Apparatus for manufacturing membrane electrode assembly and membrane electrode assembly manufactured using the same
AssigneesHyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
InventorsJi Woo Choi, Je Min Kim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automated line fabricates a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) by first laser-etching micropatterns into a moving strip of release paper. The patterned paper is coated with a first electrode layer and then hot-rolled onto an electrolyte membrane to transfer the layer. The system dries the laminate, peels off the release paper, and can add a second electrode and press the finished stack. The laser produces lines or grids 1-40 micrometer wide, 1-25 micrometer deep, and 1-25 micrometer apart using 3-50 W pulses at 40-500 kHz. The resulting MEA carries 2-10 micrometer-thick first electrode whose protrusions match the etched pattern.
Claims20
An apparatus for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly, the apparatus comprising:
- a supplier configured to supply a release paper;
- a marker disposed downstream of the supplier and configured to irradiate a laser beam onto the release paper to form patterns having a predetermined shape on a surface of the release paper;
- an applicator disposed downstream of the marker and configured to form a first electrode on the patterned surface of the release paper to manufacture an intermediate comprising the release paper and the first electrode;
- a transferer disposed downstream of the applicator, the transferer comprising a pair of rollers configured to receive the intermediate and laminate the intermediate onto a surface of an electrolyte membrane;
- and
- a peeler disposed downstream of the transferer and configured to remove the release paper from the electrolyte membrane.
A membrane electrode assembly comprising:
- an electrolyte membrane;
- a first electrode disposed on a first surface of the electrolyte membrane;
- and
- a second electrode disposed on a second surface of the electrolyte membrane opposite the first surface,
- wherein the first electrode comprises:
- a layer part attached to the electrolyte membrane and having a predetermined thickness, and
- protrusions extending outwardly from a surface of the layer part,
- wherein the protrusions:
- extend in a length direction of the layer part and have a predetermined depth and width, and are spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance in a width direction of the layer part;
- or
- extend in the width direction of the layer part and have a predetermined depth and width and are spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance in the length direction of the layer part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.