Fuel cell and manufacturing method for fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017162882-A1
Application number	US-201615364751-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 30, 2016
Priority date	Dec 2, 2015
Publication date	Jun 8, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel cell includes; a membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly, first and second separators sandwiching the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly; a sealing member having a resin-made base material, a first adhesive layer bonding one surface of the base material to the first separator, and a second adhesive layer bonding the other surface of the base material to the second separator; and an adhering portion bonding an inner periphery of the one surface of the base material to the periphery of the electrolyte membrane. The first and second adhesive layers are separated from the adhering portion, no other adhesive component than an adhering portion is provided in the base material between the inner periphery of the base material and the first and second adhesive layers, and a linear expansion coefficient of the base material is smaller than any of those of the first and second adhesive layers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fuel cell comprising:
a membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly having an electrolyte membrane, a first catalyst layer disposed on one surface of the electrolyte membrane, a second catalyst layer disposed on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane so that a peripheral area of the electrolyte membrane is exposed, a first gas diffusion layer joined to the first catalyst layer, and a second gas diffusion layer joined to the second catalyst layer so that the peripheral area is exposed; first and second separators that sandwich the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly; a sealing member having a resin-made and frame-shaped base material, a first adhesive layer that bonds one surface of the base material to the first separator, and a second adhesive layer that bonds the other surface of the base material to the second separator; and an adhering portion that bonds an inner periphery side of the one surface of the base material to the peripheral area of the electrolyte membrane, wherein the first and second adhesive layers are separated from the adhering portion in a plane direction of the electrolyte membrane, and disposed on an outside of the electrolyte membrane in the plane direction of the electrolyte membrane, no other adhesive component than the adhering portion is provided in the base material between an inner periphery of the base material and the first and second adhesive layers in the plane direction of the electrolyte membrane, and a linear expansion coefficient of the base material is smaller than any of those of the first and second adhesive layers.

2 . The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the linear expansion coefficient of the base material is 57×10 −6 /K or smaller.

3 . The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second adhesive layers are thermoplastic resin.

4 . A manufacturing method for a fuel cell comprising:
preparing a membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly having an electrolyte membrane, a first catalyst layer disposed on one surface of the electrolyte membrane, a second catalyst layer disposed on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane so that a peripheral area of the electrolyte membrane is exposed, a first gas diffusion layer joined to the first catalyst layer, and a second gas diffusion layer joined to the second catalyst layer so that the peripheral area is exposed; preparing first and second separators; manufacturing a sealing member having a resin-made and frame-shaped base material, and first and second adhesive layers provided on one surface and the other surface of the base material, respectively, in which the first and second adhesive layers are larger than the electrolyte membrane in a plane direction of the base material, no adhesive component is provided in the base material between an inner periphery of the base material and the first and second adhesive layers in the plane direction of the base material, and a linear expansion coefficient of the base material is smaller than any of those of the first and second adhesive layers; bonding an inner periphery side of the one surface of the base material to the peripheral area of the electrolyte membrane by using an adhesive so that the first and second adhesive layers are separated from the electrolyte membrane in the plane direction of the electrolyte membrane; and bonding the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly and the sealing member to the first and second separators by using the first and second adhesive layers, respectively, while causing the first and second separators to sandwich the membrane electrode gas diffusion layer assembly and the sealing member.

5 . The manufacturing method for a fuel cell according to claim 4 , wherein,
when manufacturing the sealing member, the base material having an elongated shape and the first and second adhesive layers having elongated shapes, respectively, are prepared, an opening larger than the electrolyte membrane is formed in each of the first and second adhesive layers, the first and second adhesive layers attached to the one surface and the other surface of the base material, respectively, so that positions of the openings match each other, the base material is cut together with the first and second adhesive layers into a rectangular shape at a position on an outer side of the openings, a central portion of the base material is cut at a position inwardly apart from peripheries of the openings into a shape that is smaller than an outer circumference of the peripheral area of the electrolyte membrane and larger than the second catalyst layer, and a hole for a manifold is formed on the outer side of the openings.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kawasumi Akito

Classifications

• H01M8/0284

  Organic resins; Organic polymers · CPC title

• H01M8/1004 Primary

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

• H01M8/1007

  with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised (H01M8/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/0297

  Arrangements for joining electrodes, reservoir layers, heat exchange units or bipolar separators to each other (H01M8/0271 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/0273 Primary

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