JP2005285709A - Film electrode element, manufacturing method thereof, and fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell improved in electrical insulation properties and proton insulation properties, by realizing mass-producing of a flat type fuel cell at low costs. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of through holes 6 that are first through holes are formed on an insulating substrate 5 having insulation properties, a fuel electrode 9 is formed in the plurality of through holes 6, an electrolyte film 7 is laminated on it, and further an air electrode 8 is laminated on it, so that a plurality of film electrode assemblies 3 in the insulating substrate 5 is provided. Hence mass-producing of the flat type fuel cell at low costs, is realized, and thus the fuel cell improved in electrical insulation properties and proton insulation properties can be provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element, a membrane electrode element, and a fuel cell.

  Fuel cells have been developed as a new energy source because they have very few harmful emissions that cause environmental problems and their energy density is higher than Li-ion batteries (which currently have the highest energy density). Yes.

  As such a fuel cell, there are a fuel cell using hydrogen gas as a fuel, a fuel cell called a direct alcohol type using an alcohol-based solution represented by DMFC (direct methanol fuel cell), and the like. Currently, DMFC is mainly developed as a fuel cell for portable devices. Such a fuel cell for portable devices is likely to be accepted by the market even if the cost per output is slightly higher than the fuel cell for automobiles. Is expected to open.

  As the structure of the fuel cell, a stack type structure in which single cells mainly used in large fuel cells such as those for automobiles are stacked, and a planar type structure in which a plurality of single cells are arranged in a plane and these are connected in series. There is. Stack type fuel cells are large and costly because it is necessary to provide a fuel and air supply path between each single cell and because a separator is required for insulation between each single cell. It is not suitable as a fuel cell for a portable device that needs to be downsized. On the other hand, planar fuel cells are promising as fuel cells that can be miniaturized because they do not require interlayer separators and interlayer fuel and air supply paths required for the stack type. Suitable as

  A configuration example of such a planar fuel cell will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7, the fuel cell 100 includes a fuel supply passage body 101 having a fuel supply passage (not shown), and a membrane electrode assembly that is provided on the fuel supply passage body 101 and is a plurality of single cells. And an electrode unit 103 which is a membrane electrode element having 102 arranged in a plane. Between the adjacent membrane electrode assemblies 102, a sealing material 104 such as an insulating material having an insulating property is provided. The electrode unit 103 is provided with a casing (not shown) that covers it. The membrane electrode assembly 102 is formed by sandwiching an electrolyte membrane 105 between an air electrode 106 and a fuel electrode 107 which are electrodes. The electrolyte membrane 105 is a single membrane that passes through the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 102. The plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 102 are arranged such that the same type of electrodes are located on the same side, the fuel electrode 107 side is connected to the fuel supply path body 101, and the air electrode 106 side is located outside. As shown in FIG. 8, the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 102 are electrically connected in series by connecting them with a current terminal 108 such as a metal terminal. The current terminal 108 is provided through the electrolyte membrane 105. With such a configuration, the fuel cell 100 generates electricity by a chemical reaction between the alcohol solution supplied to the fuel electrode 107 and oxygen in the air that touches the air electrode 106. Such a fuel cell 100 does not require a separator or the like, and is a fuel cell that can be miniaturized.

  In the fuel cell 100 having such a structure, when a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies (single cells) 102 are connected in series, it is necessary to form a hole penetrating the electrolyte membrane 105 and pass the current terminal 108 through the hole. . When holes are formed in the electrolyte membrane 105 in this way, liquid fuel is likely to penetrate through the holes, causing problems such as crossover between the electrodes and difficulty in insulation between the electrodes. In order to solve this, Patent Document 1 proposes a method in which only a part of the electrolyte membrane 105 is a proton conductor and the other part is a proton insulator.

