Method for manufacturing membrane electrode assembly, and stack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11424467-B2
Application number	US-201916644667-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2019
Priority date	Jan 22, 2018
Publication date	Aug 23, 2022
Grant date	Aug 23, 2022

Abstract

The present specification relates to a method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly and a laminate. Specifically, the present specification relates to a method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly including an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte membrane provided between the anode and the cathode, and a laminate which is an intermediate laminated during the manufacture of the membrane electrode assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly, the method comprising:
manufacturing an electrode film by forming an electrode catalyst layer on a first surface of a base material;
manufacturing an edge seal film by forming a first adhesive layer on a first surface of a protective film that comprises an opening corresponding to an electrode active area of the electrode catalyst layer and forming a second adhesive layer on a second surface of the protective film, wherein the second surface of the protective film is opposite the first surface thereof, and the second adhesive layer has an adhesive strength weaker than an adhesive strength of the first adhesive layer at room temperature;
manufacturing a laminate by attaching the first adhesive layer of the edge seal film to the electrode film, wherein the first surface of the base material faces the edge seal film;
providing the laminate on an electrolyte membrane, wherein the second adhesive layer extends between the protective film and the electrolyte membrane;
heat-bonding the laminate to the electrolyte membrane at a temperature in a range of from 50° C. to 200° C.; and then
removing the base material and the first adhesive layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the manufacturing of the laminate comprises compressing the electrode film and the edge seal film together with a pressure of 10 kgf/cm 2 to 50 kgf/cm 2 .

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive strength of the first adhesive layer is maintained or decreases as a temperature increases toward 50° C. or higher, and the adhesive strength of the second adhesive layer increases as the temperature increases toward 50° C. or higher.

4. A laminate comprising at least one laminate unit comprising:
a base material;
an electrode catalyst layer on the base material;
a protective film on the base material and comprising an opening corresponding to an electrode active area of the electrode catalyst layer;
a first adhesive layer that extends between the base material and the protective film and has an adhesive strength that is maintained or decreases as a temperature increases toward 50° C. or higher; and
a second adhesive layer that extends on the protective film and has an adhesive strength that increases as the temperature increases toward 50° C. or higher,
wherein the adhesive strength of the first adhesive layer is weaker than the adhesive strength of the second adhesive layer at the temperature of 50° C. or higher.

5. The laminate of claim 4 , further comprising: an electrolyte membrane on the second adhesive layer.

6. The laminate of claim 4 , wherein the at least one laminate unit comprises a first laminate unit and a second laminate unit, and
wherein the laminate further comprises an electrolyte membrane between the second adhesive layer of the first laminate unit and the second adhesive layer of the second laminate unit.

7. The laminate of claim 6 , wherein the first adhesive layer comprises at least one of nitrile rubber-based, silicone-based, acrylic-based, epoxy-based, and phenol-based components.

8. The laminate of claim 5 , wherein the second adhesive layer extends between the protective film and the electrolyte membrane.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein the adhesive strength of the first adhesive layer is weaker than the adhesive strength of the second adhesive layer at the temperature of 50° C. or higher.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the adhesive strength of the first adhesive layer is 100 gf/in or less at the temperature of 50° C. or higher.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the adhesive strength of the second adhesive layer is 500 gf/in or greater at the temperature of 50° C. or higher.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein heat-bonding the laminate to the electrolyte membrane is performed at the temperature in a range of from 50° C. to 130° C.

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Doyoung
• Kim Woon Jo
• Park Jooyong
• Kim Ji Hun
• Yang Jae Choon
• Yun Sunghyun

Classifications

• H01M8/0273 Primary

  with sealing or supporting means in the form of a frame · CPC title

• H01M8/1004 Primary

  characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] (H01M8/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M4/8814

  Temporary supports, e.g. decal · CPC title

• H01M8/0286

  Processes for forming seals · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title