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 having an electrode member arrangement portion arranged to be stacked with the electrode member and 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;
• and
• a seal member formed from a crosslinked item of solid rubber and disposed in the seal member arrangement portion 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 method comprising the steps of:
• forming an outer divided body having a frame shape and formed from an uncrosslinked item of solid rubber having adhesiveness in the seal member arrangement portion of the separator to produce an outer temporary assembly, and forming an inner divided body having a frame shape and formed from an uncrosslinked item of solid rubber in the peripheral edge portion of the electrode member to produce an inner temporary assembly, as a preliminary production step;
• fitting the inner temporary assembly into a frame of the outer temporary assembly to produce a cell assembly temporary assembly, as an incorporation step;
• arranging a cell assembly stack, in which a plurality of the cell assembly temporary assemblies are stacked, in a forming die, as a member arrangement step;
• and
• pressurizing and heating the forming die to crosslink the uncrosslinked item, thereby forming the seal member by integrating the outer divided body and the inner divided body with each other, 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 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, as an integration step.