CN114303264A - Separator for fuel cell, method for producing the same, and fuel cell using the same - Google Patents
Separator for fuel cell, method for producing the same, and fuel cell using the same Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN114303264A CN114303264A CN201980099646.0A CN201980099646A CN114303264A CN 114303264 A CN114303264 A CN 114303264A CN 201980099646 A CN201980099646 A CN 201980099646A CN 114303264 A CN114303264 A CN 114303264A
- Authority
- CN
- China
- Prior art keywords
- separator
- fuel cell
- flow path
- cell according
- layer
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 133
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 60
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 245
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 205
- 239000002826 coolant Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 113
- OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon Chemical compound [C] OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 52
- 229910052799 carbon Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 24
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 13
- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 claims description 209
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 claims description 160
- 239000012495 reaction gas Substances 0.000 claims description 80
- 230000003014 reinforcing effect Effects 0.000 claims description 76
- 238000009792 diffusion process Methods 0.000 claims description 53
- 239000000376 reactant Substances 0.000 claims description 51
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 49
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 claims description 41
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 claims description 38
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 claims description 38
- 239000002335 surface treatment layer Substances 0.000 claims description 38
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 claims description 37
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims description 28
- 238000005260 corrosion Methods 0.000 claims description 23
- 230000007797 corrosion Effects 0.000 claims description 23
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims description 19
- 230000002787 reinforcement Effects 0.000 claims description 18
- 239000012528 membrane Substances 0.000 claims description 17
- 239000012779 reinforcing material Substances 0.000 claims description 17
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 claims description 17
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 claims description 17
- 239000003575 carbonaceous material Substances 0.000 claims description 16
- 239000003054 catalyst Substances 0.000 claims description 14
- 239000004020 conductor Substances 0.000 claims description 14
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 14
- 238000007639 printing Methods 0.000 claims description 13
- 238000005507 spraying Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000005728 strengthening Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 239000002041 carbon nanotube Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- 229910021393 carbon nanotube Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 10
- 229910021389 graphene Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 9
- 239000011342 resin composition Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- 229910002804 graphite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000010439 graphite Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000003825 pressing Methods 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 claims description 7
- 229920000049 Carbon (fiber) Polymers 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000004917 carbon fiber Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000005871 repellent Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000000712 assembly Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000000429 assembly Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000002209 hydrophobic effect Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000010030 laminating Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000002940 repellent Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000002708 enhancing effect Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 62
- 239000010408 film Substances 0.000 description 43
- 230000006870 function Effects 0.000 description 31
- 239000002737 fuel gas Substances 0.000 description 25
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 24
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 description 24
- 230000001590 oxidative effect Effects 0.000 description 24
- 238000011282 treatment Methods 0.000 description 24
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 22
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 22
- 238000002156 mixing Methods 0.000 description 18
- 239000005518 polymer electrolyte Substances 0.000 description 17
- 238000005520 cutting process Methods 0.000 description 13
- 238000010248 power generation Methods 0.000 description 11
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 11
- 238000004381 surface treatment Methods 0.000 description 11
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 10
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 10
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 9
- 239000002243 precursor Substances 0.000 description 8
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 7
- 239000002904 solvent Substances 0.000 description 7
- 238000001035 drying Methods 0.000 description 6
- 239000002002 slurry Substances 0.000 description 6
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 6
- 239000000470 constituent Substances 0.000 description 5
- 238000005192 partition Methods 0.000 description 5
- 238000005096 rolling process Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000003566 sealing material Substances 0.000 description 5
- UFHFLCQGNIYNRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Hydrogen Chemical compound [H][H] UFHFLCQGNIYNRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 239000000654 additive Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000004840 adhesive resin Substances 0.000 description 4
- 229920006223 adhesive resin Polymers 0.000 description 4
- 238000000151 deposition Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000008021 deposition Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000002270 dispersing agent Substances 0.000 description 4
- -1 for example Substances 0.000 description 4
- 230000017525 heat dissipation Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000006872 improvement Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 4
- 230000032258 transport Effects 0.000 description 4
- LYCAIKOWRPUZTN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethylene glycol Chemical compound OCCO LYCAIKOWRPUZTN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000003851 corona treatment Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000006866 deterioration Effects 0.000 description 3
- 208000028659 discharge Diseases 0.000 description 3
- 239000006185 dispersion Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000001965 increasing effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N methane Chemical compound C VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 238000009832 plasma treatment Methods 0.000 description 3
- 125000006850 spacer group Chemical group 0.000 description 3
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000000996 additive effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N atomic oxygen Chemical compound [O] QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000011230 binding agent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000010485 coping Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000003647 oxidation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000007254 oxidation reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910052760 oxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 230000000149 penetrating effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000007747 plating Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000013585 weight reducing agent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000004804 winding Methods 0.000 description 2
- MYMOFIZGZYHOMD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Dioxygen Chemical compound O=O MYMOFIZGZYHOMD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- CBENFWSGALASAD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ozone Chemical compound [O-][O+]=O CBENFWSGALASAD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000004698 Polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004743 Polypropylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002253 acid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000002378 acidificating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- WYTGDNHDOZPMIW-RCBQFDQVSA-N alstonine Natural products C1=CC2=C3C=CC=CC3=NC2=C2N1C[C@H]1[C@H](C)OC=C(C(=O)OC)[C@H]1C2 WYTGDNHDOZPMIW-RCBQFDQVSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000002528 anti-freeze Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000006229 carbon black Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005229 chemical vapour deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000012141 concentrate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011370 conductive nanoparticle Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920001940 conductive polymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000000356 contaminant Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002788 crimping Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910001882 dioxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000003618 dip coating Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009826 distribution Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003792 electrolyte Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000003822 epoxy resin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001704 evaporation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000020169 heat generation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000001257 hydrogen Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052739 hydrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- GPRLSGONYQIRFK-UHFFFAOYSA-N hydron Chemical compound [H+] GPRLSGONYQIRFK-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000005304 joining Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000008204 material by function Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000002739 metals Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000005555 metalworking Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002715 modification method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002086 nanomaterial Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000002161 passivation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000035699 permeability Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005191 phase separation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000005011 phenolic resin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000704 physical effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005240 physical vapour deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920000647 polyepoxide Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920005597 polymer membrane Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000002952 polymeric resin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920001155 polypropylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002203 pretreatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003672 processing method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004080 punching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002994 raw material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000565 sealant Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000638 solvent extraction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004528 spin coating Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004544 sputter deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003756 stirring Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002195 synergetic effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920003002 synthetic resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920005992 thermoplastic resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920001187 thermosetting polymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000010409 thin film Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007740 vapor deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009834 vaporization Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008016 vaporization Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000037303 wrinkles Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M8/02—Details
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
- Y02E60/50—Fuel cells
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02P70/00—Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
- Y02P70/50—Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Sustainable Development (AREA)
- Sustainable Energy (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Electrochemistry (AREA)
- General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Fuel Cell (AREA)
Abstract
A separator (6, 7) for a fuel cell includes a pair of separator substrates (100) that are arranged to face each other, and the separator substrates (100) are conductive carbon composite flexible films. A cooling medium flow path (21) is arranged between a pair of separator base materials (100). Also provided are a method for producing the separator (6, 7) for a fuel cell, and a fuel cell using the separator (6, 7).
Description
The present invention relates to a separator for a fuel cell, and more particularly to a separator for a fuel cell having a cooling medium flow path attached (Adhere) between 2 substrates as a conductive flexible film material, which can be used for a fuel cell such as a polymer electrolyte fuel cell.
A fuel cell is generally used for a fuel cell stack in which a plurality of fuel cells are connected in series. The fuel cell stack is assembled by stacking the components such as the end plates, the current collecting plates, the insulating plates, the separators, and the electrolyte membrane assemblies while properly positioning the components using the assembling apparatus. As one type of fuel cell, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell using a hydrogen ion permeable polymer electrolyte membrane is known. A single unit of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes a pair of gas diffusion layers sandwiching a polymer membrane, and separators are disposed outside the gas diffusion layers.
The separator in the component of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is formed of a plate-like member having electrical conductivity. The separator is provided with an oxidizing gas flow field, a fuel gas flow field, and a coolant flow field. Specifically, an oxidizing gas flow path or a fuel gas flow path is formed on one surface of the separator. The coolant flow field is formed on the other surface of the separator.
That is, a fuel cell separator in which a plurality of cell units are stacked and fastened to form a stack is composed of 2 plate-like members joined together. The fuel gas flow channels are formed in the outer surface of one plate-like member, and the oxidizing gas flow channels are formed in the outer surface of the other plate-like member. A coolant flow field is formed on the inner surface of the joined 2 plate-like members.
In general, the separator has a function as a partition wall for partitioning the individual battery cells from one another, and functions as follows: that is, an electric conductor that transports the generated electrons, and a flow path that supplies air and hydrogen gas and generates water or gas side by side. In order to put a polymer electrolyte fuel cell into practical use, it is necessary to use a separator having sufficient electrical conductivity and excellent thermal conductivity that can release reaction heat to the outside. Further, there is a need for a thinner and lighter-weight partition in accordance with the problems of the limitation of the space and the transport distance of the transport apparatus, the saving of resources, or the transport cost. In addition, since the separator is thick, the internal resistance increases, and therefore the separator cannot be too thick.
In the field of current fuel cells, the main trend is a metal separator forming a channel-shaped fluid guide flow path on a metal surface. For example, in the metal separator proposed many times, the metal separator according to patent document 1 includes a step of molding the separator itself, a step of punching out a metal, cutting the metal, modifying the outer shape of the separator, and removing a contaminant component in order to form a flow path on the surface thereof, and the number of manufacturing steps such as a surface film forming step and others is large, and the production cost is high. Further, since the metal base material is a hard material which is difficult to mold, the Tact time (Tact time) of the product increases. Metals have various problems: metal working requires expensive equipment investment, is expensive, has a high material cost, requires a long process for working, is likely to cause breakage, wrinkles, bending deformation, and the like, and lacks flexibility of the material.
Further, patent document 2 proposes a resin separator in which a composite flexible film material is laminated on both surfaces of a conductive resin plate. The resin separator proposed herein is chemically stable, has excellent corrosion resistance and excellent workability as compared with a metal separator, but has poor conductivity as compared with a metal separator because of its high contact resistance. In addition, heat is transmitted by vibration in the polymer resin, and thus thermal conductivity several orders of magnitude lower than that of metal is shown. That is, in order to move electrons smoothly, it is necessary to improve the electrical conductivity of the resin separator and also to improve the thermal conductivity thereof.
Documents of the prior art
Patent document
Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2006-294335
Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 2016-119181
Disclosure of Invention
Technical problem to be solved by the invention
The resin separator disclosed in patent document 2 has insufficient electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity as compared with the metal separator of patent document 1, and thus has room for improvement from the viewpoint of improvement in electrical and thermal characteristics. The metal separator of patent document 1 has excellent conductivity as compared with the resin separator of patent document 2, but in order to prevent corrosion due to generated water generated after a chemical reaction, it is necessary to form a passivation coating or the like to improve the corrosion resistance of the metal separator, in view of the problem of metal corrosion. The metal separator is thinner than the resin separator, but both need to be thinned to increase the power density. In addition, from the viewpoint of improving productivity, it is difficult to apply a roll-to-roll (roll to roll) type production method to an integrated metal separator in which a fluid guide flow path is press-molded or engraved.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a separator for a fuel cell, which can maintain sufficient rigidity and is thinner than a metal separator. In some examples, the separator has excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, gas impermeability, corrosion resistance, and low contact resistance. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the separator for a fuel cell and a fuel cell using the separator, which can improve power generation performance of the fuel cell, reduce the thickness of a single cell, contribute to high power density, miniaturization or weight reduction of the fuel cell, improve operability with good processability, and can be produced in a roll-to-roll manner at low cost to meet market demand.
