Method of manufacturing reinforced electrolyte membrane, method of manufacturing membrane electrode assembly, and membrane electrode assembly (as amended)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016372773-A1
Application number	US-201514908172-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 6, 2015
Priority date	Mar 14, 2014
Publication date	Dec 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An object is to provide a technique that improves the power generation performance, while enhancing the strength of a reinforced electrolyte membrane. There is provided a method of manufacturing a reinforced electrolyte membrane that comprises a first reinforcing film on one surface of an electrolyte membrane and a second reinforcing film on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane. The method of manufacturing the reinforced electrolyte membrane comprises (a) process of thermally compressing the first reinforcing film and the second reinforcing film to the electrolyte membrane. In the process (a), a number of times of thermally compressing the second reinforcing film to the electrolyte membrane is less than a number of times of thermally compressing the first reinforcing film to the electrolyte membrane.

First claim

1 . A method of manufacturing a reinforced electrolyte membrane that comprises a first reinforcing film on one surface of an electrolyte membrane and a second reinforcing film on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane, the method of manufacturing the reinforced electrolyte membrane comprising
(a) process of thermally compressing the first reinforcing film and the second reinforcing film to the electrolyte membrane, wherein number of times of thermally compressing the second reinforcing film to the electrolyte membrane is less than number of times of thermally compressing the first reinforcing film to the electrolyte membrane in the process (a).

2 . The method of manufacturing the reinforced electrolyte membrane according to claim 1 ,
wherein the process (a) comprises:
(a1) process of thermally compressing the first reinforcing film to one surface of the electrolyte membrane; and
(a2) after the process (a1), process of placing the second reinforcing film on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane to which the first reinforcing film is thermally compressed and thermally compressing a stacked body including the first reinforcing film, the electrolyte membrane and the second reinforcing film.

3 . A method of manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly that comprises a reinforced electrolyte membrane manufactured by the method of manufacturing according to claim 1 , an anode catalyst layer and a cathode catalyst layer, the method of manufacturing the membrane electrode assembly comprises
(b) process of forming the anode catalyst layer on a side of the reinforced electrolyte membrane to which the first reinforcing film is thermally compressed and forming the cathode catalyst layer on a side of the reinforced electrolyte membrane to which the second reinforcing film is thermally compressed.

4 . A membrane electrode assembly, comprising:
a reinforced electrolyte membrane that comprises an electrolyte membrane, a first reinforcing film placed on one surface of the electrolyte membrane and a second reinforcing film placed on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane; an anode catalyst layer that is placed on a surface of a side of the reinforced electrolyte membrane on which the first reinforcing film is placed; and a cathode catalyst layer that is placed on a surface of a side of the reinforced electrolyte membrane on which the second reinforcing film is placed, wherein the second reinforcing film has a lower surface elastic modulus than a surface elastic modulus of the first reinforcing film.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Akita Yasuhiro

Classifications

• Y02P70/50

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

• H01M8/1053

  consisting of layers of polymers with at least one layer being ionically conductive · CPC title

• B29C65/02

  by heating, with or without pressure · CPC title

• H01M8/1004 Primary

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

• B29K2027/18

  PTFE, i.e. polytetrafluoroethylene {, e.g. ePTFE, i.e. expanded polytetrafluoroethylene} · CPC title