Electrolyte membrane for solid polymer fuel cell, method for manufacturing same, and solid polymer fuel cell

A polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising:

• a plurality of stacked cell modules, each of the cell modules including:
• an electrolyte membrane;
• electrode layers each provided on a respective one of an upper surface and a lower surface of the electrolyte membrane;
• and
• a pair of separators sandwiching the electrode layers therebetween, each of the separators having an inner surface with a gas flow path thereon;
• wherein the electrolyte membrane includes:
• an electrolyte material;
• a nonwoven fabric included in the electrolyte material;
• and
• fibers in the nonwoven fabric,
• wherein the nonwoven fabric includes a plurality of fused parts provided in straight lines or dots, all of the fused parts being equally spaced apart, each of the fused parts being formed of two or more strands of nonwoven fiber fused to each other, the fused parts having a thickness smaller than a thickness of the nonwoven fabric, a diameter of each of the fibers being in a range of from 400 nm to 1100 nm, and all of the fused parts extending along the gas flow path of the separators so as to impede expansion of the electrolyte membrane into the gas flow path;
• wherein a percentage of an area of the fused parts provided in the straight lines or dots is in a range of from at least 0.5% to no greater than 10% of a total area of a part corresponding to a power generating region of the nonwoven fabric;
• and
• wherein fused parts that are unequally spaced apart do not exist in the electrolyte membrane.