Assembly for an electrochemical device and method for producing such an assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11923570-B2
Application number	US-202017139463-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2020
Priority date	Jul 2, 2018
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

An assembly for an electrochemical device is provided, including a gas diffusion layer and a sealing element produced on the gas diffusion layer. The sealing element includes an inner sealing region fixed to the gas diffusion layer and an outer sealing region connected to the gas diffusion layer via the inner sealing region. The assembly has minimal warpage without the temperature in the injection molding tool having to be lowered and/or a geometric pre-compensation of the warpage of the sealing element in the inner sealing region. The sealing element includes a relief region arranged between the inner and outer sealing regions and a) includes a relief opening extending through the sealing element and/or b) has a smallest height (h e ), which is smaller than both one fourth of the greatest height (H I ) of the inner sealing region and one fourth of the greatest height (H A ) of the outer sealing region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An assembly for an electrochemical device, comprising at least one gas diffusion layer and at least one sealing element produced on the gas diffusion layer,
wherein the sealing element comprises an inner sealing region fixed to the gas diffusion layer and an outer sealing region connected to the gas diffusion layer via the inner sealing region,
wherein the inner sealing region has a flow field sealing line, which extends around the gas diffusion layer,
wherein the outer sealing region has at least one medium channel sealing line, which extends around a medium through-opening of the sealing element,
wherein the sealing element comprises at least one relief region, which is arranged between the flow field sealing line of the inner sealing region and the at least one medium channel sealing line of the outer sealing region and
a) comprises a relief opening extending through the sealing element
and/or
b) has a smallest height, which is smaller than one fourth of the greatest height of the inner sealing region and is smaller than one fourth of the greatest height of the outer sealing region;
wherein the sealing element comprises a plurality of relief regions, which follow one another along a peripheral direction of the gas diffusion layer.

2. The assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the sealing element comprises at least one relief region, which extends along a peripheral direction of the gas diffusion layer and is arranged in a corner region of the assembly, in which the peripheral direction of the gas diffusion layer changes its direction by an angle of more than 60°.

3. The assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the sealing element comprises at least one relief region, which extends along a peripheral direction of the gas diffusion layer over a length of less than 50 mm.

4. Assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the sealing element comprises at least one relief region, which at least one relief region has at least one rounded end region.

5. The assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the sealing element comprises at least one relief region, which comprises a base region with a width, extending along a peripheral direction of the gas diffusion layer, and at least one end region with a curved rim line, the radius of curvature of which is greater than half of the width of the base region.

6. The assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the outer sealing region is formed taking a warpage compensation into account.

7. The assembly in accordance with claim 6 , wherein a warpage compensation is provided along a thickness direction of the gas diffusion layer.

8. The assembly in accordance with claim 6 , wherein a warpage compensation is provided in a plane oriented perpendicular to a thickness direction of the gas diffusion layer.

9. The assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein at least one relief region is configured as a film with a material thickness of less than 100 μm.

10. The assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the assembly comprises a first gas diffusion layer and a second gas diffusion layer, a first sealing element produced on the first gas diffusion layer, and a second sealing element produced on the second gas diffusion layer,
wherein each of the sealing elements comprises an inner sealing region fixed to the respectively associated gas diffusion layer and an outer sealing region connected to the respectively associated gas diffusion layer via the inner sealing region, and
wherein each of the sealing elements comprises at least one relief region, which is arranged between the respective inner sealing region and the respective outer sealing region and
a) comprises a relief opening extending through the respective sealing element
and/or
b) has a smallest height, which is smaller than one fourth of the greatest height of the respective inner sealing region and is smaller than one fourth of the greatest height of the respective outer sealing region.

11. The assembly in accordance with claim 10 , wherein at least one relief region of the first sealing element and at least one relief region of the second sealing element are arranged offset relative to one another such that they do not overlap one another, seen along a thickness direction of the gas diffusion layers.

12. A method for producing an assembly for an electrochemical device, which comprises at least one gas diffusion layer and at least one sealing element produced on the gas diffusion layer, wherein the sealing element comprises an inner sealing region fixed to the gas diffusion layer and an outer sealing region connected to the gas diffusion layer via the inner sealing region,
wherein the inner sealing region has a flow field sealing line, which extends around the gas diffusion layer, and
wherein the outer sealing region has at least one medium channel sealing line, which extends around a medium through-opening of the sealing element,
wherein the method comprises the following:
producing at least one relief region in the sealing element between the flow field sealing line of the inner sealing region and the at least one medium channel sealing line of the outer sealing region;

wherein
a) the relief region comprises a relief opening extending through the sealing element
and/or
b) the relief region has a smallest height, which is smaller than one fourth of the greatest height of the inner sealing region and is smaller than one fourth of the greatest height of the outer sealing region;
wherein the sealing element comprises a plurality of relief regions, which follow one another along a peripheral direction of the gas diffusion layer.

Assignees

• Elringklinger Ag
• Ekpo Fuel Cell Tech Gmbh

Inventors

• Stahl Peter
• Fink Oliver
• Dahl Karsten
• Kraft Juergen

Classifications

• H01M8/0276 Primary

  Sealing means characterised by their form (H01M8/0273 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/0286

  Processes for forming seals · CPC title

• H01M8/0273 Primary

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

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title