai Yoko
• Kawashima Tsutomu
• Yoshimoto Miyuki
• Taguchi Yoshifumi
• Suzuki Hiroaki
• Imura Shinichiro

Classifications

• H01M50/46

  Separators, membranes or diaphragms characterised by their combination with electrodes · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• H01M8/026

  characterised by grooves, e.g. their pitch or depth · CPC title

• H01M2300/0082

  Organic polymers · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title