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AssigneeManhattan Scientifics, Inc.
InventorPetra Koschany
Estimating the term…
According to known methods, gas chambers of fuel cells are sealed by applying pressure. A small space always remains between the electrode and the membrane. According to the inventive sealing method, the bipolar plate and the membrane-electrode unit are bonded with a curable polymer. A gas-proof assembly is obtained by applying an adhesive bead on the outer periphery of the gas chamber and around the inner gas ducts. These assemblies can be stacked and bonded together according to the present invention to form a stack of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. The inventive assemblies which are composed of a bipolar plate and a membrane-electrode unit can be used in polymer electrolyte fuel cells and in corresponding electrolytic cells. These assemblies have such a small weight that they can be used in mobile devices in a particularly advantageous manner.
Assembly composed of a membrane-electrode unit “MEA” (8, 4a, 4b) and a bipolar plate (1) of a fuel cell as component of a fuel cell stack, wherein the MEA comprises a polymer electrolyte membrane (8) and a gas diffusion layer (4a, 4b) resting in the assembly on the membrane with the exception of the membrane periphery, with the bipolar plate (1) resting against the side of the gas diffusion layer opposite the membrane and protruding over the periphery of the gas diffusion layer while forming a circumferential marginal volume zone that is defined at the top, inner and bottom sides by the bipolar plate (1), the gas diffusion layer (4a, 4b) and the membrane (8), characterized in that the circumferential volume zone is filled with a cured adhesive (7) all the way to its defining faces in a gap-free and gas-tight manner.
Method for producing a gas-tight assembly comprising providing at least one bipolar plate, providing a gas diffusion layer, providing at least one membrane electrode unit “MEA”, providing a circumferential marginal volume zone that is defined at its top, inner and bottom sides by the bipolar plate (1), an edge of the gas diffusion layer (4a, 4b) and the membrane (8) initially applying in a sealing manner a free-flowing adhesive to a margin of the membrane or the bipolar plate in the form of an adhesive bead that is higher than the gas diffusion layer and whose volume is dimensioned so as to completely fill the circumferential marginal volume zone, and then bringing the adhesive into a shape of the volume zone by assembling the membrane, the gas diffusion layer and the bipolar plate and permitting the adhesive to cure.
Method for producing a gas-tight assembly, comprising providing at least one bipolar plate and at least one membrane electrode unit “MEA” with a membrane and a gas diffusion layer, providing a circumferential marginal volume zone that is defined at its top, inner and bottom sides by the membrane, the bipolar plate (1), an edge of the gas diffusion layer (4a, 4b), initially applying a free-flowing adhesive to a margin of the membrane or the bipolar plate in the form of an adhesive bead that is higher than the gas diffusion layer and whose volume is dimensioned so as to completely fill the circumferential marginal volume zone, and then bringing the adhesive into the shape of the volume zone by assembling the assembly composed of the membrane, the gas diffusion layer and the bipolar plate and permitting the adhesive to cure, further characterized in that a vacuum clamping table is utilized for positioning the MEA with or without gas diffusion layers on the bipolar plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.