One aspect of the present invention is to improve the power generation performance (high output volume density, high output weight density, and high reliability) of a fuel cell while having the above characteristics by forming a separator with a material that imparts electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, gas impermeability, corrosion resistance, rigidity, reinforcement, and flexibility.
Specifically, one aspect of the present invention provides a separator having electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, gas impermeability, corrosion resistance, rigidity, reinforcement, flexibility, and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell using the separator, by forming a fluid guide flow path on a flexible substrate (flexible film) having sufficient electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, gas impermeability, corrosion resistance, and easy-to-process properties. Further, in order to cope with high power density and miniaturization/weight reduction of the fuel cell, the present invention aims to realize a structure of a separator for a fuel cell which is extremely thin and flexible (easy to process, less likely to concentrate stress, and improved in reliability), and which can be mass-produced by a low-cost roll-to-roll method.
Technical scheme for solving technical problem
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a separator for a fuel cell configured as follows. One aspect of the present invention provides a separator for a fuel cell, comprising a pair of separator substrates disposed opposite to each other, the separator substrates being conductive carbon composite flexible films; and a cooling medium flow path arranged between the pair of separator base materials.
According to an aspect of the present invention, further comprising a reaction gas flow path arranged outside the separator substrate.
According to an aspect of the present invention, further comprising a surface treatment layer and/or a surface modification layer having at least one of the following characteristics covering the surface of the separator substrate: surface corrosion resistance, interfacial adhesion, and interfacial adhesion.
According to one aspect of the invention, a strengthening layer for improving rigidity is further included covering the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the cooling medium flow path is formed on the separator substrate, on the surface treatment layer, on the surface modification layer, or on the reinforcement layer.
According to an aspect of the present invention, further comprising a reaction gas flow path arranged outside the separator substrate, the reaction gas flow path being formed on at least one of the separator substrate, the surface treatment layer, the surface modification layer, or the reinforcement layer.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the separator base material includes at least one conductive material and at least one resin composition.
According to one aspect of the invention, the separator substrate further comprises at least one conductivity enhancing material.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the conductive reinforcing material includes fine graphite fibers, carbon nanotubes, and/or graphene.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the conductive reinforcing material is arranged perpendicular to the extending surface of the separator base material or arranged obliquely with respect to the extending surface of the separator base material.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the adhesion material of the cooling medium flow path and/or the reaction gas flow path includes a dense carbon-based material and/or a porous carbon-based material.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a hydrophilic coating liquid, a hydrophobic coating liquid, or a water repellent coating liquid is attached to all or a partial region of the reaction gas flow path, or a hydrophilic coating liquid is attached only to a bottom portion of a channel portion of the reaction gas flow path.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the separator substrate is in the range of 10 to 200 μm.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the surface treatment layer has a thickness in a range of 1 to 1,000 nm.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the surface modification layer has a thickness in a range of 0.1 to 1,000 nm.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the reinforcing layer is in the range of 1 to 50 μm.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the height of the cooling medium flow path and/or the reaction gas flow path is in the range of 1 to 500 μm.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the separator is in the range of 10 to 1,000 μm.
The present invention also provides a fuel cell comprising a plurality of membrane-electrode assemblies each disposed between adjacent separators, and a plurality of separators as described above.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the membrane-electrode assembly includes a catalyst-coated membrane and gas diffusion layers provided on first and second sides of the catalyst-coated membrane, respectively.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a reaction gas flow path is arranged on the separator substrate side and/or the gas diffusion layer side opposite to the separator substrate side.
The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell, comprising the steps of: providing a pair of separator substrates which are conductive carbon composite flexible films; a coolant flow field is attached to one side of at least one of the pair of separator base materials; and bonding the pair of separator base materials, wherein the coolant flow field is located between the pair of separator base materials.
According to an aspect of the present invention, after the attaching of the pair of separator substrates, further comprises pressurizing and/or heating the pair of separator substrates.
According to an aspect of the present invention, further comprising forming a surface treatment layer and/or a surface modification layer on a surface of at least one of the pair of separator substrates, the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer having at least one of the following characteristics: surface corrosion resistance, interfacial adhesion, and interfacial adhesion.
According to an aspect of the present invention, further comprising forming a reinforcing layer for increasing rigidity on a surface of at least one of the pair of spacer substrates.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the method further comprises attaching a reaction gas flow path to a non-bonding side of at least one of the pair of separator substrates.
According to an aspect of the present invention, further comprising applying a hydrophilic coating liquid or a water repellent coating liquid to all or a partial region of the reaction gas flow path.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a method of providing the pair of separator substrates includes: laminating a conductive material, a conductive reinforcing material, and a resin composition to form a laminate; covering the laminate with an elastic film; pressurizing and/or heating the laminate to harden the laminate.
According to one aspect of the invention, the material of the surface treatment layer comprises: a material identical to a material of the rib constituting the coolant flow field; or a material of an inclined functional structure in which the total content of carbon components becomes higher from the separator base material side to the outside.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the adhering material of the cooling medium flow path and/or the reaction gas flow path includes a first material and a second material that are intertwined with each other, the first material including fine carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, or a combination thereof, and the second material including a conductive resin. .
According to an aspect of the present invention, the attaching method of the cooling medium flow path and/or the reaction gas flow path includes coating, printing, dispensing, jetting, and transfer.
The present invention provides a separator for a fuel cell, which uses a sheet-like structure with improved electrical conductivity/thermal conductivity as a base substrate, and can realize high electrical conductivity, high thermal conductivity, high output volume density and high output weight density of the fuel cell by forming a cooling medium flow path with improved electrical conductivity/thermal conductivity on one surface of the substrate and/or a reaction gas flow path with improved electrical conductivity/thermal conductivity on the other surface of the substrate. In addition to the properties such as electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, the use of a functional material that is difficult to corrode for attaching the fluid guide channel to the surface of the base material can help prevent the progress of corrosion while ensuring the electrical conduction path and the heat dissipation path of the entire fuel cell stack. Further, by simultaneously attaching the fluid guide channel to the surface of the substrate, the separator can be provided with rigidity and reinforcement. Furthermore, by using a base material having a small thickness, the thickness of individual fuel cells can be suppressed, and the stacking interval (cell pitch) of the fuel cell stack can be shortened. Compared with a stack using a metal separator, a fuel cell can be made thinner and lighter, and a high output volume density and a high output weight density can be obtained.
The present invention utilizes a substrate having electrical conductivity/thermal conductivity and a functional material providing electrical conductivity/thermal conductivity on the surface of the substrate to form a synergistic effect of a fluid guide flow path, and can further improve the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity of the separator. By forming the fluid guiding flow path having electrical/thermal conductivity between the adjacent separators and between the separators and the gas diffusion layers, it is possible to provide an electrically conductive path and a heat dissipation path connecting from one substrate to another substrate. Further, forming the fluid guide flow path using a separator or a gas diffusion layer as a constituent member of the fuel cell as a base substrate contributes to making the cell thickness thin. Further, by forming the coolant flow field (including the flow field rib and the reinforcing layer) between the adjacent separators and forming the reactant gas flow field outside the separators, it is possible to obtain a frame structure that also reinforces the substrate having a small thickness, and it is possible to improve the rigidity and the reinforcement of the separators.
Brief description of the drawings
The features and properties of the present invention are further described by the following examples and their drawings.
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a single unit of a fuel cell in one embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2A to 2C are views showing an example of a separator for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2A is a plan view of a cooling medium flow side of the separator, fig. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line S-S' of the separator corresponding to an active region, and fig. 2C is a cross-sectional view of a separator substrate.
Fig. 3 is an example of a partial cross-sectional view of a separator for a fuel cell according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.
Fig. 4 is an example of a partial cross-sectional view of a separator for a fuel cell according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a fuel cell separator according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.
Fig. 6 is a plan view showing an example of the fluid guide flow path attached to the separator for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 7 is an exemplary flowchart for explaining a manufacturing method of a separator in one embodiment of the present invention.
Description of the reference symbols
1 Polymer electrolyte Membrane
2 anode side catalyst layer
3 cathode side catalyst layer
4 gas diffusion layer on anode side
5 cathode-side gas diffusion layer
6 anode side separator
7 cathode side separator
11. 12 Rib
100 separator substrate
101 first separator base material
102 second separator substrate
105 surface treatment layer, surface modification layer
106 reinforcing layer
106A reinforcement part
20 sealing material
21 flow path for cooling medium
22 flow path for reaction gas
Preferred embodiments of the invention
The present invention will be described in detail below based on embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings, and the structures, materials, processing contents, processing steps, and the like shown in embodiments 1 to 3 below can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments at all.
First, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell using a membrane electrode assembly that can be suitably used for carrying out an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As an example, fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the structure of a single unit of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to embodiments 1 to 3 of the present invention.
(Integrated Structure of Fuel cell)
As shown in fig. 1, the polymer electrolyte fuel cell according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of membrane Electrode assemblies (meas). One membrane electrode assembly MEA includes a polymer electrolyte membrane 1, two catalyst layers 2 and 3, and two gas diffusion layers 4 and 5, which constitute an anode and a cathode, respectively. In this case, both surfaces of the polymer electrolyte membrane 1 are Coated with catalyst-Coated membranes in ccm (catalyst Coated membrane) form, and the first side and the second side of the catalyst-Coated membranes correspond to the catalyst layer 2 and the catalyst layer 3, respectively. An anode electrode constituting an anode of the cell is disposed on one side surface of the MEA, and a cathode electrode constituting a cathode of the cell is disposed on the other side surface. The membrane electrode assembly MEA is sandwiched between two sets of separators 6, 7. The partitions 6, 7 function as partitions between the individual units.
As shown in fig. 1, the fuel cell according to one embodiment of the present invention is a polymer electrolyte fuel cell having a so-called single cell structure in which a membrane electrode assembly MEA is sandwiched between a pair of separators 6 and 7. Wherein one set of separators 6, 7 includes an anode-side separator 6 and a cathode-side separator 7. Accordingly, the catalyst layer 2 is an anode-side catalyst layer 2, the catalyst layer 3 is a cathode-side catalyst layer 3, the gas diffusion layer 4 is an anode-side gas diffusion layer 4, and the gas diffusion layer 5 is a cathode-side gas diffusion layer 5. The embodiment of the present invention employs a stack structure in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked in series via separators 6, 7. Although not shown, the fuel cell stack is configured by stacking a plurality of cells to form a stack, and arranging current collecting plates, insulating plates, and end plates in this order at both ends of the stack.
A reaction gas flow path 22 is formed between the MEA and the separators 6 and 7 along the surface on which the reaction proceeds (simply referred to as a reaction surface), and a coolant flow path 21 is formed between the separator 6 and the separator 7 that separate adjacent individual cells. Further, a sealing member for the purpose of air-tightness and water-tightness is provided on the outer edge of the separators 6 and 7 to prevent leakage of the cooling medium, the reaction gas, and the like.