Japanese Patent No. 2894378

  However, the method as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is not suitable for mass production because part of the electrolyte membrane 105 needs to be electrochemically processed. Further, there are few examples of low-cost manufacturing methods for realizing the planar fuel cell 100, and no effective manufacturing method for realizing mass production of the planar fuel cell 100 at low cost has been proposed.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell that realizes mass production of a planar fuel cell at low cost and has good electrical insulation and proton insulation.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element, comprising: forming a plurality of first through holes in an insulating substrate having an insulating property; and sandwiching an electrolyte membrane with the electrodes in the plurality of first through holes. Providing a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to the first aspect, in the step of providing the membrane electrode assembly, the electrode, the electrolyte membrane, and the electrode are arranged in that order in the first through hole. It was made to laminate with.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to the first aspect, in the step of providing the membrane electrode assembly, the electrolyte membrane is provided in the first through hole, and an electrode is provided on the electrolyte membrane. It was made to laminate.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to the first, second, or third aspect, in the step of providing the membrane electrode assembly, the electrode and the electrolyte membrane are formed by printing.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to the fourth aspect, the printing is performed by forming the electrode with an emulsion ink.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to the first, second, or third aspect, in the step of providing the membrane electrode assembly, the electrolyte membrane is formed by casting.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a membrane electrode element comprising: forming a plurality of first through holes in three insulating substrates each having an insulating property; and a plurality of the two insulating substrates. A step of providing an electrode in each of the first through holes and a step of providing an electrolyte film in the plurality of first through holes of one insulating substrate; and two of the insulating substrates each having a plurality of the electrodes. And a step of laminating the insulating substrate provided with the plurality of electrolyte membranes so as to form a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies that sandwich the electrolyte membrane with the electrodes.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to the seventh aspect, in the step of providing the electrode and the electrolyte membrane, the electrode and the electrolyte membrane are formed by printing.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to the eighth aspect, the printing is performed by forming the electrode with an emulsion ink.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to the seventh aspect, in the step of providing the electrode and the electrolyte membrane, the electrolyte membrane is formed by casting.

  An eleventh aspect of the invention further includes a step of electrically connecting a plurality of the membrane electrode assemblies in the method of manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to any one of the first to tenth aspects.

  The invention according to claim 12 is the method of manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to claim 11, wherein in the step of electrically connecting the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies, a plurality of second through holes are formed in the insulating substrate. And the electrode connection part which passes the inside of the 2nd through-hole, and electrically connects the said adjacent membrane electrode assembly was provided.

  A membrane electrode element according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is formed by the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects.

  A fuel cell according to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention includes the membrane electrode element according to the thirteenth aspect, and generates power by supplying fuel to the membrane electrode assembly included in the membrane electrode element.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since it is possible to easily form a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies by laminating the electrolyte membrane and the electrode, mass production of a planar fuel cell can be realized at low cost. can do. Furthermore, since an electrolyte membrane is provided for each of the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies, and it becomes possible to suppress the occurrence of crossover between the membrane electrode assemblies, a fuel cell with good electrical insulation and proton insulation Can be provided.

  According to invention of Claim 2 or 3, a membrane electrode assembly can be easily formed in a through-hole.

  According to the invention described in claim 4 or 8, since a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies can be easily formed by printing, it is possible to mass-produce flat fuel cells at low cost.

  According to the invention of claim 5 or 9, since the emulsion ink is used, it becomes possible to disperse the expensive catalyst over a wide area, thereby reducing the amount of the expensive catalyst used and realizing low cost. Can do.

  According to the sixth or tenth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of electrolyte membranes can be easily formed by cast film formation, so that flat fuel cells can be mass-produced at low cost.

  According to the invention described in claim 7, since the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 1 is obtained, and the electrode and the electrolyte membrane are provided for each of the three insulating substrates, the thickness of the insulating substrate is changed. It is possible to control the thicknesses of the electrode and the electrolyte membrane simply by making it possible to form the electrode and the electrolyte membrane with high accuracy.

  According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies can be electrically connected.

  According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, since the second through hole is formed and used in the insulating substrate, there is no need to provide a hole penetrating the electrolyte membrane as in the prior art, and liquid fuel leaks through the hole. It is possible to obtain a fuel cell that is free from penetration and has good electrical insulation and ionic insulation.

  According to the invention described in claim 13, since the membrane electrode element is formed by the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to any one of claims 1 to 12, it is a flat type capable of mass production at low cost. It is possible to provide a fuel cell with good electrical insulation and proton insulation.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the thirteenth aspect of the invention can be attained.

  A first embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  An example of the configuration of the planar fuel cell 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the fuel cell 1 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view thereof.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a fuel cell 1 includes a fuel supply passage 2 having a fuel supply passage (not shown), and a membrane that is a plurality of single cells provided on the fuel supply passage 2. And an electrode unit 4 which is a membrane electrode element having electrode assemblies (MEA) 3 arranged in a plane.

