Membrane electrode assembly and method for producing same, and polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising such membrane electrode assemblies

• Main Authors: NANAUMI MASAAKI, MATSUO JUNJI, SUGIYAMA YUICHIRO, SAITO NOBUHIRO, FUKUDA KAORU, ANDOU KEISUKE, SOHMA HIROSHI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 24.10.2002
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION ORPROCESSING OF GOODS; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE

The membrane electrode assembly comprising a pair of opposing electrodes each having a catalytic layer, and a polymer electrolyte membrane sandwiched by the electrodes, part of the catalytic layers being projecting into the polymer electrolyte membrane is produced by (1) coating a catalytic layer of one electrode with a solution of a polymer electrolyte in an organic solvent, (2) coating the resultant polymer electrolyte membrane with a catalyst slurry for the other electrode, while the amount of the organic solvent remaining in the polymer electrolyte membrane is 5-20 weight % based on the polymer electrolyte membrane, and (3) after drying, hot-pressing the polymer electrolyte membrane and the electrodes formed on both sides of the membrane.