The reactant gas flow path 22 and the cooling medium flow path 21 are collectively referred to as a fluid guide flow path. Specifically, the reactant gas flow paths 22 are formed between the separators 6 and 7 and the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5, respectively. A coolant flow field 21 is formed between the separators 6, 7 that separate adjacent individual cells. As the cooling medium, for example, water, an antifreeze such as ethylene glycol, air, or the like is used. As shown in fig. 1, the fuel gas (anode gas) is supplied from the reactant gas flow field 22 of the anode-side separator 6. The fuel gas may be, for example, hydrogen gas, methane gas, or the like. The oxidizing gas (cathode gas) is supplied from the reactant gas flow field 22 of the cathode-side separator 7. The oxidizing gas may be, for example, oxygen gas, air, or other oxygen-containing gas.
A circulation system of a cooling medium in a fuel cell will be described. The cooling medium cooled by the radiator is supplied to the fuel cell stack via a water pump and a pipe. The cooling medium supplied to the fuel cell stack is distributed to the individual units via the cooling medium supply manifold, and the individual units are cooled. The cooling medium that has cooled each individual unit is collected via a cooling medium discharge manifold and circulated through a radiator via a pipe.
A circulation system of the fuel gas will be explained. Fuel gas is supplied from a hydrogen tank storing high-pressure hydrogen gas to the fuel cell stack via a shut valve, a regulator, and piping. The fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell stack is distributed to the individual cells via the fuel gas supply manifold, and used for power generation of the individual cells. The fuel gas that is not used in each individual unit is collected via a fuel gas discharge manifold and discharged to the outside of the fuel cell stack via a discharge pipe.
The circulation system of the oxidizing gas will be explained. The oxidizing gas is supplied to the fuel cell stack via a gas pump and piping. The oxidizing gas supplied to the fuel cell stack is distributed to the individual cells via the oxidizing gas supply manifold, and is used for power generation of the individual cells. The oxidation gas unused in each individual unit is collected via an oxidation gas discharge manifold and discharged to the outside of the fuel cell stack via a discharge pipe. In addition, in this specification, the fuel gas and the oxidizing gas are also referred to as reaction gases.
(Structure of partition)
As shown in fig. 2A, the separators 6 and 7 of the present invention are formed of a rectangular flexible film material, and have a fluid supply port 31 formed at one edge in the longitudinal direction and a fluid discharge port 32 formed at the other edge, the fluid supply port 31 extending in the width direction and having a substantially rectangular shape, and fluid guide channels formed from the plurality of ribs 11 from the supply port 31 to the discharge port 32 (i.e., in the longitudinal direction). In the separators 6 and 7, the fluid supplied from the supply port 31 flows along the fluid guide flow path, and the fluid not used for power generation is discharged through the discharge port 32. The fluids here are oxidizing gas, fuel gas, cooling medium, respectively.
The present invention focuses on a structure for supplying a fluid such as a cooling medium or a reaction gas to an active region (power generation region) in the central portion of a separator substrate of an MEA. In fig. 2A, the separator on the coolant flow field 21 side is shown, and the region surrounded by the broken line corresponds to the active region. An opening hole 33 of an internal manifold is formed at the outer edge of the active region of the separator of the present invention. Further, a sealing material 20 is provided on the outer periphery to prevent leakage of the oxidizing gas, the fuel gas, and the cooling medium. Fig. 2B is a sectional view taken along the line S-S' of the separator of fig. 2A.
The separators 6 and 7 of the present invention are manufactured using two separator substrates 100 made of a highly conductive/thermally conductive flexible film material. The separator base material 100 is formed with a fluid guide flow path on the surface of the separator base material 100 by attaching (for example, coating, printing, dispensing, spraying, transferring, or the like) a precursor containing a conductive material, a binder resin, a solvent, another additive, a conductive reinforcing material, and another attachment material (in a state before attachment, in a state before curing reaction) using a dedicated device.
That is, the separator of the present invention is a component of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell including two separator substrates 100 and a coolant flow field 21 formed between the two separator substrates 100. The anode-side separator 6 and the cathode-side separator 7 are formed by forming the reactant gas flow fields 22 for the anode and the cathode, respectively, on the outer surfaces of the separators (the surfaces opposite to the surfaces on which the coolant flow fields 21 are provided).
The basic structure of the separator of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 2B. As shown in fig. 2B, the main components of the separator of the present invention are common to all embodiments 1 to 3 described later.
(1) Separator substrate 100
(2) Surface treatment layer and/or surface modification layer 105
(3) Reinforced layer (optional) 106
(4) Cooling medium flow passage 21
(5) Reaction gas channel 22 (Fuel gas, oxidizing gas)
In general, a good separator must have gas tightness so that diffusion mixing between various fluids within a battery can be prevented, and must have sufficient conductivity in order to have a good current collector. If the spacer is thick, internal resistance increases, and therefore the spacer cannot be too thick. For example, the thickness of the separator may be 10 to 1,000 μm. In order to release the reaction heat to the outside, the separator is also required to have heat conductivity/heat dissipation properties. In addition, the separator needs to be produced by a roll-to-roll method (mass production method in which a flow path pattern is attached to a base material that is rolled into a cylindrical shape, and then the base material is rolled into a cylindrical shape again, and the cylindrical shape is continuously flowed between apparatuses) that has corrosion resistance and rigidity and can be produced at low cost. The separator of the present invention is constructed based on the above-described idea.
In the present specification, "to adhere" means to coat an adhesive material (paste, slurry, ink) having viscosity on the surface as a three-dimensional structure. "coating" is the covering of a surface with a relatively thin film.
Next, the structure of each component is described with reference to fig. 2A to 6.
(1) Substrate (base material)
The base material in the present invention is a member serving as a base to which the fluid guide flow path is attached, and the base materials correspond to the separator base material 100 forming the separators 6 and 7 and the gas diffusion layer base material serving as the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5. The present invention is described mainly with reference to the separator substrate 100 to which the rib structure is attached. When the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5 are surfaces of the rib structure, the surfaces of the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5 are adhesion surfaces.
The main functions of the separator substrate 100 shown in fig. 2C are to provide the separator with electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, and to provide a flexible structure (flexible film material) that can be manufactured in a roll-to-roll manner and has a low total cost, and a substrate for forming a fluid guide channel on the surface thereof. In the present invention, a sheet-like structure that can realize high electrical conductivity, high thermal conductivity, high output volume density, and high output weight density is used as the separator base material 100. The separator substrate 100 is desired to have electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, to be produced at a low material cost, to be applicable to a roll-to-roll system, and to be thin and light.
The separator substrate 100 includes at least one conductive material and at least one resin composition. The conductive material may be a conductive carbon material. The separator substrate 100 further includes at least one conductive reinforcing material. The conductive reinforcing material may be a conductive carbon reinforcing material.
The separator substrate 100 is a highly conductive carbon composite flexible film material composed of a conductive carbon material, a resin composition, and a conductive carbon reinforcing material. As the conductive carbon material, graphite powder, carbon black, and the like are mixed. As the resin composition, a thermoplastic resin (polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.) and a thermosetting resin (phenol resin, epoxy resin, etc.) are mixed. As the conductive carbon reinforcing material, carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and the like are mixed. These materials are formed into an integrated, thin and flexible highly conductive carbon composite flexible film. The highly conductive carbon composite flexible film material is a material obtained by combining a conductive material, a resin, and a reinforcing material. The separator substrate 100 is generally produced by laminating the above materials, covering the laminate with an elastic film, and curing the laminate by pressing and heating.
As an example, the separator substrate 100 is in the form of a sheet having a flat main surface. In order to improve the rigidity, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and gas impermeability of the separator substrate 100, a reinforcing resin, fine graphite fibers, and/or an electrically conductive reinforcing material such as carbon nanotubes and/or graphene is added when the separator substrate 100 is molded. In order to obtain a separator substrate 100 having higher compatibility and excellent contact resistance and interface heat conduction, a conductive reinforcing material such as fine graphite fibers and/or carbon nanotubes is aligned in a vertical direction or an oblique penetrating direction on the extending surface of the separator substrate 100.
Further, as the separator substrate 100 that can be used in the present invention, a known product such as an existing product can be widely used without being limited to the highly conductive carbon composite flexible film material as long as it is a flexible film material that has a small thickness, a light weight, a water tightness and/or an air tightness that can provide no mixing of a cooling medium and a reaction gas, a high electrical conductivity and a high thermal conductivity, and a thickness that can withstand chemical changes such as deterioration, and is applicable to roll-to-roll mass production.
In order to reduce the thickness and weight of the separator, the thickness of the separator substrate 100 is preferably in the range of 10 to 100 μm, and more preferably in the range of 10 to 50 μm.
The electrical conductivity of the separator is improved by the electrical conductivity of the separator substrate 100 and the electrical conductivity of the functional material constituting the fluid guide channel. For example, carbon fibers contained in the functional materials of the separator substrate 100 and the fluid guide flow path are materials that are excellent in electrical conductivity or thermal conductivity.
As for the heat conduction of the separator substrate 100, for example, a flexible film material having a heat radiation function of efficiently radiating heat generated by power generation and hardly causing deterioration may be produced by orienting graphite as a material having a good heat conductivity, and the heat conductivity may be additionally increased. The thermal conductivity of the separator substrate 100 is at least about 700W/mk.
(2) Surface treatment layer and surface modification layer
The surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer 105 is a layer that coats the separator substrate 100 to reduce the substrate surface contact resistance and improve the adhesion and close contact between the substrate and the strengthening layer 106 or the fluid guide channel, which will be described later. The gas diffusion layer substrate is not provided with the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer 105. In order to reduce the contact resistance value and improve the adhesion and close contact with the separator base material, it is necessary to apply special surface treatment to improve compatibility. If the interfacial adhesion and the adhesion are insufficient, the conductivity gradually loses over a long period of time, the resistance increases, and the power generation performance deteriorates. In order to obtain sufficient adhesiveness and adhesion, it is necessary to remove dirt such as foreign matter and contamination from the surface of the base material and modify or modify the surface of the base material so as to improve adhesion and affinity. That is to say a surface pretreatment is carried out to improve the wettability of the substrate surface. As a method of providing the surface treatment layer 105, various coating methods such as spin coating, slit coating, spray coating, dip coating, bar coating, and the like, vapor deposition methods such as sputtering in various gases, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, and the like, and other suitable methods and the like can be included. Examples of the surface modification treatment for improving the surface adhesion include etching with chemicals such as acid, plasma treatment, corona discharge treatment, frame treatment, ozone treatment, ultraviolet treatment, and other suitable treatments.
Fig. 2C shows a typical example of the separator substrate 100 on which the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer 105 is formed. The surface modification method is performed by immersing the separator base material 100 in a treatment solution, and the treatment solution used is preferably a treatment solution that does not intrude into the base material. Alternatively, the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modified layer 105 can be obtained by evaporating a carbon-based coating material on the surface of the separator substrate 100 after the treatment. For example, the surface treatment layer 105 may have a thickness of 1 to 1,000 nm. The thickness of the surface modification layer 105 may be 0.1 to 1,000 nm. In order to improve the water-tightness and air-tightness of the separator substrate 100, it is preferable that the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer 105 be provided on at least one surface of the separator substrate 100 to which a fluid guide channel described later is attached.
The reason is that: the separator for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell has a flow path for a reaction gas containing water vapor, and is used under high-temperature and acidic conditions, and it is very important to maintain the corrosion resistance of the surface-treated layer and/or the surface-modified layer 105.
Of course, it is also important that the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer 105 cover both surfaces of the separator substrate 100 as a conductive layer having conductivity.
The surface treatment layer 105 may have an inclined functional structure in which the density of the carbon component increases from the separator substrate 100 side toward the reinforcing layer 106 side. Thereby, the internal stress of the strengthening layer 106 is reduced. The internal stress is reduced, so that the separator substrate 100 and other material layers (the reinforcing layer 106 and the like) can be prevented from being bent, cracks and the like can be prevented from occurring, and interfacial separation is also less likely to occur.
