Fuel cell and method of manufacturing fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021226241-A1
Application number	US-202117148188-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 13, 2021
Priority date	Jan 17, 2020
Publication date	Jul 22, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel cell includes: a membrane electrode assembly of a flat plate shape including an electrolyte membrane and an electrode catalyst layer, the membrane electrode assembly having a first side intersecting a flow pathway of a reactive gas on a surface of the fuel cell and a second side differing from the first side; a frame member of a flat plate shape including an opening part for arrangement of the membrane electrode assembly, the opening part having a first frame side corresponding to the first side and a second frame side corresponding to the second side; and an adhesive member for bonding between an outer periphery of the membrane electrode assembly and an inner periphery of the frame member. The thickness of the adhesive member in an area from an inner peripheral edge at the second frame side toward a center of the frame member may be greater than the thickness of the adhesive member in an area from an inner peripheral edge at the first frame side toward the center of the frame member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fuel cell comprising:
a membrane electrode assembly having a flat plate shape, the membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane and an electrode catalyst layer, the membrane electrode assembly having a first side and a second side different from the first side, the first side intersecting a flow pathway of a reactive gas in a plane of the fuel cell; a frame member having a flat plate shape, the frame member including an opening part configured to arrange the membrane electrode assembly, the opening part having a first frame side corresponding to arrangement of the first side and a second frame side corresponding to arrangement of the second side; and an adhesive member configured to bond an outer periphery part of the membrane electrode assembly and an inner periphery part of the frame member, wherein the thickness of the adhesive member in an area from an inner peripheral edge at the second frame side toward a center of the frame member is greater than the thickness of the adhesive member in an area from an inner peripheral edge at the first frame side toward the center of the frame member.

2 . The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein
the second side is arranged on the downside of the first side in the fuel cell while the fuel cell is mounted on a fuel cell vehicle.

3 . The fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein
when a maximum difference between the thickness of the adhesive member at a position separated from the inner peripheral edge at the second frame side toward the center by a predetermined distance and the thickness of the adhesive member at a position separated from the inner peripheral edge at the first frame side toward the center by the predetermined distance, the thickness of the adhesive member at the position separated from the inner peripheral edge at the second frame side toward the center by the predetermined distance is equal to or greater than 1.7 times the thickness of the adhesive member at the position separated from the inner peripheral edge at the first frame side toward the center by the predetermined distance.

4 . A method of manufacturing a fuel cell comprising:
preparing a membrane electrode assembly having a flat plate shape, the membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane and an electrode catalyst layer, the membrane electrode assembly having a first side intersecting a flow pathway of a reactive gas in a plane of the fuel cell, and a frame member having a flat plate shape, the frame member including an opening part configured to arrange the membrane electrode assembly, the opening part having a first frame side corresponding to an arrangement of the first side and a second frame side corresponding to an arrangement of the second side; applying an adhesive to an application area at an outer periphery of the membrane electrode assembly; and pressure-bonding the frame member and the membrane electrode assembly, wherein the frame member is pressed at an external position to an outer peripheral edge of the application area at the second frame side.

5 . The method of manufacturing the fuel cell according to claim 4 ,
wherein the amount of the adhesive applied to an application area corresponding to the second side per unit length of the application area is greater than the amount of the adhesive applied to an application area corresponding to the first side per unit length of the application area corresponding to the first side.

6 . The method of manufacturing the fuel cell according to claim 4 ,
wherein the frame member is pressed at an inner peripheral edge of the frame member at the first frame side.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Adachi Makoto
• Ichikawa Makoto
• Ohmori Shogo
• Harada Hiroshi
• Ashitaka Yu
• Ochi Tsutomu

Classifications

• Y02T90/40

  Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/0273

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

• H01M8/0286 Primary

  Processes for forming seals · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title