Manufacturing method of fuel cell module and manufacturing method of fuel cell

A manufacturing method of a fuel cell module in which a plurality of cell assemblies are stacked, each cell assembly including:

• an electrode member having a membrane electrode assembly formed from an electrolyte membrane and a pair of electrode catalyst layers disposed on both sides of the electrolyte membrane in a thickness direction, and a pair of porous layers disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly in the thickness direction;
• a separator arranged to be stacked with the electrode member and having an electrode member arrangement portion with which one side of the electrode member in the thickness direction is in contact, and a seal member arrangement portion having a frame shape and disposed on an outer side of the electrode member arrangement portion in a planar direction, the electrode member arrangement portion and the seal member arrangement portion being provided on a surface of the separator in a stacking direction;
• and
• a seal member formed from a crosslinked item of solid rubber and disposed in the seal member arrangement portion defined on the surface of the separator to seal a peripheral edge portion of the electrode member along a shape of the peripheral edge portion and integrate the electrode member and the separator with each other,
• the separator and the seal member that are adjacent in the stacking direction with each other being adhered to integrate the plurality of cell assemblies with each other,
• the method comprising:
• forming a seal member preform having a frame shape and formed from an uncrosslinked item of solid rubber having adhesiveness in the seal member arrangement portion defined on the surface of the separator to produce a seal member temporary assembly having a recess formed by the surface of the separator and an inner periphery of the seal member preform, in a preliminary production stage;
• fitting an entirety of the electrode member into the recess of the seal member temporary assembly to produce a cell assembly temporary assembly, in an incorporation stage that is subsequent to the preliminary production stage;
• arranging a cell assembly stack, in which a plurality of the cell assembly temporary assemblies are stacked, in a forming die, in a member arrangement stage;
• and
• pressurizing and heating the forming die to crosslink the uncrosslinked item, thereby forming the seal member from the seal member preform, the seal member sealing the peripheral edge portion of the electrode member and integrating the electrode member and the separator with each other to produce the cell assembly from the cell assembly temporary assemblies, and the seal member also adhering to the separator which is adjacent in the stacking direction with the seal member and integrating the cell assembly temporary assemblies which are adjacent in the stacking direction with each other to produce the fuel cell module from the cell assembly stack, in an integration stage.