(3) Strengthening layer (Reinfored layer)
The reinforcing layer 106 is a layer that can be coated on the surface-treated layer and/or the surface-modified layer 105 that is obtained by subjecting the separator substrate 100 to a surface treatment and/or a surface modification treatment. The strengthening layer 106 is not provided on the gas diffusion layer substrate. Since the separator substrate 100 is a very thin material, it is desirable to reinforce the separator substrate 100. Thus, as shown in fig. 2C, it is suggested to provide a strengthening layer 106 on the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer 105 described above. For example, the thickness of the reinforcing layer 106 may be 1 to 50 μm. For the purpose of imparting water-tightness, a reinforcing layer 106 may be provided on the side facing the cooling medium flow path 21. In order to improve the bonding property and the adhesion property to the structural interface of the rib 11, the reinforcing layer 106 is coated with a hydrophobic coating, and the structural shape of the rib 11 having a three-dimensional shape can be formed by setting a contact angle indicating wettability to a medium level. The material of the reinforcing layer 106 may be the same as the material to be adhered to the coolant flow field 21 and the material to be adhered to the reactant gas flow field 22, which will be described later, or may be different from them in the mixing ratio or may be different from them. The reinforcing layer 106 may be provided over the entire active region of the separator substrate 100 subjected to the surface treatment and the surface modification, the reinforcing layer 106 may be provided locally, or the reinforcing layer 106 may not be provided. The material of the reinforcing layer 106 is not particularly limited as long as it has electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, and can form a film on the surface-treated layer and/or the surface-modified layer 105, and the surface-treated layer and/or the surface-modified layer 105 has good adhesion and close contact with the adhesion material of the various fluid guide channels, and contributes to improvement of the rigidity of the separator substrate 100. For example, a dispersion material in which conductive nanoparticles are dispersed in a conductive polymer, and a nanostructure material containing carbon formed by phase separation as a main component may be used.
(4) Cooling medium flow path
The coolant flow field 21 according to the present invention is a flow field between two separator substrates 100 (a first separator substrate 101 and a second separator substrate 102). The coolant flow field 21 is formed on the surface of at least one of the two separator substrates 100. For example, the coolant flow field 21 is formed in the first separator base 101, and the second separator base 102 is bonded to the first separator base 102. The bonded second separator base 102 is not provided with the coolant flow field 21. By bonding the two separator substrates, the coolant flow field 21 is completed at an intermediate position between them. Alternatively, the ribs 11 of the coolant flow field 21 may be alternately provided on the first separator base material 101 and the second separator base material 102 and engaged with each other. The height of the fluid guide channel including the coolant channel 21 and the gas guide channel 22 may be 1 to 500 μm.
Several examples of the planar pattern of the cooling medium flow path 21 are shown in fig. 6. The shape of the coolant flow field 21 is not particularly limited, and may be designed by being variously changed within the scope of the present invention, for example, a serpentine shape, a straight shape, a zigzag shape, a stripe shape, a pit shape, and the like.
The functional material (hereinafter referred to as an adhesive material) for molding the plurality of ribs 11 (the protrusions of the fluid guide channel) constituting the coolant flow field 21 is not particularly limited. An attaching method such as coating, printing, dispensing, spraying, transferring, or the like may be used, and a precursor of the attaching material (paste, slurry, or ink) may be attached, heated/dried, as long as the resulting attaching material having an action of covering on the separator substrate 100 is obtained. In the present specification, a material before heating and drying such as a paste, slurry, ink, or the like is referred to as a "precursor of an adhesive material", and a material after heating and drying that covers the separator substrate 100 is referred to as an "adhesive material". As such an adhesion material, there is a dense carbon-based material and/or a porous carbon-based material.
The ribs 11 constituting the coolant flow field 21 are made of a highly conductive adhesive material. The adhesion material needs to have heat resistance at such a level that it does not deform at the operating temperature of the fuel cell or at the bonding temperature such as hot stamping. By winding the fine carbon fiber contained in the adhesion material with the conductive resin, the rib 11 having higher conductivity, high mechanical strength, and high heat resistance strength can be obtained. Accordingly, the adhesive material is not limited as long as it is a material which has excellent electrical conductivity and good thermal conductivity, is less likely to deteriorate, and can provide rigidity and reinforcement.
(5) Reactant gas flow path
The separator described above is provided with the coolant flow field 21 on at least one surface of the single separator substrate 100. In other words, in the separator having the coolant flow field 21 mounted on the inner side of the separator substrate 100, channels (i.e., a fuel gas flow field and an oxidizing gas flow field) as the reactant gas flow field 22 are formed on the outer surface thereof. The reaction gas flow channels 22 may be provided on one surface of the two bonded separator substrates 100, or part or all of the reaction gas flow channels 22 may be provided on the surface of the gas diffusion layer substrate.
By supplying the reactant gases to the two reactant gas flow paths 22 equally at an appropriate composition ratio, the efficiency of the fuel cell itself can be improved in addition to the output area density. In the present invention, since the height of the fluid guide channel rib attached to the thin substrate surface is determined by the pressure loss requirement of the reaction gas or the like, the thickness of the cell separator can be reduced, and the cell pitch can be narrowed. This can improve the output power volume density of the fuel cell. For example, the height of the fluid guide channel may be 1 to 500 μm.
Referring to fig. 1, in order to allow the separator 6 of the present invention to function as an anode side, a reactant gas flow field 22 through which a fuel gas passes is formed on one of the separator surfaces facing the anode-side gas diffusion layer 4 of the MEA, and the other flat surface is in contact with the coolant flow field 21. In order to allow the separator 7 of the present invention to function as the cathode side, a reactant gas flow field 22 through which an oxygen-containing oxidizing gas passes is formed on one of the separator surfaces facing the cathode-side gas diffusion layer 5 of the MEA, and the other flat surface is in contact with the coolant flow field 21. The respective reactant gas flow paths may be provided on any outer side of the bonded separator substrate 100. The fuel cell of the present invention generates power by receiving the supply of the reactant gas in this manner.
The separator, which is bonded to the two separator substrates 100 with the coolant flow field 21 provided therebetween before the reactant gas flow fields 22 are deposited, can be said to be a common member for the anode and the cathode of the fuel cell. When the fuel gas flow field and the oxidizing gas flow field are attached, the anode side and the cathode side start to be recognized.
The planar pattern of each reactant gas flow field 22 is not particularly limited, and may be designed by various modifications within the scope of the present invention, such as a serpentine shape, a serpentine shape of revolution, a straight line shape, a pit shape, or other shapes.
As described above, the adhesive material for molding the plurality of ribs 12 (the protrusions of the fluid guide channel) constituting the reaction gas channel 22 is not particularly limited. As in the case of forming the cooling medium flow path 21, an adhesion method such as coating, printing, dispensing, spraying, transfer, or the like may be used, and a precursor of an adhesion material (paste, slurry, or ink) may be adhered, heated, or dried as long as the adhesion material having an action of covering the separator substrate 100 is obtained as a result. As such an adhesion material, there is a dense carbon-based material and/or a porous carbon-based material. Such an adhesive material is made to adhere to the surface of the separator and/or the surface of the gas diffusion layer facing the separator.
Like the ribs 11 of the coolant flow field 21, the ribs 12 of the reactant gas flow field 22 are made of a highly conductive adhesive material. Accordingly, as the adhesion material of the reaction gas flow path 22, a material which has excellent electrical conductivity and good thermal conductivity, is less likely to deteriorate, and can impart rigidity and reinforcement is desired.
As the adhesion material that can be used for each of the reactant gas flow paths 22, the same material as that used for the cooling medium flow path 21 can be used. Alternatively, the component of the adhesive material may be partially different depending on the characteristics required for each fluid guide channel. The reactant gas flow paths may use a homogeneous adhesive material for the anode and the cathode, or may use a heterogeneous adhesive material.
For example, in the case of using a porous carbon-based material as the adhesion material of the reaction gas flow path 22, since there are voids, heat can be efficiently taken away from the object to be cooled. This is because the presence of the air gap ensures air permeability, and therefore, when the liquid such as water present on the cathode side is vaporized, the heat of vaporization is taken away from the surroundings, which has a cooling effect. Such a porous carbon-based material is preferably used as an adhesion material for the flow path of the oxidizing gas.
In addition, the term "bondability/adhesiveness" as used herein means, energy required for interfacial peeling and/or peeling near the interface to occur between the surface of the separator substrate 100 and the surface treated layer and/or the surface modified layer 105, between the surface treated layer and/or the surface modified layer 105 and the reinforcing layer 106, between the surface treated layer and/or the surface modified layer 105 covering the separator substrate 100 and the bottom of the rib 11 of the cooling medium flow path, between the surface treated layer and/or the surface modified layer 105 covering the separator substrate 100 and the bottom of the rib 12 of the reaction gas flow path, between the reinforcing layer 106 and the bottom of the rib 11 of the cooling medium flow path, between the reinforcing layer 106 and the bottom of the rib 12 of the reaction gas flow path, between the reinforcing portion 106A and the surface treated layer and/or the surface modified layer 105, and between other adjacent layers.
As described above, the materials constituting the components (1) to (5) are not particularly limited, and the functions required for the respective components may be grasped, and the most suitable materials may be selected as desired, and the characteristics of these constituent materials may be appropriately applied. The method for producing the separator of the present invention is not particularly limited, and appropriate conditions may be selected in consideration of the structure and material of the desired separator substrate 100, the material of the fluid guide flow path, the product shape of other fuel cell constituent members, and the like.
(Structure and manufacturing method of separator)
The structure of the separator and the basic manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention will be described below as a preferred embodiment with reference to fig. 7. This basic manufacturing method is mainly described in detail in embodiment 1, and in embodiment 2, the basic manufacturing method described in embodiment 1 is described with emphasis on different structures and steps. In embodiment 3, a description will be given with an emphasis on different configurations and steps based on the basic manufacturing method described in embodiment 2.
A basic flow of a separator and a method for manufacturing the same in embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 7. The structure and the manufacturing method of the separator according to embodiment 1 described below are only referred to, and the present invention is not limited to this. The manufacturing process and steps may be added, omitted, or modified as appropriate depending on the structure and shape of the components, the materials used, and the composition or type of the materials, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
In embodiment 1, the cooling medium flow path 21 is attached between two conductive separator substrates 100 to form a separator body. That is, the separator substrate 100 functions as a bottom plate in which the ribs 11 of the coolant flow field are formed. Since the rib 11 constituting the channel through which the cooling medium passes is attached to the separator base material 100, it is not necessary to mold the separator base material 100 into a channel-shaped flow path shape as in the conventional art. That is, the rib 11 constituting the coolant flow field may be attached only after the separator substrate 100 is cut to the size required for the separator. In embodiment 1, as shown in fig. 3, the reactant gas flow paths are attached to the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5, but not to the separators 6 and 7, and therefore, in the above case, no reactant gas flow path is provided on the separator side.
The separator needs to be moderately rigid and conductive. The separator for a fuel cell of the present invention may have a thickness of 10 to 1,000 μm. In embodiment 1, a conductive flexible film having a small thickness is used as the separator base material 100. Using a conductive flexible film material (10m omega cm) with low resistance2Below) as the separator substrate 100 to form the separator of the present invention. The thickness of the separator substrate 100 may be 10 to 50 μm. As shown in fig. 2A, a separator in the range of the central active region was used as the separator of embodiment 1, and the separator substrate 100 used for the separator was obtained by cutting a conductive flexible film into a desired size.
