# US 9,437,883 B2 · Manufacturing method of fuel cell module and manufacturing method of fuel cell

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- Number: US 9,437,883 B2
- Document ID: US9437883B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/854,609
- Filed: 2015-09-15
- Published: 2016-02-18
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2009-04-01
- Assignees: Sumitomo Riko Company Limited; Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Sumitomo Riko Company Limited; Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Hideaki Tanahashi; Shinichi Haga; Hideya Kadono; Yutaka Ishioka; Kenji Sato; Fumishige Shizuku; Hiroo Yoshikawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9437883B2

## CPC

- H01M 8/242: comprising framed electrodes or intermediary frame-like gaskets (H01M8/2425, H01M8/244 take precedence)
- H01M 8/0273: with sealing or supporting means in the form of a frame
- H01M 8/0276: Sealing means characterised by their form (H01M8/0273 takes precedence)
- H01M 8/0284: Organic resins; Organic polymers
- H01M 8/0286: Processes for forming seals
- H01M 8/1007: with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised (H01M8/12 takes precedence)
- H01M 8/2404: Processes or apparatus for grouping fuel cells
- H01M 8/2457: with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised
- H01M 8/2483: characterised by internal manifolds
- H01M 8/249: comprising two or more groupings of fuel cells, e.g. modular assemblies
- H01M 50/184: characterised by their shape or structure
- H01M 50/186: characterised by the disposition of the sealing members
- H01M 50/193: Organic material
- H01M 8/00: Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M 8/0247: characterised by the form (characterised by a channel configuration H01M8/0258)
- H01M 50/403: Manufacturing processes of separators, membranes or diaphragms
- H01M 2250/20: Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- Y02T 90/40: Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A manufacturing method of a fuel cell module includes: forming an outer divided body having a frame shape and formed from an uncrosslinked item of solid rubber having adhesiveness in a seal member arrangement portion of a 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 a peripheral edge portion of an electrode member to produce an inner temporary assembly; fitting the inner temporary assembly into a frame of the outer temporary assembly to produce a cell assembly temporary assembly; arranging a cell assembly stack, in which a plurality of the cell assembly temporary assemblies are stacked, in a forming die; and pressurizing and heating the forming die to crosslink the uncrosslinked item

## Claims

### Claim 1

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.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method of a fuel cell module according to claim 1, wherein
the cell assembly temporary assemblies have a penetration hole which penetrates in the thickness direction of the electrode member and through which one of oxidizing gas, fuel gas, and coolant flows,
a plug is disposed in the penetration hole in the member arrangement step such that the uncrosslinked item does not flow into the penetration hole in the integration step, and
the plug is removed after the fuel cell module is produced in the integration step.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method of a fuel cell module according to claim 1, wherein
among the pair of porous layers disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly in the thickness direction,
the porous layer disposed on one side of the membrane electrode assembly in the thickness direction has at least one of a gas diffusion layer and a gas flow path layer whose porosity or average pore diameter is larger than that of the gas diffusion layer, and
the porous layer disposed on the other side of the membrane electrode assembly in the thickness direction has at least one of a gas diffusion layer and a gas flow path layer whose porosity or average pore diameter is larger than that of the gas diffusion layer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method of a fuel cell module according to claim 1, wherein
the pair of porous layers disposed on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly in the thickness direction have the gas diffusion layer respectively, and
an area of the membrane electrode assembly is larger than an area of at least one gas diffusion layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method of a fuel cell module according to claim 1, wherein
the solid rubber includes one or more rubber components selected from a group consisting of ethylene-propylene rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber, acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, hydrogenated acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, and butadiene rubber.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method of a fuel cell module according to claim 1, wherein
the uncrosslinked item of solid rubber includes the following contents of (A) to (D);
(A) at least one rubber component selected from a group consisting of ethylene-propylene rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber, acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, and hydrogenated acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber;
(B) a crosslinking agent selected from organic peroxides of which a 1-hour half-life period temperature is lower than or equal to 130° C.;
(C) a crosslinking auxiliary agent; and
(D) an adhesive component formed of at least one of a resorcinol compound together with a melamine compound and a silane coupling agent.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A manufacturing method of a fuel cell, comprising the step of stacking a plurality of the fuel cell modules produced in accordance with the manufacturing method of a fuel cell module according to claim 1 in the thickness direction of the electrode member to produce a fuel cell.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method of a fuel cell module according to claim 1, wherein
the outer temporary assembly produced in the preliminary production step has a recess formed by a surface of the separator and an inner periphery of the outer temporary assembly,
the cell assembly temporary assembly is produced by fitting the inner temporary assembly into the recess of the outer temporary assembly in the incorporation step.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The manufacturing method of a fuel cell module according to claim 8, wherein
the cell assembly temporary assembly is produced by fitting an entirety of the inner temporary assembly into the recess of the outer temporary assembly in the incorporation step.