  The electrode unit 4 has an insulating substrate 5 which is formed in a flat plate shape and has insulating properties. The insulating substrate 5 is provided with a plurality of through holes 6 which are first through holes formed in a rectangular shape at equal intervals. Membrane electrode assemblies 3 are respectively provided in these through holes 6. Such an electrode unit 4 is provided with a casing (not shown) for covering it. However, a space is provided between the housing and the surface of the membrane electrode assembly 3 in order to supply air to the surface of the membrane electrode assembly 3. In addition, although the through-hole 6 is formed in the rectangular shape here, it is not restricted to this, For example, you may form in circular shape or square shape.

  The membrane electrode assembly 3 is formed by sandwiching an electrolyte membrane 7 that is an ionic conductor between an air electrode 8 and a fuel electrode 9 that are electrodes. Each of the air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9 has a catalyst layer (not shown) on the electrolyte membrane 7 side. A plurality of such membrane electrode assemblies 3 are provided on the insulating substrate 5. The plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 are arranged such that the same type of electrodes are located on the same side, the fuel electrode 9 side is connected to the fuel supply path body 2, and the air electrode 8 side is located on the outer side (outer surface). ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 are electrically connected in series by a conductive electrode connection portion 10. The electrode connecting portion 10 connects the fuel electrode 9 and the air electrode 8 to each other in two adjacent membrane electrode assemblies 3. The insulating substrate 5 is provided with a through hole 11 as a second through hole, and the electrode connecting portion 10 passes through the through hole 11 to electrically connect two adjacent membrane electrode assemblies 3 to each other. Connected. In such an electrode connection part 10, the part which overlaps with the membrane electrode assembly 3 is formed with the diffusible material which a fuel can pass. That is, the portion overlapping the air electrode 8 is formed of a diffusible material through which air can pass, and the portion overlapping the fuel electrode 9 is formed of a diffusible material through which fuel such as an alcohol solution can pass.

  The fuel supply path body 2 is a member that supplies an alcohol solution, which is fuel supplied from a fuel container (not shown), to the fuel electrode 9 by capillary action. As a result, the alcohol solution is supplied to the fuel electrode 9. On the other hand, since there is a space between the surface of the membrane electrode assembly 3, that is, the surface of the air electrode 8 and the housing, the air electrode 8 is constantly in contact with air. As a result, air (oxygen) is supplied to the air electrode 8.

  Here, as the insulating substrate 5, for example, a substrate such as a glass epoxy base material, an SEM material, and a plastic film base material is used. In addition, as the insulating substrate 5, any substrate may be used as long as it is a base material having ion insulating properties and electrical insulating properties. On such an insulating substrate 5, an electric wiring pattern, an electric circuit, and the like necessary for the fuel cell 1 may be formed. The electrolyte membrane 7 is formed of a Nafion membrane solution-like material, but is not limited to this. For example, the electrolyte membrane 7 may be formed of a strong acid-based or polymer blend material solution that can be cast. good. The thickness of the insulating substrate 5 is set to a thickness of about several mm, that is, the thickness including the electrodes (the air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9). The thickness of the electrolyte membrane 7 is, for example, about 20 to 100 μm, but the thickness of the insulating substrate 5 may be matched with the thickness of the electrolyte membrane 7. Thereby, the electrolyte membrane 7 can be manufactured with a highly accurate film thickness.

  In such a configuration, the fuel cell 1 generates electricity by the fuel supplied to the membrane electrode assembly 3 of the electrode unit 4. Specifically, the fuel cell 1 generates electricity by chemically reacting an alcohol solution supplied to the fuel electrode 9 in the membrane electrode assembly 3 and oxygen in the air taken into the air electrode 8, and loads the electricity. To supply.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the electrode unit 4 of this Embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIG.3 and FIG.4. 3 and 4 are perspective views schematically showing a part of the manufacturing process of the electrode unit 4 of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the manufacturing method of the electrode unit 4, a plurality of through holes 6 as first through holes are formed in an insulating substrate 5 having insulating properties (see FIG. 3A), and the through holes 6 are formed. A plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 are respectively provided in the holes 6 (see FIGS. 3B to 3D). The membrane electrode assembly 3 is formed by laminating the electrolyte membrane 7 so as to sandwich the electrode (the air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9), and is provided in the through hole 6. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 provided on the insulating substrate 5 are electrically connected (see FIGS. 4A and 4B). Thereby, the electrode unit 4 is completed.

