JP2006216281A - Fuel cell and manufacturing method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cylinder-shaped fuel cell restraining damage of an electrode in a cylinder, capable of easily forming a current collector, and to provide a manufacturing method of the same. <P>SOLUTION: The cylinder-shaped fuel cell is composed of a cylinder-shaped electrolyte film; a cylinder-shaped junction having a fuel electrode arranged on one face out of an inner face and an outer face of the electrolyte film, and an air electrode arranged on the other face out of the inner face and the outer face of the electrolyte film; a housing part housing the cylinder-shaped junction; and the current collector formed by filling conductive beads inside and outside of the cylinder-shaped junction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell, particularly a cylindrical fuel cell and a method for manufacturing the same.

  As one of the countermeasures for environmental problems and resource problems, an electrochemical reaction using an oxidizing gas such as oxygen or air and a reducing gas such as hydrogen or methane (fuel gas) or a liquid fuel such as methanol as raw materials Fuel cells that generate electricity by converting chemical energy into electrical energy have attracted attention. In a fuel cell, a fuel electrode (anode catalyst layer) is provided on one surface of an electrolyte membrane, and an air electrode (cathode catalyst layer) is provided on the other surface so as to face each other with the electrolyte membrane interposed therebetween, and the electrolyte membrane is sandwiched between them. A diffusion layer is further provided on the outside of each catalyst layer, and these are sandwiched between separators provided with raw material supply passages. A battery is configured, and power is generated by supplying raw materials such as hydrogen and oxygen to each catalyst layer.

  At the time of power generation of the fuel cell, when hydrogen gas is used as the raw material supplied to the fuel electrode and air is used as the raw material supplied to the air electrode, hydrogen ions and electrons are generated from the hydrogen gas at the fuel electrode. The electrons reach the air electrode from the external terminal through the external circuit. In the air electrode, water is generated by oxygen in the supplied air, hydrogen ions that have passed through the electrolyte membrane, and electrons that have reached the air electrode through an external circuit. Thus, a chemical reaction occurs in the fuel electrode and the air electrode, and electric charges are generated to function as a battery. This fuel cell has been studied in various ways as a clean energy source due to the abundance of raw material gas and liquid fuel used for power generation and the fact that the substance discharged from the power generation principle is water. Has been.

  As such a fuel cell, a tubular (cylindrical) fuel cell is known. A tubular fuel cell has a feature that it can be easily downsized as compared with a planar fuel cell. For example, in Patent Document 1, a fuel electrode is provided on one of the inner and outer surfaces of a tubular polymer electrolyte membrane, an air electrode is provided on the other surface, and a catalyst is supported on one or both of the fuel electrode and the air electrode. A tubular fuel cell having a carbon fiber disposed thereon is described.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a conductive felt having a fuel electrode on one side of the inner and outer surfaces of a tube-shaped polymer electrolyte membrane and an air electrode on the other surface and having a fuel reforming function inside the tube. A coiled elastic support member is inserted into the first layer to press the first layer in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the tube by expansion force, and the fuel is inserted into the coiled elastic support member. There is described a tubular fuel cell in which a second layer of conductive felt having a reforming function is lined and a fuel supply conductive tube is inserted inside the second layer. In Patent Document 2, by using a conductive felt and a coiled elastic support material as a diffusion layer that plays the role of a current collector, the diffusion layer is packed inside by being in close contact with the electrode without damaging the electrode. I can do it.

  On the other hand, Patent Documents 3 and 4 describe the use of a porous conductive plate obtained by sintering spherical titanium powder and smoothing the surface as a current collector in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. As a result, damage to adjacent electrodes can be suppressed.

JP 2003-297372 A JP-A-11-111313 JP 2004-68112 A JP 2004-71456 A

  However, in the tubular fuel cell described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to insert carbon fibers into the tube as a current collector, which damages the electrode inside the tube.

  Moreover, in the tubular fuel cell described in Patent Document 2, although the coiled elastic support material is used, the conductive felt as the current collector is softly packed with a force that does not damage the electrode. That can damage the electrode. In addition, after packing the first layer of conductive felt, it is necessary to insert a coiled elastic support material to pack the second layer of conductive felt, which complicates the process.

  Furthermore, the porous conductive plates described in Patent Documents 3 and 4 lack flexibility, and are difficult to use as a current collector by being inserted into a tubular fuel cell.

