Reinforced electrode assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9722269-B2
Application number	US-201313836894-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Jan 11, 2008
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A fuel cell, a reinforced membrane electrode assembly and a method of fabricating a reinforced membrane electrode assembly. The method comprises depositing an electrode ink onto a first substrate to form a first electrode layer, applying a first porous reinforcement layer on a surface of the first electrode layer to form a first catalyst coated substrate, depositing a first ionomer solution onto the first catalyst coated substrate to form a first ionomer layer, and applying a membrane porous reinforcement layer on a surface of the first ionomer layer to form a reinforced membrane layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of fabricating a reinforced membrane electrode assembly, the method comprising:
depositing an electrode ink onto a first substrate to form a first electrode layer, the electrode ink comprising a proton-transmissive ionomer and a catalyst, the proton-transmissive ionomer including an ionomer matrix with a plurality of electrically conductive support particles substantially evenly distributed throughout;
applying a first porous reinforcement layer on a surface of the first electrode layer to form a first catalyst coated substrate;
depositing a first ionomer solution including the proton-transmissive ionomer and an at least partially fluorinated polymer electrolyte onto the first catalyst coated substrate to form a first ionomer layer;
drying the first ionomer layer with the first ionomer solution; and
applying a membrane porous reinforcement layer on a surface of the first ionomer layer to form a reinforced membrane layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises drying the first catalyst coated substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises drying the reinforced membrane layer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
drying the first catalyst coated substrate prior to depositing the first ionomer solution; and
drying the reinforced membrane layer after drying the first ionomer layer.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
depositing a second ionomer solution onto the membrane porous reinforcement layer to form a second ionomer layer, wherein the first ionomer layer, membrane porous reinforcement layer and second ionomer layer together form the reinforced membrane layer;
drying the reinforced membrane layer; and
joining the second ionomer layer of the reinforced membrane layer to an electrode layer of a second catalyst coated substrate to form the reinforced membrane electrode assembly.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises forming an adhesive ionomer layer on the electrode layer of the second catalyst coated substrate, and wherein the second ionomer layer is joined to the second catalyst coated substrate such that the adhesive ionomer layer is located between and promotes adhesion between the second ionomer layer and the electrode layer of the second catalyst coated substrate.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
depositing a second ionomer solution onto an electrode layer of a second catalyst coated substrate to form a second ionomer layer on the electrode layer of the second catalyst coated substrate; and
joining the second ionomer layer to the reinforced membrane layer to form the reinforced membrane electrode assembly.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
joining the reinforced membrane layer to an electrode layer of a second catalyst coated substrate to form the reinforced membrane electrode assembly.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises forming an adhesive ionomer layer on the electrode layer of the second catalyst coated substrate, and wherein the reinforced membrane layer is joined to the second catalyst coated substrate such that the adhesive ionomer layer is located between and promotes adhesion between the reinforced membrane layer and the electrode layer of the second catalyst coated substrate.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises pretreating the membrane porous reinforcement layer with a surfactant solution comprising from about 0.2 to about 2 wt. % sulfonated perfluorocyclobutanes, perfluorosulfonic acid ionomers, or mixtures thereof, in a solvent, and drying the membrane porous reinforcement layer.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first substrate is a decal substrate, and the method further comprises transferring the electrode layer from the decal substrate to a gas diffusion layer without a microporous layer, a gas diffusion media with a microporous layer, or a free-standing microporous layer.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Moose Scott C
• Healy John P
• Houghtaling Bradley M
• Fuller Timothy J

Classifications

• H01M8/1069

  characterised by the manufacturing processes · CPC title

• H01M8/1058

  characterised by a porous support having no ion-conducting properties · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/1004 Primary

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

• H01M4/8892

  Impregnation or coating of the catalyst layer, e.g. by an ionomer · CPC title