  In the step of forming the plurality of through holes 6, for example, a plurality of rectangular through holes 6 are formed side by side on the insulating substrate 5. These rectangular through holes 6 are formed side by side in the short direction, for example. As a method for forming the through-hole 6, for example, cutting by die cutting or the like is used. Here, the through hole 6 is formed in a rectangular shape, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be formed in, for example, a circular shape or a square shape.

  In the step of providing the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3, the insulating substrate 5 is mounted on a mounting table (not shown) or the like, and the fuel electrode 9 is provided in the through hole 6 of the mounting insulating substrate 5 ( 3B), an electrolyte membrane 7 is laminated on the fuel electrode 9 (see FIG. 3C), and an air electrode 8 is laminated on the electrolyte membrane 7 (FIG. 3D). )reference). Each of the air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9 has a catalyst layer (not shown) on the electrolyte membrane 7 side. Here, the fuel electrode 9, the electrolyte membrane 7, and the air electrode 8 are formed by printing. At the same time, an electric wiring pattern, an electric circuit, or the like necessary for the membrane electrode assembly 3 of the fuel cell 1 may be formed.

  The printing is performed, for example, by applying a mask to portions other than the through holes 6 of the insulating substrate 5 and performing silk printing or the like. Note that printing is not limited to silk printing, and for example, ink jet printing may be performed. Further, here, the air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9 are formed by emulsion ink. This emulsion ink is formed by emulsifying and dispersing carbon and a catalyst for producing electrodes such as the air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9.

  Since the mounting table is made of a material to which the fuel electrode 9 does not adhere, the insulating substrate 5 can be easily moved from the mounting table. Further, instead of using a mounting table to which the fuel electrode 9 does not adhere, a film or the like formed of a material to which the fuel electrode 9 does not adhere may be provided on the mounting table.

  In the step of electrically connecting the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3, a plurality of through holes 11 as second through holes are formed in the insulating substrate 5 (see FIG. 4A), and the through holes 11 are passed through. An electrode connecting portion 10 for electrically connecting adjacent membrane electrode assemblies 3 is provided (see FIG. 4B). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 2, in the two adjacent membrane electrode assemblies 3, the fuel electrode 9 and the air electrode 8 are connected by the electrode connecting portion 10. Therefore, the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 are electrically connected in series. Thereby, the electrode unit 4 is completed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to easily form a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 by laminating the fuel electrode 9, the electrolyte membrane 7 and the air electrode 8 in the through hole 6 of the insulating substrate 5. Therefore, mass production of the planar fuel cell 1 can be realized at low cost. Further, the electrolyte membrane 7 is provided for each of the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3, that is, the electrolyte membrane 7 in the adjacent membrane electrode assembly 3 is divided, and the occurrence of crossover between the electrodes can be suppressed. It becomes possible. As a result, a fuel cell with good electrical insulation and proton insulation can be provided. Furthermore, a plurality of fuel electrodes 9, electrolyte membranes 7, and air electrodes 8 can be collectively formed by printing, and the flat fuel cell 1 can be reliably mass-produced at low cost.

  In particular, since the through hole 11 is formed in the insulating substrate 5 and used, it is not necessary to provide a hole penetrating the electrolyte membrane 7 as in the prior art, and there is no leakage or penetration of liquid fuel through the hole, and electrical A fuel cell 1 having good insulation and ion insulation can be obtained. Further, when a hole penetrating the electrolyte membrane 7 is provided as in the conventional case, a sealing material for preventing leakage of liquid fuel from the hole is necessary, and when the sealing material is provided, the fuel cell 1 correspondingly is provided. Will become larger. However, in the present embodiment, since the electrolyte membrane 7 is provided for each of the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3, it is not necessary to provide a sealing material, and the fuel cell 1 can be downsized.

  Furthermore, by providing an electrical wiring pattern, an electrical circuit, or the like on the insulating substrate 5, electrical connection between the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 is facilitated, and in addition, it can be performed at low cost. For example, the fuel cell 1 having a protection circuit and a stabilization circuit for each membrane electrode assembly 3 can be manufactured at low cost.

