Method of manufacturing fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9853309-B2
Application number	US-201514947663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2015
Priority date	Nov 26, 2014
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a fuel cell which enables organic matter of both an anode thereof and a cathode thereof to be removed efficiently is provided. A method of manufacturing a fuel cell, comprising a preparation step of preparing a fuel cell comprising a stack of a plurality of unit cells, each including polymer electrolyte and a catalyst layer, and a removal step of removing organic matter from the fuel cell, is provided. This removal step comprises: a first step of maintaining a voltage of the fuel cell at 0 V so as to desorb organic matter from the catalyst layer; a second step of raising a temperature inside the fuel cell so as to evaporate the desorbed organic matter; and a third step of exhausting the evaporated organic matter from the fuel cell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a fuel cell, comprising:
a preparation step of preparing a fuel cell comprising a stack of a plurality of unit cells each including polymer electrolyte and a catalyst layer; and
a removal step of removing organic matter from the fuel cell,
wherein the removal step comprises:
a first step of maintaining a voltage of the fuel cell at 0 V in a state in which hydrogen is sealed on an anode side while nitrogen or hydrogen is sealed on a cathode side in the fuel cell so as to desorb organic matter from the catalyst layer;
a second step of raising a temperature inside the fuel cell while the anode and the cathode are in the sealed state so as to evaporate the desorbed organic matter; and
a third step of exhausting the evaporated organic matter from the fuel cell.

2. The method of manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein the third step is a step of purging an inside of the fuel cell.

3. The method of manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 1 , comprising, after the third step, a fourth step of creating produced water via power generation of the fuel cell and washing, with the produced water, the organic matter from the fuel cell,
wherein the first step of maintaining at a voltage of 0 V in a state in which hydrogen is sealed on the anode side while nitrogen or hydrogen is sealed on the cathode side is performed for at least 10 minutes or more at a temperature of 40° C. or higher.

4. The method of manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 1 , wherein, when a maximum output of the fuel cell is below a standard value, the removal step is repeated.

5. The method of manufacturing a fuel cell according to claim 4 , wherein, when a maximum output of the fuel cell does not show an increase from a previous value after the removal step is performed twice or more, it is determined that the fuel cell has a failure.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Usami Sho
• Yaegashi Megumi

Classifications

• H01M8/04302

  applied during start-up · CPC title

• Y02P70/56

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M8/04225 Primary

  during start-up · CPC title

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/2404

  Processes or apparatus for grouping fuel cells · CPC title