In order to shape the ribs 11 of the fluid guide flow path, a precursor (paste, slurry, or ink) as an adhesion material of the raw material is selectively adhered to the separator substrate 100, and is heated and dried. The components of the precursor (paste, slurry or ink) of the adhesion material are mixed in various proportions and types. As one example, among the components contained therein, a carbon-containing conductive paste of a conductive material, a binder resin, a dispersion solvent, and various additives is typical. One of each component may be used alone, or two or more of them may be mixed to improve physical properties or reduce the price. As an example of the means for uniformly mixing the above components, for example, a stirrer/defoaming device can be used. By adjusting the concentration of the dispersion liquid, a paste-like deposition liquid (precursor of the deposition material) which is less likely to clog pipes, nozzles, and the like of the deposition apparatus can be obtained by stirring, dispersing, and mixing a minimum amount of the additive/dispersant and a maximum necessary amount of the conductive material in an appropriate solvent.
The method of adhering the fluid guide channel may be a known method, and for example, an adhering method using an apparatus capable of developing an adhering method such as coating, printing, dispensing, spraying, and transferring may be used. The ribs 11 and 12 of the flow path are formed by a small amount of adhesion which is repeatedly fixed, and therefore it is desirable to perform adhesion by an automatic control device. Only the ribs 11, 12 of the fluid guide flow path may be selectively covered with an attaching device (flow path forming device) including a screen printer, an ink jet printer, a spray coater, a roll coater, a dispenser, a 3D printer, other suitable device, or the like. In other words, the ribs 11 and 12 are shaped on the surface of the base material by local adhesion using these devices. Further, an attaching device in a roll-to-roll manner may be introduced in order to correct the deformation of the base material and perform the attachment. These automatically controlled attachment devices help to improve productivity.
Further, after the adhesion step, a surface treatment may be performed. The surface treatment in this case may be a treatment such as carbon coating, water repellency, or hydrophilicity of the attached ribs 11 and 12, and by these treatments, the interfacial adhesion and adhesion between the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer 105 (or the reinforcing layer 106) applied to the surface of the separator substrate 100 and the ribs 11 and 12 of the flow channel can be improved, and the drainage of reaction water can also be improved.
In embodiment 1, the height of the fluid guide channel may be, for example, 1 to 500 μm. Since the fuel gas flow path and the oxidizing gas flow path are attached to the surfaces of the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5 on one side and the separator body that bonds the two separator substrates 100 together is a common separator in which the anode-side separator 6 and the cathode-side separator 7 are not designated (the reactant gas flow paths are not formed on the separator side), there is an advantage that the degree of freedom in process management of the separator members is increased and the assembly can be rationalized.
FIG. 7 is an exemplary flowchart for explaining the method of manufacturing the separator in embodiments 1 to 3. A method for manufacturing a separator according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 3 to 7. The method for producing the separator is performed by the following steps [1] to [8 ].
A step [1] of forming a substrate, which is referred to as a substrate production step;
a step [2] of cutting the substrate to a desired size, which is referred to as a cutting step;
a step [3] of forming a modified layer on the surface of the substrate, which is referred to as a surface treatment step;
a step [4] of forming a reinforcing layer, which is referred to as a reinforcing layer formation step;
a step [5] of forming a coolant flow channel, which is referred to as a coolant flow channel forming step;
step [6], bonding the substrates, this step being referred to as a bonding step;
a step [7] of rolling and heat treatment, which is referred to as a pressure/heat treatment step;
step [8], the reaction gas flow path is formed, and this step is referred to as a reaction gas flow path forming step.
The basic manufacturing method of the separator of the present invention includes a total of 8 steps of a substrate manufacturing step [1], a cutting step [2], a surface treatment step [3], a reinforcing layer forming step [4], a cooling medium flow passage forming step [5], a bonding step [6], a pressure and heat treatment step [7], and a reaction gas flow passage forming step [8 ]. In embodiment 1, a total of 7 steps including steps [1], [2], [3], [5], [6], [7], and [8] are performed. In embodiment 2 described later, a reinforcing layer forming step [4] of forming the reinforcing layer 106 is added. In embodiment 3 described later, a part of the reinforcing layer forming step [4] is skipped, and a step of simultaneously adhering the reinforcing layer 106 and the rib 12 is added to the reaction gas flow path 22 forming step [8 ].
Next, a flow of a method for manufacturing a separator according to embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. First, in the substrate preparation step [1], the separator substrate 100 is formed by combining and winding (mixing, laminating, coating, pressing/heating, and finishing) a conductive material, a resin composition, and a reinforcing material. Then, the process proceeds to a cutting step [2 ].
In the cutting step [2], the separator substrate 100 (for example, having a thickness of about 50 μm, an electric conductivity of 500S/cm, and a thermal conductivity of 1700W/mk) is cut to a desired size. A cutting process of cutting the separator substrate 100 into a rough shape is performed. In addition, since the separator base material 100 is a very thin material, the work of cutting to a desired size is easy. Then, the process proceeds to a surface treatment step [3 ].
In the treatment step [3], the surface of the separator substrate 100 is cleaned in advance, and a surface treatment layer and/or a surface modified layer 105 is formed on the surface. That is, in order to obtain sufficient adhesion and adhesion, a cleaning treatment for removing dirt such as foreign matter or contamination present on the surface of the substrate may be performed, and then a plating film (surface-treated layer) or the like may be formed using the same material as the adhesive material, or the surface-treated layer 105 having an inclined functional structure in which the total content of carbon components in the surface-treated layer 105 increases from the substrate side to another material layer (for example, the reinforcing layer 106 or the like) may be formed, or a surface modification treatment such as a corona treatment, a low-temperature plasma treatment, a chemical treatment, a solvent treatment, or another appropriate treatment may be performed as a pretreatment for modifying the cover surface of the separator substrate 100. For example, the surface treatment layer 105 may have a thickness of 1 to 1,000 nm. The thickness of the surface modification layer 105 may be 0.1 to 1,000 nm. Then, the process proceeds to a step [5] of forming a coolant flow field.
In the coolant flow field forming step [5], the coolant flow field 21 is formed only on one of the two separator base materials 100 (for example, the first separator base material 101) which has been subjected to the surface modification treatment in advance. Alternatively, the ribs 11 of the coolant flow field may be provided alternately on the two separator base materials 100 (the first separator base material 101 and the second separator base material 102). In the embodiment described later, the process of providing the reinforcing layer 106 may be performed before forming the fluid guide flow path, but this process is arbitrary, and in embodiment 1, as shown in fig. 3, an example in which the reinforcing layer 106 is not provided and the rib 11 is directly attached to the surface-treated separator substrate 100 is shown, and an effect of reducing the thickness of the separator can be obtained. In the above case, for example, the fluid guide flow path can be provided by using various flow path patterns as shown in fig. 6 while taking into consideration the entire frame structure of the separator base material 100 having a small thickness, and thus the separator can be reinforced. As an example of the attaching device that forms these fluid guide flow paths, the flow path forming device that can adopt a method of coating, printing, dispensing, jetting, transferring, or the like includes attaching devices of screen printers, inkjet printers, dispensing machines, sprayers, roll coaters, other reasonable devices, and the like. The drying temperature after the attachment is related to the drying rate and can be selected according to the properties of the material used. In forming the fluid guide flow path on the surface of the base material, the shorter the drying time, the better. The unwanted solvent is evaporated and removed during the drying process. Then, the process proceeds to a bonding step [6 ].
As an example, the bonding step [6] can bond one substrate on which the fluid guide channel is formed to another substrate by sandwiching the sealing material 20 around the fluid guide channel. It is important to perform bonding while adjusting so as to push out air at the interface between the base material and the ribs 11 and 12 and prevent the adhering material from entering the space of the channel portion serving as the flow path. In the case where the ribs 11 of the coolant flow field are alternately provided on the two separator substrates 100, the ribs 11 may be bonded by hand so as to be engaged just end to end, or an automatic bonding apparatus or the like capable of continuous automatic bonding may be used in consideration of the subsequent process. Then, the process proceeds to a pressure heat treatment step [7 ].
In the pressure-heat treatment step [7], the bonded separator substrate 100 is pressure-bonded by a press. As one example, the crimping method may be pressing, such as pressing by a roller, pressing with a load applied, cold stamping with a clamp or torque wrench, a turnbuckle, pressing by hot stamping, and other methods. It can also be performed by one of radiation, conduction, and convection as a general heating method. Heating by conduction is a contact type, and heating by radiation or convection is a non-contact type. In the pressure-heat treatment step [7] of the present invention, although there is no particular limitation on the heat treatment for forming the cooling medium flow paths 21, in order to uniformly distribute the heat inside the two base materials and the respective ribs 11 that enter the base materials in a complicated manner, heating may be performed by applying surface pressure (pressing force of 0.01 to 10MPa) by conduction contact using a hot press that is performed from both surfaces. By this pressure-heating treatment, which can apply a predetermined surface pressure and cure it, the interface can be bonded by the adhesive component contained in the adhesive resin in the vicinity of the interface between the rib 11 and the reinforcing layer 106, and components such as water and a dispersant remaining can be completely removed. Also, the residual stress can be removed. As described above, when this step [7] is completed, the basic shape of the separator according to embodiment 1 of the present invention is completed.
Next, as shown in fig. 3, the step [8] of forming the reactant gas flow field is a step of forming the anode-side separator 6 by attaching the fuel gas flow field rib 12 to one surface of the gas diffusion layer 4 of embodiment 1 after the steps [1] to [7 ]. The cathode-side separator 7 is formed by attaching the oxidizing gas flow field rib 12 to one surface of the gas diffusion layer 5 in embodiment 1.
That is, in the present invention, the substrate to which at least one of the fuel gas flow field and the oxidizing gas flow field is attached may be a gas diffusion layer substrate, not the separator substrate 100, but in embodiment 1, the reaction gas flow field ribs 12 are all attached to the surfaces of the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5, and therefore the reaction gas flow field 22 is not attached to the outer surface of the separator main body sandwiching the coolant flow field 21. In this case, the rib portions 12 of the reaction gas flow paths are attached to the surfaces of the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5 on the side opposite to the separator. In this case, the rib 12 is directly attached to the surfaces of the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5, instead of forming the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer 105 and the reinforcing layer 106 on the surfaces of the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5 in advance. The surfaces of the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5 to which the reactant gas flow paths 22 are attached are brought into contact with the corresponding separator surfaces, thereby forming channel portions of the reactant gas flow paths 22. In the present invention, the surface of the substrate to which the ribs 12 of the reactant gas flow paths are attached is not particularly limited, and may be the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5 or the separators 6 and 7. Alternatively, the reactant gas flow field ribs 12 may be alternately attached to the surface of the separator substrate 100 and the surfaces of the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5 facing the surface so that the reactant gas flow field ribs do not overlap. In the above case, the flow channel ribs 11 and 12 are attached to the separator substrate 100 after the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer 105 and the reinforcement layer 106 are formed, and the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer 105 and the reinforcement layer 106 are not provided on the gas diffusion layer substrate.
The material for the ribs 12 constituting the reactant gas flow field adhering to the surface of the gas diffusion layer substrate and the material for the ribs 11 constituting the coolant flow field may be the same, and may be different locally or over the entire surface as long as they are electrically and thermally conductive. The separator of embodiment 1 may be applied with a similar structure, material composition, and mixing ratio to those of the reaction gas flow paths 22 attached to the anode-side gas diffusion layer 4 and the cathode-side gas diffusion layer 5, or may be applied with a different structure, material composition, and mixing ratio.
