Single fuel cell and method of manufacturing single fuel cell

A method for manufacturing a single fuel cell, the single fuel cell including:

• a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane and electrocatalyst layers formed on both side surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, respectively;
• gas diffusion layers placed on both side surfaces of the membrane electrode assembly;
• a support frame supporting the membrane electrode assembly on a periphery of the membrane electrode assembly;
• and separators placed on both side surfaces of the support frame and the gas diffusion layers, respectively, so that peripheral portions of the separators are fixed on the support frame and central portions of the separators abut on the gas diffusion layers,
• wherein the support frame includes:
• a support frame body;
• and
• an adhesive coating layer formed of an adhesive with thermoplasticity on at least one of both side surfaces of the support frame body;
• the separators are formed of a metal;
• and
• the support frame body is formed of a stretched crystalline polymer,
• the method for manufacturing the single fuel cell, comprising:
• providing the membrane electrode assembly in which the gas diffusion layers are placed on both side surfaces of the membrane electrode assembly, respectively, while an outer peripheral edge portion remains in one side surface of the membrane electrode assembly;
• forming an adhesive layer to cover the outer peripheral edge portion;
• placing an interior portion of the support frame on the adhesive layer and adhering the support frame and the membrane electrode assembly to each other;
• and
• placing the peripheral portions of the separators on both side surfaces of an outer portion of the support frame adhered to the membrane electrode assembly and heating the support frame and the separators to be adhered to each other.