Manufacturing method of fuel-cell single cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11482715-B2
Application number	US-202016899478-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2020
Priority date	Sep 10, 2019
Publication date	Oct 25, 2022
Grant date	Oct 25, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a manufacturing method of a fuel-cell single cell including a membrane-electrode assembly, an anode gas diffusion layer, a cathode gas diffusion layer, and a frame-shaped resin frame to which a peripheral edge portion of the membrane-electrode assembly is fixed. The method includes an adhesive application step of applying an adhesive by screen printing to a predetermined area of the resin frame while fixing the resin frame by suction, and a stacking step and a UV irradiation step of bonding together the resin frame to which the adhesive has been applied and the membrane-electrode assembly by the adhesive.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A manufacturing method of a fuel-cell single cell including a membrane-electrode assembly, gas diffusion layers disposed one on each surface of the membrane-electrode assembly, and a frame-shaped resin frame to which a peripheral edge portion of the membrane-electrode assembly is fixed, the method comprising:
a first step of applying an adhesive by screen printing to a predetermined area of the resin frame while fixing the resin frame by suction; and
a second step of bonding together by the adhesive the resin frame to which the adhesive has been applied and the membrane-electrode assembly that has the gas diffusion layer provided at least on a surface opposite from a surface to which the resin frame is to be bonded, wherein
the resin frame has an opening bored through the resin frame in a thickness direction at a part surrounded by an area to which the adhesive is applied, and
in the first step, the adhesive is applied by screen printing in a state where the resin frame is fixed by a fixing base having a suction surface to which the resin frame is fixed by suction and a protrusion that protrudes from the suction surface into the opening.

2. The manufacturing method of a fuel-cell single cell according to claim 1 , wherein:
the resin frame has an opening bored through the resin frame in a thickness direction at a part surrounded by an area to which the adhesive is applied; and
in the second step, the resin frame and the membrane-electrode assembly are bonded together while the resin frame and the membrane-electrode assembly are moved back and forth relatively to each other in planar directions orthogonal to the thickness direction such that the adhesive spreads into the opening.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Adachi Makoto

Classifications

• H01M4/8875

  Methods for shaping the electrode into free-standing bodies, like sheets, films or grids, e.g. moulding, hot-pressing, casting without support, extrusion without support · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/1004 Primary

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

• H01M4/8807

  Gas diffusion layers · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

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