Fig. 3 shows an example of a separator in which the fuel gas flow field and the oxidizing gas flow field are formed on the gas diffusion layer side. Examples of the deposition device for forming the reaction gas flow paths 22 include a flow path forming device using a coating, printing, dispensing, spraying, transfer method, etc., a micro-discharge device, and other suitable devices. The heating process for forming the reaction gas flow path 22 is not particularly limited, but it is desirable to heat the reaction gas flow path from the inside by radiating infrared rays using an electric heater in a non-contact manner. The resin is suitable for infrared heating with a wavelength of 3-3.5 microns. The radiation described above has an advantage that infrared rays penetrate into the separator substrate 100, the ribs 11 and 12, or the reinforcing layer 106, and thus can be heated to a deep portion. By this heat treatment, the interface is brought into close contact with the adhesive component of the adhesive resin contained in the vicinity of the interface between the ribs 11 and 12 or the reinforcing layer 106, and the residual components such as moisture and a dispersant are volatilized. In addition, residual stress can be removed.
As described above, the fluid guide flow path according to the present invention includes two types of the reactant gas flow path 22 and the coolant flow path 21. In the reactant gas flow field 22, there are two types of flow fields, a fuel gas flow field (anode) and an oxidizing gas flow field (cathode). The fluid guide flow path of the present invention is different from the integrated gas flow path of the substrate and the flow path which are commonly used in a separator or a gas diffusion layer, and has a specification in which ribs 11 and 12 constituting the fluid guide flow path are formed between the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5 and the separators 6 and 7. That is, the fluid guide channel to which the present invention is applied is not integrated with the separators 6 and 7 or the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5, but is independently located in the middle of these base materials, and the channel ribs 11 and 12 are different from the base materials of the base materials. That is, it can be understood that the channel ribs 11 and 12 and the reinforcing layer 106 belong to the fluid guide channel, and the surface-treated layer and/or the surface-modified layer 105 belong to the separator substrate. The reaction gas flow path 22 will be described in detail in embodiments 2 and 3.
In embodiment 1, the same kind of conductive flexible film is used for both of the two separator substrates 100, but the same kind of conductive flexible film is not necessarily used, and the types may be different if the conductive flexible film is flat and thin with low contact resistance.
In summary, the present invention is characterized in that the coolant flow field 21 is provided between two separator substrates 100 of one or more kinds of conductive flexible film materials, and is a flexible separator capable of being used in a roll-to-roll manner. In other words, the separator according to embodiment 1, simultaneously, has the following functions: the function of the flow path for allowing the cooling medium to flow through the cooling medium flow path 21 provided between the two separator substrates 100 is to provide a function of coupling the separators 6, 7 positioned between the two cells, a function of providing an electrically conductive path and a heat radiation path, and a function of reinforcing the separator body to increase its rigidity. In embodiment 1, a separator having electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and gas impermeability is realized by forming ribs 12 of a reaction gas flow path on a gas diffusion layer substrate surface (a surface facing the gas diffusion layer on the separator side) using a thin, electrically conductive flexible film material having excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and gas impermeability as a separator substrate and using a sealing material 20 capable of achieving gas impermeability without mixing reaction gas.
As described above, the structure and the manufacturing method of the fuel cell separator according to embodiment 1 of the present invention are merely an example, and are not limited to those described in the present specification.
In embodiment 2, a separator in which a conductive flexible film material serving as the separator base material 100 is reinforced will be described. The rest is the same as embodiment 1. The separator base material 100 in embodiment 2 uses both a substrate on which the ribs 11 of the coolant flow field are formed and a substrate on which the reaction gas flow field 22 is formed.
In embodiment 2, the constituent material of the separator base material 100 and the adhesive material forming the various fluid guide channels (reaction gas, cooling medium) contain a conductive material, whereby the entire separator can be made conductive and heat conductive. The ribs 12 constituting the reactant gas flow field may be formed of the same material as the ribs 11 constituting the coolant flow field, or may be formed of a different material. The material constituting the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer 105 and/or the reinforcing layer 106 may be the same as the material constituting the ribs 11 and 12, may be partially different from the material constituting the ribs, or may be finely adjusted in the mixing ratio according to various requirements.
A separator and a method for manufacturing the separator according to embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 7. The method for manufacturing a separator according to embodiment 2 described below is only one reference, and the present invention is not limited to this. The manufacturing process and steps may be added, omitted, or modified as appropriate depending on the structure and shape of the components, the materials used, and the composition or type of the materials, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
The method of manufacturing the separator according to embodiment 2 of the present invention is performed by the following steps [1] to [8] shown in fig. 7.
As described in embodiment 1, the method for producing a separator of the present invention includes the substrate producing step [1], the cutting step [2], the surface treating step [3], the reinforcing layer forming step [4], the coolant flow channel forming step [5], the bonding step [6], the pressure and heat treating step [7], the reaction gas flow channel forming step [8], and a total of 8 steps. In embodiment 1, 7 steps in total of steps [1], [2], [3], [5], [6], [7] and [8] are performed. In embodiment 2, a reinforcing layer forming step [4] is added. The same contents as those of the manufacturing process of the separator described in embodiment 1 will be omitted. Here, the reinforced layer forming step [4] and the reaction gas flow path forming step [8], which are the features of embodiment 2 of the present invention, will be described.
The flow of the method for manufacturing a separator according to embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described in addition. In embodiment 2 of the present invention, after the surface treatment step [3] is completed, the reinforcing layer forming step [4] is performed. After the pressure-heat treatment step [7] is completed, a reaction gas flow path forming step [8] is performed.
As shown in fig. 4, in the reinforcing layer forming step [4] of embodiment 2, the reinforcing layer 106 capable of improving the rigidity of the separator substrate, which is very thin, is applied to the side of the separator facing the coolant flow field 21, and then the rib 11 of the coolant flow field is attached thereto. For example, the thickness of the reinforcing layer 106 may be 1 to 50 μm. The reinforcing layer 106 formed of the same material as or a different material from the flow channel adhesion material has the function of providing rigidity to the separator substrate having a small thickness, the function of preventing corrosion of the separator substrate, and the function of improving the bondability and adhesion to the flow channel ribs 11 and 12. In addition, the reinforcement of the separator substrate 100 can be realized by using, for example, a flow path pattern shown in fig. 6.
As shown in fig. 4, in the step [8] of forming the reactant gas flow field in embodiment 2, a reinforcing layer 106 that is very thin and can improve the rigidity of the separator substrate is applied to the side of the separator substrate opposite to the gas diffusion layer, and then the rib 12 of the reactant gas flow field is attached thereto. The reinforcing layer 106 formed of the same material as or a different material from the adhesive material has a function of providing rigidity to the separator substrate having a small thickness, a function of preventing corrosion of the separator substrate, and a function of improving the adhesiveness and the close contact with the flow channel ribs 11 and 12. In addition, the reinforcement of the separator substrate 100 can be realized by using, for example, a flow path pattern shown in fig. 6.
The coating method of the strengthening layer 106 may be a known method, and may include, for example: a film forming apparatus, a spray coater, a dispenser, a coater, an ink jet, a spray coating, a roll coater, and other suitable apparatuses, which are included in the reinforcing layer forming apparatus using coating, printing, dispensing, spraying, transfer, and the like. It is desirable to perform attachment (coating, printing, dispensing, jetting, transfer) by automatically controlling the attachment device. Such an automatically controlled attachment device contributes to an improvement in productivity. Of course, the device for forming the fluid guide flow path, the device for forming the strengthening layer 106, and the device used when the plating film is formed as the surface-treated layer and/or the surface-modified layer 105 may all be formed using one multifunctional attachment device. Fig. 4 shows an example of a separator in which the ribs 12 of the fuel gas flow field and the ribs 12 of the oxidizing gas flow field are formed on the reinforcing layers 106 formed on the two separator substrates 100.
In the case where the reaction gas flow path 22 is provided on the separator substrate side, as part of the reaction gas flow path forming step [8], a hydrophilic coating liquid, a hydrophobic coating liquid or a water repellent coating liquid may be applied to the entire surface or a part of the reaction gas flow path 22 by a roll coating method, a spray coating method, a printing method, a brush coating method or the like. Alternatively, the operation of adhering the hydrophilic coating liquid or the like may be performed only on the bottom of the channel portion of the reactant gas flow field 22.
The planar pattern of the reactant gas flow field 22 formed in the anode side separator 6 and the cathode side separator 7 may be formed in a serpentine shape, a serpentine rotational shape, a linear shape, a dimple shape, or other shapes, and the positions of the ribs may be designed so that the fuel cell has excellent power generation characteristics such as electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity that efficiently dissipates the generated heat, and so on, and so that the fluid is efficiently guided from the supply port to the discharge port of each fluid. The pattern shape of the reactant gas flow field 22 may be designed to have a function of reinforcing the frame structure of the separator.
In embodiment 2, the ribs 12 of the reactant gas flow field are attached to the separators 6 and 7, thereby forming the channel portions through which the reactant gas passes. In the present invention, the surface of the substrate to which the ribs 12 of the reactant gas flow field are attached is not particularly limited, and may be the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5 or the separators 6 and 7. Alternatively, the surfaces of the separator substrate 100 and the gas diffusion layer substrate facing the separator substrate may be alternately attached so that the attachment positions of the reactant gas flow field ribs 12 do not overlap.
In summary, the present invention is characterized in that a flexible separator is provided, which is a flexible separator that can be produced in a roll-to-roll manner by providing a coolant flow field 21 between two separator substrates 100 made of one or more kinds of conductive flexible film materials, forming a reaction gas flow field 22 on the outer surface of a separator body sandwiching the coolant flow field 21. The separator according to embodiment 1 has the following functions: the separator 6, 7 located between the two individual battery cells is bonded to function as a flow path through which a cooling medium flows via a cooling medium flow path 21 provided between the two separator substrates, function as a conductive path and a heat dissipation path, and function as a reinforcing member for enhancing the rigidity of the separator body. In addition, the anode-side separator 6 and the cathode-side separator 7 can be distinguished by forming the reactant gas flow field 22 on at least one side surface of the separator. In embodiment 2, a thin conductive flexible film having excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and gas impermeability is used as a base material, the sealing material 20 capable of achieving gas impermeability without mixing the reaction gas is used, and the ribs 11 and 12 of the cooling medium flow path and the reaction gas flow path are formed on the reinforcing layer 106, whereby a separator having electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, gas impermeability, rigidity, and reinforcement can be realized.
According to the separator of embodiment 2, a similar structure, material composition, and mixing ratio to those of the anode-side separator 6 and the cathode-side separator 7 may be applied, or a different structure, material composition, and mixing ratio may be applied.
In the present invention, the same conductive flexible film material is used as the two base materials, but the anode side base material and the cathode side base material may be different base materials.
Of course, the structure and the manufacturing method of the fuel cell separator according to embodiment 2 of the present invention described above are merely an example, and are not limited to the contents described in the present specification.
In embodiment 3, a separator in which a conductive flexible film material serving as a separator base material is reinforced will be further described. The rest is the same as embodiment 2.
As described above, the reactant gas flow field 22 includes both the fuel gas flow field and the oxidizing gas flow field. The flow path shapes corresponding to the respective reaction gases are adhered to both surfaces of the separator main body in embodiment 2, and the anode side and the cathode side of the separator can be distinguished through this step. Since the separators described in embodiments 1 and 2 are provided between the battery cells, when the anode flow path is attached to one surface of the separator, the other surface of the separator is inevitably a cathode.