  In the present embodiment, the electrolyte membrane 7 is formed by printing. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the electrolyte membrane 7 may be formed by casting. In this case, the electrolyte membrane 7 is formed by casting (injecting) a solution, which is a material that can be cast into a film, into the through hole 6. Here, by using a material having high adhesion to the insulating substrate 5 as a material used for casting, the fuel cell 1 with less crossover between the electrodes can be manufactured.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the fuel electrode 9, the electrolyte membrane 7 and the air electrode 8 are stacked in that order in the through hole 6 of the insulating substrate 5 (FIGS. 3B to 3D). )), But not limited to this. Here, the manufacturing method of the electrode unit 4 of the modification of this Embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing a part of the manufacturing process of the electrode unit 4 of a modification of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the manufacturing method of the electrode unit 4 of the modified example, first, a plurality of through holes 6 are formed in an insulating substrate 5a having an insulating property (see FIG. 5A), and a plurality of through holes are formed. 6 is provided with an electrolyte membrane 7 (see FIG. 5B). Next, the air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9 are stacked on the electrolyte membrane 7 so as to sandwich the electrolyte membrane 7 between the air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9 (see FIG. 5C). At this time, the air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9 are formed by printing, for example. Thereby, a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 are formed. Finally, a sealing material 20 having insulation similar to that of the insulating substrate 5a is provided on the front and back surfaces of the insulating substrate 5a on which the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 are formed (see FIG. 5d). Here, the insulating substrate 5 a and the sealing material 20 constitute the insulating substrate 5. Thereafter, the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 provided on the insulating substrate 5 are electrically connected (see FIGS. 4A and 4B). Thereby, the electrode unit 4 is completed.

  Such a manufacturing method of the electrode unit 4 also has the same effect as described above. Further, since the electrolyte membrane 7 is provided in the through hole 6 of the insulating substrate 5a, it is possible to control the thickness of the electrolyte membrane 7 only by changing the thickness of the insulating substrate 5a. Thus, the electrolyte membrane 7 can be formed. For example, when the desired thickness of the electrolyte membrane 7 is 50 μm, the thickness of the insulating substrate 5a is set to 50 μm, whereby the electrolyte membrane 7 having a thickness of 50 μm can be formed with high accuracy. .

  A second embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  This embodiment is basically substantially the same as the first embodiment, except that the method of manufacturing the electrode unit 4 of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment. This is different from the manufacturing method of the electrode unit 4 of the first embodiment. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is also omitted. Here, FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a part of the manufacturing process of the membrane electrode assembly 3 of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the manufacturing method of the electrode unit 4 of the present embodiment, a plurality of through holes 6 as first through holes are formed in three insulating substrates 5a having insulation properties (FIG. 6). (See (a)) The air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9 which are electrodes are provided in the plurality of through holes 6 of the two insulating substrates 5a, respectively, and are provided in the plurality of through holes 6 of the one insulating substrate 5a. An electrolyte membrane 7 is provided (see FIG. 6B). Finally, an insulating substrate 5a in which a plurality of air electrodes 8 are provided in the through-hole 6, an insulating substrate 5a in which the fuel electrode 9 is provided in the through-hole 6, and a plurality of electrolyte membranes 7 are provided in the through-hole 6 The insulating substrate 5a provided therein is laminated so as to form a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 that sandwich the electrolyte membrane 7 between the air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9 (see FIG. 6C). Thereafter, similarly to the first embodiment, the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 provided on the insulating substrate 5 are electrically connected (see FIGS. 4A and 4B). Thereby, the electrode unit 4 is completed.

  In the step of forming the plurality of through holes 6, for example, a plurality of rectangular through holes 6 are formed side by side on the insulating substrate 5a. Here, three insulating substrates 5a are stacked, and a plurality of through holes 6 are formed in these insulating substrates 5a at a time. Thereby, the plurality of through holes 6 are formed at the same position in the three insulating substrates 5a. These rectangular through holes 6 are formed side by side in the short direction, for example. As a method for forming the through-hole 6, for example, cutting by die cutting or the like is used. Here, the through hole 6 is formed in a rectangular shape, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be formed in, for example, a circular shape or a square shape.

  In the step of providing the air electrode 8, the fuel electrode 9 or the electrolyte membrane 7 in the through hole 6, the insulating substrate 5 a is mounted on a mounting table (not shown) and the through hole 6 of the mounted insulating substrate 5. Inside, the fuel electrode 9, the electrolyte membrane 7, or the air electrode 8 is formed by printing or cast film formation. As printing, for example, silk printing or ink jet printing is performed.

  Since the mounting table is formed of a material to which the air electrode 8, the fuel electrode 9, or the electrolyte membrane 7 does not adhere, the insulating substrate 5 can be easily moved from the installation table. Further, a film or the like formed of a material to which the air electrode 8, the fuel electrode 9 or the electrolyte membrane 7 is not bonded is provided on the mounting table without using the mounting table to which the air electrode 8, the fuel electrode 9 or the electrolyte membrane 7 is not bonded. You may do it.

