JP4674789B2 - Membrane electrode element manufacturing method, membrane electrode element and fuel cell - Google Patents

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 of manufacturing a membrane electrode element provided in a fuel cell, comprising: forming a plurality of first through holes in an insulating substrate having an insulating property; and insulating the plurality of first through holes. A step of providing an electrolyte membrane having the same thickness as the conductive substrate, a step of providing a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies sandwiching the electrolyte membrane between electrodes, and an insulating seal interposed between the adjacent membrane electrode assemblies A plurality of second through holes are formed in the insulating substrate and the sealing material at a position between the step of providing a material on the front and back surfaces of the insulating substrate and between the adjacent membrane electrode assemblies, and the second through hole Electrically connecting a plurality of the membrane electrode assemblies by providing an electrode connection portion that passes through the inside and electrically connects the membrane electrode assemblies adjacent on the front and back of the insulating substrate; It comprises.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the method according to claim 1 Symbol placement of the membrane electrode device, and to form the electrode and the electrolyte membrane by printing.

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

The invention of claim 4, wherein, in the method according to claim 1 Symbol placement of the membrane electrode device, and to form the electrolyte membrane by casts made film.

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

A fuel cell according to a sixth aspect of the invention includes the membrane electrode element according to the fifth 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, the thickness of the electrolyte membrane can be controlled only by changing the thickness of the insulating substrate. Therefore, the electrolyte membrane can be formed with high accuracy. Further, 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, there is no leakage or penetration of liquid fuel through the hole, and electrical A fuel cell having good insulation and ion insulation can be obtained.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, 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 described in claim 3 , 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. .

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of electrolyte membranes are easily formed by cast film formation, it is possible to mass-produce flat fuel cells at low cost.

According to the invention described in claim 5 , since the membrane electrode element is formed by the method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , 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 invention of Claim 6 , there exists an effect similar to the invention of Claim 5 .

A first referential embodiment of the present onset bright be described with reference to FIGS.

An example of a flat type fuel cell 1 constituted of this preferred embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Figure 1 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the fuel cell 1 of this preferred embodiment schematically, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view.

  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 electrically. 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 reference form is demonstrated with reference to FIG.3 and FIG.4. 3 and 4 are a perspective view schematically showing part of the reference embodiment of the electrode unit 4 of the manufacturing process.

  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 this reference embodiment, the through hole 6 of the insulating substrate 5 fuel electrode 9, by stacking the electrolyte membrane 7 and the air electrode 8, it is possible to easily form a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies 3 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 this reference embodiment, since the electrolyte membrane 7 to the plurality of membrane electrode assemblies each 3 is provided, it is not necessary to provide a sealing material, it is possible to reduce the size of the fuel cell 1.

  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 reference embodiment, although an electrolyte membrane 7 by printing, not limited to this, for example, by cast film may be an electrolyte membrane 7. In this case, the electrolyte membrane 7 is formed by casting (injecting) a solution, which is a material capable of casting 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 this reference embodiment, in the through hole 6 of the insulating substrate 5, the fuel electrode 9, although the electrolyte membrane 7 and the air electrode 8 provided by laminating in this order (FIG. 3 (b) ~ FIG 3 (d) See), but not limited to this. Here, the manufacturing method of the electrode unit 4 of embodiment of this invention 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 the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the manufacturing method of the electrode unit 4 of the present embodiment , first, a plurality of through holes 6 are formed in an insulating substrate 5a having an insulating property (see FIG. 5A). An electrolyte membrane 7 is provided in the through hole 6 (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, the sealing material 20 having the same insulating property as 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 reference embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

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

As shown in FIG. 6, in the manufacturing method of the electrode unit 4 of this preferred embodiment is to form a plurality of through holes 6 are first through-hole each three insulating substrate 5a having an insulating property (FIG. 6 ( a) see) The air electrode 8 and the fuel electrode 9 as electrodes are respectively provided in the plurality of through holes 6 of the two insulating substrates 5a, and the electrolyte is provided in the plurality of through holes 6 of the one insulating substrate 5a. A film 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 reference 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. In addition, a film or the like formed of a material to which the air electrode 8, the fuel electrode 9, or the electrolyte film 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 film 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 of the reference form.

Such a manufacturing method of the membrane electrode assembly 3 also has the same effect as the first reference embodiment.
Furthermore, in this preferred embodiment, since the provision of the air electrode 8, the electrolyte membrane 7 and the fuel electrode 9 every three insulating substrate 5a, only varying the thickness of the insulating substrate 5a, the air electrode 8, the electrolyte Since the thicknesses of the 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 reference embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical side view which shows roughly the structure of the fuel cell of the 1st reference form of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows roughly a part of manufacturing process of the electrode unit of the 1st reference form of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows roughly a part of manufacturing process of the electrode unit of the 1st reference form of this invention. A part of the process of manufacturing the embodiment of the electrode unit of the present invention is a perspective view schematically showing. It is a perspective view which shows roughly a part of manufacturing process of the electrode unit of the 2nd reference form 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 portion 11 Second through hole (through hole)

Claims (6)

In a method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element provided in a fuel cell,
Forming a plurality of first through holes in an insulating substrate having insulating properties;
Providing an electrolyte membrane having the same thickness as the insulating substrate in the plurality of first through holes;
Providing a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies for sandwiching the electrolyte membrane with electrodes;
A step of providing an insulating sealing material on the front and back surfaces of the insulating substrate , interposing between the adjacent membrane electrode assemblies ;
A plurality of second through holes are formed in the insulating substrate and the sealing material at a position between the adjacent membrane electrode assemblies, pass through the second through holes, and are adjacent on the front and back of the insulating substrate. Electrically connecting a plurality of the membrane electrode assemblies by providing an electrode connection portion that electrically connects the membrane electrode assemblies;
The manufacturing method of the membrane electrode element which comprises this.   The method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to claim 1, wherein the electrode and the electrolyte membrane are formed by printing.   The method for producing a membrane electrode element according to claim 2, wherein the printing is performed by forming the electrode with an emulsion ink.   The method for manufacturing a membrane electrode element according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyte membrane is formed by cast film formation. The membrane electrode element formed by the manufacturing method of the membrane electrode element as described in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4 . A fuel cell comprising the membrane electrode element according to claim 5 and generating electricity by supplying fuel to the membrane electrode assembly provided in the membrane electrode element.

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