A separator and a method for manufacturing the separator in embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 7. The method for manufacturing a separator according to embodiment 3 described below is only one reference, and the present invention is not limited to this. The manufacturing process and steps may be added, omitted, or modified as appropriate depending on the structure and shape of the components, the materials used, and the composition or type of the materials, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
The method of manufacturing the separator according to embodiment 3 of the present invention is performed by the following steps [1] to [8] shown in fig. 7.
As described in embodiment 1, the method for producing a separator of the present invention includes a substrate producing step [1], a cutting step [2], a surface treatment step [3], a reinforcing layer forming step [4], a cooling medium channel forming step [5], a bonding step [6], a pressure and heat treatment step [7], a reaction gas channel forming step [8], and a total of 8 steps. In embodiment 2, a total of 8 steps of steps [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], and [8] are performed. In embodiment 3, a part of the reinforcing layer forming step [4] is skipped, and a step of simultaneously adhering the reinforcing part 106A and the rib 12 is added to the reaction gas channel forming step [8 ]. The same contents as those of the manufacturing process of the separator described in embodiment 2 will be omitted. Here, the step [8] of forming the reaction gas flow path, which is a feature of embodiment 3 of the present invention, will be described.
The flow of the method for manufacturing a separator according to embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described in addition. In embodiment 3 of the present invention, after the pressure-heat treatment step [7] is completed, the step [8] of forming the reaction gas flow path is performed, with a part of the reinforcing layer forming step [4] skipped.
As shown in fig. 5, in the reinforcing layer forming step [4] of embodiment 3, the reinforcing layer 106 is provided on the separator substrate side to which the coolant flow field 21 is attached, and the reinforcing layer 106 is not provided on the separator substrate side to which the reaction gas flow field 22 is attached. As shown in fig. 5, in the step [8] of forming the reaction gas flow path in embodiment 3, the rib 12 is attached so that the reinforcing portion 106A that can increase the rigidity of the separator base material 100 is formed to be reasonably thin on the surface of the separator on the side where the reaction gas flow path is formed. In fig. 5, an example in which the rib 12 of the reactant gas flow path is closely attached is shown using a partially enlarged view at the upper right. As a result of the ribs 12 being adhered so as to be closely overlapped, it is found that the reinforcing portion 106A is inevitably formed on the surface of the substrate at a portion corresponding to the reinforcing layer 106. In other words, the reinforcing portion 106A is formed simultaneously with the rib 12 of the reactant gas flow field. The reinforcing portion 106A coated with the coating in the same manner as the adhesive material has not only the electrical conductivity and the thermal conductivity but also the function of reinforcing the thin substrate over the entire surface and the function of preventing corrosion of the separator substrate 100.
Although the heating treatment after the reaction gas flow path 22 is molded on the surface of the separator substrate 100 is not particularly limited, it is desirable to heat from the inside by radiating infrared rays using an electric heater in a non-contact manner. The radiation described above has an advantage that infrared rays penetrate into the separator substrate 100, the ribs 11 and 12, or the reinforcing layer 106, and thus can be heated to a deep portion. By this heat treatment, the interface is bonded by the adhesive component of the adhesive resin contained in the vicinity of the interface of the separator substrate 100, the ribs 11 and 12, or the reinforcing layer 106, and the residual moisture, the dispersant, or other components are volatilized to remove the residual stress.
As an example of the attaching means for forming such a reaction gas flow path 22, those included in the flow path forming means using coating, printing, dispensing, spraying, transfer, and the like are: attachment devices including screen printers, ink jet printers, sprayers, roll coaters, dispensing machines, and other suitable devices, and the like. In summary, the invention is characterized in that: a flexible separator (flexible separator) which is formed by a roll-to-roll method, in which a coolant flow field 21 is provided between two substrates made of one or more kinds of conductive flexible film materials, and a reaction gas flow field 22 is formed on at least the other side surface of one of the substrates. In other words, the separator according to embodiment 3 has the following effects: the function of the flow path for allowing the cooling medium to flow through the cooling medium flow path 21 provided between the two separator substrates 100 is to provide a function of coupling the separators 6, 7 positioned between the two cells, a function of providing an electrically conductive path and a heat radiation path, and a function of reinforcing the separator body to increase its rigidity. In addition, the anode-side separator 6 and the cathode-side separator 7 can be distinguished by forming the reactant gas flow field 22 on at least one side surface of the separator. In embodiment 3, a thin conductive flexible film excellent in conductivity, thermal conductivity and gas impermeability is used as a base material, a sealant 20 capable of achieving gas impermeability without mixing of reaction gas is used, and the reinforcing layer 106 and the rib 12 of the cooling medium flow path attached to the reinforcing layer 106 reinforce the separator, and the rib 12 and the reinforcing portion 106A formed directly in the reaction gas flow path of the base material are attached, whereby a separator having conductivity, thermal conductivity, gas impermeability, rigidity and reinforcement can be realized with a small number of steps.
According to the separator of embodiment 3, a similar structure, material composition, or mixing ratio to the anode-side separator 6 and the cathode-side separator 7 may be applied, or a different structure, material composition, or mixing ratio may be applied.
In the present invention, the same conductive flexible film material is used as the two base materials, but the anode side base material and the cathode side base material may be different base materials.
Of course, the structure and the manufacturing method of the fuel cell separator according to embodiment 3 of the present invention described above are merely an example, and are not limited to the contents described in the present specification.
The examples described in embodiments 1 to 3 are each independent structures. The respective embodiments 1 to 3 can be combined as appropriate.
Effects of the invention
As described above, the separator according to embodiments 1 to 3 of the present invention is a separator including two separator substrates 100, the coolant flow field 21 formed by the adhesion method, and/or the reactant gas flow field 22 formed by the adhesion method, and therefore can exhibit the following effects.
According to the separator for a fuel cell of the present invention, two separator substrates 100 using one or more kinds of conductive flexible films are bonded to each other, and a coolant flow field 21 formed using a functional material having electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity is provided therebetween. By using the fluid guide channel formed by the separator substrate 100 and the adhesive material, which have high electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, a separator having stable electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity can be obtained. Further, as a structural application, the specific stiffness of the separator can be improved by utilizing the reinforcing effect of the rib 11 of the coolant flow path formed between the two separator substrates 100.
According to the fuel cell separator of the present invention, the separator base material 100 that is thin in the range of 10 to 100 μm is used, and the fluid guide channel is attached to the base material, so that the thickness of the individual unit of the fuel cell can be suppressed, the stacking interval (cell pitch) of the fuel cell stack can be shortened, and a fuel cell that is thinner and lighter in thickness and weight, and has a high power output volume density and a high power output weight density can be realized as compared with a metal separator.
According to the fuel cell separator of the present invention, the fluid guide flow channel having both the reinforcing layer and the frame structure is formed using the same or different material as the ribs 11 and 12 for at least one or both of the two substrates, and the joining property and the adhesion property between the thin separator substrate 100 having electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, gas impermeability, and corrosion resistance and the flow channel ribs can be improved, and the separator substrate 100 can be reinforced by the flow channel ribs of various pattern shapes, and the rigidity and the reinforcement property of the separator can be improved.
According to the separator for a fuel cell of the present invention, when the reactant gas flow field 22 is attached to the surfaces of the gas diffusion layers 4 and 5, the separator body in which the coolant flow field 21 is formed by bonding two substrates can be a common separator that is suitable for both the anode side and the cathode side, and the degree of freedom in assembly can be improved.
According to the separator for a fuel cell of the present invention, since the flexible film base material having gas impermeability is used as the base, the reactant gases flowing through the adjacent channels can be prevented from mixing, and the separator has high gas barrier properties; further, the separator has high flexibility to effectively absorb stress, and when the separator having such flexibility is used in a fuel cell, concentration of stress and corrosion stress in the MEA caused by heat generation and expansion in the cell during power generation can be alleviated. Further, with such flexibility, even in the case where deformation occurs due to external heat and external force during use of the fuel cell, an effect is obtained in which displacement can be absorbed without affecting the inside of the cell. That is, it is possible to prevent the surface pressure distribution from becoming inappropriate by flexibly deforming when assembling the fuel cell stack, and to facilitate handling. By using the separator of the present invention, thermal durability/reliability and mechanical durability/reliability in a highly active reaction environment can be improved, and the battery life can be improved.
According to the separator for a fuel cell of the present invention, a highly conductive carbon composite flexible film is used for the separator substrate 100. The highly conductive carbon composite flexible film material is composed of a conductive carbon material, a resin composition and a conductive carbon reinforcing material. A separator having higher corrosion resistance than a metal separator can be obtained. In addition, by adding fine graphite fibers and/or carbon nanotubes and/or graphene when forming the separator substrate 100, the rigidity, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and gas impermeability of the separator substrate 100 can be improved. Further, by orienting the fine graphite fibers and/or the carbon nanotubes and/or the graphene in the vertical direction or the oblique penetrating direction on the surface of the separator substrate 100, properties such as contact resistance with the surface of the separator substrate 100 and interface heat conduction can be improved.
According to the separator for a fuel cell of the present invention, a highly conductive adhesive material is used as a material of the fluid guide channel adhered to the separator base material 100. Fine graphite fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, other materials, or a combination thereof contained in the adhesive material are entangled with a conductive resin as the second material as the first material, so that the conductivity, mechanical strength, and heat-resistant strength of the ribs 11 and 12 can be improved, and the separator can be provided with heat resistance deterioration and rigidity/reinforcement.
According to the separator for a fuel cell of the present invention, the fluid guide channel can be directly attached to the substrate by using a roll-to-roll method in which various substrates can be wound in a roll shape and an attachment technique, and thus, the separator can be made thin, light, and bendable at low cost. Since the attached fluid guide flow channel is formed independently of the base material, a mold for molding the flow channel of the metal separator is not required, and the effect of easily coping with the flow channel design accompanying the specification change at a low cost can be obtained.
According to the separator for a fuel cell of the present invention, the manufacturing method and the steps thereof are constituted by a total of 8 steps, each of the base material producing step [1], the cutting step [2], the surface treatment step [3], the reinforcing layer forming step [4], the cooling medium flow passage forming step [5], the bonding step [6], the pressure and heat treatment step [7] and the reaction gas flow passage forming step [8], in accordance with the design specifications of the separator, and all of the respective components can be formed by a two-dimensional processing method using adhesion, so that the effect of rapidly coping with fine adjustment accompanying specification change is obtained.
According to the separator for a fuel cell of the present invention, as a constituent element of the fluid guide flow path, the method of attaching the ribs 11 and 12 made of the dense carbon-based material or the porous carbon-based material uses the coating, printing, dispensing, spraying, and transferring method, and the roll-to-roll production method is applied, so that the production cost can be saved, and the productivity can be improved more efficiently. On the other hand, the precursor of the adhesive material is prepared by mixing one or more conductive materials and/or conductive composite materials, one or more adhesive resins, one or more dispersing solvents, other additives, other materials, and the like. By using the method, various adhesive materials can be prepared simply, and mass production can be performed at lower cost.
According to the separator for a fuel cell of the present invention, by using corona treatment, low-temperature plasma treatment, chemical treatment, solvent treatment, and other appropriate treatments as the surface modification pretreatment method of the separator base material 100 using the conductive flexible film material, corrosion of the surface of the base material can be prevented, and the adhesiveness and the close contact property between the separator base material 100 and the fluid guide flow path can be enhanced.