  In the step of stacking the three insulating substrates 5, an insulating substrate 5 a in which a plurality of electrolyte membranes 7 are provided in the through hole 6 on the insulating substrate 5 a in which the fuel electrode 9 is provided in the through hole 6. And an insulating substrate 5a in which a plurality of air electrodes 8 are provided in the through hole 6 is laminated thereon. At this time, the three insulating substrates 5 are stacked such that the positions of the respective through holes 6 are aligned. As a result, a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 that sandwich the electrolyte membrane 7 between the air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9 are formed. The three insulating substrates 5a are integrated to form the insulating substrate 5 according to the first embodiment.

  Such a manufacturing method of the membrane electrode assembly 3 also has the same effect as that of the first embodiment. Further, in the present embodiment, since the air electrode 8, the electrolyte membrane 7 and the fuel electrode 9 are provided for every three insulating substrates 5a, the air electrode 8, only by changing the thickness of the insulating substrate 5a. Since the thicknesses of the electrolyte membrane 7 and the fuel electrode 9 can be controlled, the air electrode 8, the electrolyte membrane 7 and the fuel electrode 9 can be formed with high accuracy.

1 is an external perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a fuel cell according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a longitudinal side view schematically showing a configuration of a fuel cell according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows roughly a part of manufacturing process of the electrode unit of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows roughly a part of manufacturing process of the electrode unit of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows schematically a part of manufacturing process of the electrode unit of the modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows schematically a part of manufacturing process of the electrode unit of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the structure of the conventional fuel cell roughly. It is a vertical side view which shows the structure of the conventional fuel cell roughly.

Explanation of symbols

1 Fuel Cell 3 Membrane Electrode Assembly 4 Membrane Electrode Element (Electrode Unit)
5 Insulating substrate 5a Insulating substrate 6 First through hole (through hole)
7 Electrolyte membrane 8 Electrode (Air electrode)
9 Electrode (fuel electrode)
10 Electrode connection 11 Second through hole (through hole)

Claims (14)

Forming a plurality of first through holes in an insulating substrate having insulating properties;
Providing each of the plurality of first through holes with a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies that sandwich the electrolyte membrane with electrodes;
The manufacturing method of the membrane electrode element which comprises this.   The method of manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to claim 1, wherein in the step of providing the membrane electrode assembly, the electrode, the electrolyte membrane, and the electrode are laminated in that order in the first through hole.   The method of manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of providing the membrane electrode assembly, the electrolyte membrane is provided in the first through hole, and an electrode is laminated on the electrolyte membrane.   4. The method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to claim 1, wherein the electrode and the electrolyte membrane are formed by printing in the step of providing the membrane electrode assembly.   The method for producing a membrane electrode element according to claim 4, wherein the printing is performed by forming the electrode with an emulsion ink.   The method for producing a membrane electrode element according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein in the step of providing the membrane electrode assembly, the electrolyte membrane is formed by cast film formation. Forming a plurality of first through holes in three insulating substrates each having an insulating property;
Providing an electrode in each of the plurality of first through holes of the two insulating substrates, and providing an electrolyte film in the plurality of first through holes of the one insulating substrate;
A plurality of membrane electrode assemblies are formed by sandwiching the electrolyte membrane between the two insulating substrates each provided with the plurality of electrodes and the insulating substrate provided with the plurality of electrolyte membranes. And laminating steps,
The manufacturing method of the membrane electrode element which comprises this.   8. The method of manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to claim 7, wherein in the step of providing the electrode and the electrolyte membrane, the electrode and the electrolyte membrane are formed by printing.   The method for producing a membrane electrode element according to claim 8, wherein the printing is performed by forming the electrode with an emulsion ink.   8. The method of manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to claim 7, wherein in the step of providing the electrode and the electrolyte membrane, the electrolyte membrane is formed by casting.   The method of manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a step of electrically connecting a plurality of the membrane electrode assemblies.   In the step of electrically connecting the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies, a plurality of second through holes are formed in the insulating substrate, and the adjacent membrane electrode assemblies are passed through the second through holes. 12. The method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to claim 11, wherein an electrode connection part for electrical connection is provided.   The membrane electrode element formed by the manufacturing method of the membrane electrode element as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 12. A fuel cell comprising the membrane electrode element according to claim 13 and generating electricity by supplying fuel to the membrane electrode assembly provided in the membrane electrode element.

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