According to the separator for a fuel cell of the present invention, by providing the surface treatment layer 105 with an inclined functional structure in which the density of the carbon component is higher on the side of the strengthening layer 106 than on the side of the substrate, it is possible to reduce internal stress, prevent bending of the substrate or other material layers, prevent cracks from occurring, and prevent interfacial separation from occurring.
Thus, according to the separator for a fuel cell of the present invention, the coolant flow field 21 is formed on the surface of the separator base material made of the conductive flexible film material, and a separator having high conductivity, high thermal conductivity, high gas barrier properties, and corrosion resistance can be obtained. By constituting the fuel cell unit by using the thin, lightweight, and flexible separator, a highly reliable fuel cell having a high output volume density and a high output weight density can be obtained. Further, since the roll-to-roll production method is applied, handling of a thin, light, bendable roll-like base material can be realized, and productivity and cost can be significantly improved in a low-cost mass production process.
The present invention has been described above by way of several embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Industrial applicability of the invention
As described above, the fuel cell separator according to the present invention can stably supply the coolant and the reaction gas, and the fuel cell stack according to the present invention can secure stable power generation performance, and thus can be applied to applications such as a portable power source, a power source for portable equipment, and a power source for electric vehicles.
The fuel cell of the present invention can be used as a vehicle-mounted fuel cell. Wherein, except the car can also be used for the battery of unmanned aerial vehicle, aircraft.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features described in the embodiments of the present invention in the specification may be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve part or all of the problems and effects described above.
Claims (31)
- A separator for a fuel cell, comprising:a pair of oppositely arranged separator base materials, wherein the separator base materials are conductive carbon composite flexible film materials; anda cooling medium flow path disposed between the pair of separator base materials.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, further comprising:a reaction gas flow path disposed outside the separator substrate.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1,further comprising a surface treatment layer and/or a surface modification layer covering the surface of the separator substrate, the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer having at least one of the following characteristics: surface corrosion resistance, interfacial adhesion, and interfacial adhesion.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 3,and a strengthening layer for improving rigidity covering the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 4,the cooling medium flow path is formed on the separator base material, on the surface treatment layer, on the surface modification layer, or on the reinforcing layer.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 5,further comprising a reaction gas flow path disposed outside the separator substrate, the reaction gas flow path being formed on at least one of the separator substrate, the surface treatment layer, the surface modification layer, or the reinforcement layer.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1,the separator substrate comprises at least one conductive material and at least one resin composition.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 7,the separator substrate further comprises at least one conductivity enhancing material.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 8,the conductive reinforcing material includes fine graphite fibers, carbon nanotubes, and/or graphene.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 9,the conductive reinforcing material is arranged perpendicularly to the extending surface of the separator base material or obliquely with respect to the extending surface of the separator base material.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 2,the adhesion material of the cooling medium flow path and/or the reaction gas flow path includes a dense carbon-based material and/or a porous carbon-based material.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 2,a hydrophilic coating liquid, a hydrophobic coating liquid or a water-repellent coating liquid is adhered to all or a partial region of the reaction gas flow path, or a hydrophilic coating liquid is adhered only to the bottom of the channel portion of the reaction gas flow path.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1,the thickness of the separator substrate is within the range of 10-200 μm.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 3,the thickness of the surface treatment layer is within the range of 1-1,000 nm.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 4,the thickness of the surface modification layer is within the range of 0.1-1,000 nm.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 5,the thickness of the strengthening layer is within the range of 1-50 mu m.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 2,the height of the cooling medium flow path and/or the reaction gas flow path is in the range of 1 to 500 μm.
- The separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1,the thickness of the separator is within the range of 10-1,000 mu m.
- A fuel cell comprising a plurality of membrane-electrode assemblies each disposed between adjacent separators, and a plurality of separators according to any one of claims 1 to 18.
- The fuel cell of claim 19,the membrane-electrode assembly includes a catalyst-coated membrane and gas diffusion layers provided on first and second sides of the catalyst-coated membrane, respectively.
- The fuel cell according to claim 19, wherein a reaction gas flow path is arranged on the separator substrate side and/or a gas diffusion layer side opposite to the separator substrate.
- A method of manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell, characterized by comprising the steps of:providing a pair of separator substrates which are conductive carbon composite flexible films;a coolant flow field is attached to one side of at least one of the pair of separator base materials;and bonding the pair of separator base materials, wherein the coolant flow field is located between the pair of separator base materials.
- The method of manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell according to claim 22, further comprising applying pressure and/or heat to the pair of separator base materials after the pair of separator base materials are bonded.
- The method of manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell according to claim 22, further comprising forming a surface treatment layer and/or a surface modification layer on a surface of at least one of the pair of separator substrates, the surface treatment layer and/or the surface modification layer having at least one of the following characteristics: surface corrosion resistance, interfacial adhesion, and interfacial adhesion.
- The method of manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell according to claim 22, further comprising forming a strengthening layer for improving rigidity on a surface of at least one of the pair of separator substrates.
- The method of manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell according to claim 22, further comprising attaching a reaction gas flow field to a non-bonded side of at least one of the pair of separator substrates.
- The method of manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell according to claim 26, further comprising applying a hydrophilic coating liquid or a water repellent coating liquid to all or a partial region of the reactant gas flow paths.
- The method of manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell according to claim 22, wherein the method of providing the pair of separator base materials comprises:laminating a conductive material, a conductive reinforcing material, and a resin composition to form a laminate;covering the laminate with an elastic film;pressurizing and/or heating the laminate to harden the laminate.
- The method of manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell according to claim 24, wherein the material of the surface treatment layer includes:a material identical to a material of the rib constituting the coolant flow field; orAnd a material having an inclined functional structure in which the total content of carbon components increases from the separator base material side to the outside.
- The method of manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell according to claim 25,the adhesion material of the cooling medium flow path and/or the reaction gas flow path includes a first material and a second material that are intertwined with each other, the first material including fine carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, or a combination thereof, and the second material including a conductive resin.
- The method of manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell according to claim 25,the attaching method of the cooling medium flow path and/or the reaction gas flow path includes coating, printing, dispensing, spraying, and transferring.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2019/105090 WO2021046707A1 (en) | 2019-09-10 | 2019-09-10 | Separator plate for fuel cell, manufacturing method, and fuel cell using separator plate |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN114303264A true CN114303264A (en) | 2022-04-08 |
Family
ID=74866820
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN201980099646.0A Pending CN114303264A (en) | 2019-09-10 | 2019-09-10 | Separator for fuel cell, method for producing the same, and fuel cell using the same |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN114303264A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2021046707A1 (en) |
Citations (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN1665682A (en) * | 2002-06-28 | 2005-09-07 | 先进能源科技公司 | Assembling bipolar plates |
| CN1679191A (en) * | 2002-08-23 | 2005-10-05 | 本田技研工业株式会社 | Separator for fuel cell, and its manufacturing method |
| CN101091270A (en) * | 2004-12-29 | 2007-12-19 | Utc电力公司 | Fuel cell separator plate assembly |
| CN101421874A (en) * | 2006-05-16 | 2009-04-29 | 日本皮拉工业株式会社 | Separator for fuel cell and process for producing the same |
| US20140329168A1 (en) * | 2013-05-05 | 2014-11-06 | Daimler Ag | Hybrid bipolar plate assembly for fuel cells |
| CN106935866A (en) * | 2015-11-24 | 2017-07-07 | 大众汽车有限公司 | Bipolar plates for fuel cell and the fuel cell unit with the bipolar plates |
| CN107112550A (en) * | 2014-11-10 | 2017-08-29 | 二村化学株式会社 | The manufacture method of fuel cell channel member |
Family Cites Families (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP2005108616A (en) * | 2003-09-30 | 2005-04-21 | Nichias Corp | Separator for fuel cell, and its manufacturing method |
-
2019
- 2019-09-10 CN CN201980099646.0A patent/CN114303264A/en active Pending
- 2019-09-10 WO PCT/CN2019/105090 patent/WO2021046707A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN1665682A (en) * | 2002-06-28 | 2005-09-07 | 先进能源科技公司 | Assembling bipolar plates |
| CN1679191A (en) * | 2002-08-23 | 2005-10-05 | 本田技研工业株式会社 | Separator for fuel cell, and its manufacturing method |
| CN101091270A (en) * | 2004-12-29 | 2007-12-19 | Utc电力公司 | Fuel cell separator plate assembly |
| CN101421874A (en) * | 2006-05-16 | 2009-04-29 | 日本皮拉工业株式会社 | Separator for fuel cell and process for producing the same |
| US20140329168A1 (en) * | 2013-05-05 | 2014-11-06 | Daimler Ag | Hybrid bipolar plate assembly for fuel cells |
| CN107112550A (en) * | 2014-11-10 | 2017-08-29 | 二村化学株式会社 | The manufacture method of fuel cell channel member |
| CN106935866A (en) * | 2015-11-24 | 2017-07-07 | 大众汽车有限公司 | Bipolar plates for fuel cell and the fuel cell unit with the bipolar plates |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2021046707A1 (en) | 2021-03-18 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| KR100539649B1 (en) | Separator for fuel cell and fuel cell using the same | |
| US20190027763A1 (en) | Separator for fuel cell, manufacturing method thereof, and fuel cell having such a separator | |
| JP5798323B2 (en) | Electrochemical cell array, electrochemical system and method related thereto | |
| JP4105421B2 (en) | Electrode for polymer electrolyte fuel cell, polymer electrolyte fuel cell using the same, and power generation system | |
| KR100374281B1 (en) | Fuel Cell | |
| EP1265303B1 (en) | Polymer electrolyte fuel cell and method of manufacturing the same | |
| US7091149B2 (en) | Electrode for fuel cell, method of manufacturing same, and fuel cell with such electrode | |
| US20140057138A1 (en) | Fuel Cell Comprising at Least Two Stacked Printed Circuit Boards with a Plurality of Interconnected Fuel Cell Units | |
| US20090286133A1 (en) | Bipolar plate with inlet and outlet water management features | |
| JP2007522642A (en) | Capillary layer in the flow field to manage water in the PEM fuel cell | |
| US20110039190A1 (en) | Continuous porous flow distributors for a fuel cell | |
| JP5050294B2 (en) | Diffusion layer of solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell and manufacturing method thereof | |
| CN114008829A (en) | Fuel cell plate, bipolar plate and fuel cell device | |
| TWI500210B (en) | Methods of manufacturing electrochemical cells | |
| US8268492B2 (en) | Fuel cell stack features for improved water management | |
| CN110165265B (en) | Method of manufacturing an integrated water vapor transport device and fuel cell-II | |
| KR101173059B1 (en) | Separation plate for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell and method for manufacturing the same | |
| CN114303264A (en) | Separator for fuel cell, method for producing the same, and fuel cell using the same | |
| US7060383B2 (en) | Fuel cell | |
| JP2019139993A (en) | Fuel cell module and manufacturing method thereof | |
| US20140154606A1 (en) | Fuel cell | |
| US7833680B2 (en) | Fuel cell separator plate reinforcement via bonding assembly | |
| JP7379481B2 (en) | Fuel cell with fluid guide channel and method for manufacturing the same | |
| CN112186202B (en) | Gas diffusion device for reducing head loss | |
| US20230207834A1 (en) | Gas diffusion layer structure for fuel cell |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| RJ01 | Rejection of invention patent application after publication |
Application publication date: 20220408 |