  The present invention relates to a cylindrical electrolyte membrane, a fuel electrode provided on one of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, and an air provided on the other surface of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane so as to face the fuel electrode. A cylindrical fuel cell having a cylindrical joined body having an electrode, and a cylindrical fuel cell capable of easily forming a current collector while suppressing damage to electrodes inside the cylinder, and a method for manufacturing the same .

  The present invention is a cylindrical fuel cell, in which a cylindrical electrolyte membrane, a fuel electrode provided on one of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, and the other surface of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane are provided. A cylindrical joined body having an air electrode provided; a storage portion that houses the tubular joined body; and an inner and outer side of the tubular joined body filled with conductive beads. And a current collector.

  In the fuel cell, it is preferable that the conductive beads have an average particle size that changes stepwise along the long axis direction of the cylindrical joined body.

  The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a cylindrical fuel cell, comprising a cylindrical electrolyte membrane, a fuel electrode provided on one of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, and an inner and outer surface of the electrolyte membrane. A current collector is formed by filling conductive beads on the inside and outside of a joined body having an air electrode provided on the other surface so as to face the fuel electrode.

  In the fuel cell manufacturing method, the conductive beads are preferably filled while being vibrated.

  In the fuel cell manufacturing method, it is preferable to press the conductive beads after filling the conductive beads.

  In the fuel cell manufacturing method, it is preferable that the conductive beads are filled such that the average particle diameter changes stepwise along the long axis direction of the cylindrical joined body.

  The present invention relates to a cylindrical electrolyte membrane, a fuel electrode provided on one of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, and an air provided on the other surface of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane so as to face the fuel electrode. In a cylindrical fuel cell having a cylindrical assembly having electrodes, filling the inner and outer sides of the cylindrical assembly with conductive beads suppresses damage to the electrodes inside the cylinder and collects them. A fuel cell capable of easily forming an electric body and a method for manufacturing the fuel cell.

  Hereinafter, a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  A fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cylindrical electrolyte membrane, a fuel electrode provided on one of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, and air provided on the other surface of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane. A cylindrical joined body having a pole, a storage portion for housing the tubular joined body, and a current collector formed by filling conductive beads on the inside and outside of the tubular joined body, Have.

  An outline of an example of a fuel cell 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The fuel cell 1 includes an electrolyte membrane 10, a fuel electrode (anode catalyst layer) 12, an air electrode (cathode catalyst layer) 14, current collectors 16 a and 16 b, and a storage unit 18.

  In the fuel cell 1, the fuel electrode 12 is provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical electrolyte membrane 10, the air electrode 14 is provided on the outer surface of the electrolyte membrane 10, and a cylindrical joined body (MEA: Membrane Electrode Assembly) 20 is formed. ing. The cylindrical joined body 20 is housed in the housing portion 18, and current collectors 16 a and 16 b are formed by filling inner and outer spaces of the joined body 20 with conductive beads. In the joined body 20, the fuel electrode 12 may be provided on the outer surface of the cylindrical electrolyte membrane 10, and the air electrode 14 may be provided on the inner surface of the electrolyte membrane 10, but usually the outer surface of the cylindrical electrolyte membrane 10. An air electrode 14 is provided, and a fuel electrode 12 is provided on the inner surface of the electrolyte membrane 10.

  In such a fuel cell 1, the current collector 16a formed on the inner side of the joined body 20 and the current collector 16b formed on the outer side of the joined body 20 are electrically connected to an external circuit. If a raw material is supplied and operated inside and outside, it can function as a battery.

The electrolyte membrane 10 is not particularly limited as long as it is a material having high ion conductivity such as proton (H ⁺ ) or oxygen ion (O ²⁻ ), and examples thereof include a solid polymer electrolyte membrane and a stabilized zirconia membrane. However, a solid polymer electrolyte membrane such as perfluorosulfonic acid is preferably used. Specifically, Goreselect (registered trademark) of Japan Gore-Tex Corporation, Nafion (registered trademark) of Du Pont (Du Pont), Aciplex (registered trademark) of Asahi Kasei Co., Ltd. Perfluorosulfonic acid solid polymer electrolyte membranes such as Flemion (registered trademark) of Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. can be used. The film thickness of the electrolyte membrane 10 is, for example, in the range of 10 μm to 200 μm, preferably 30 μm to 50 μm.

  The fuel electrode 12 is formed, for example, by dispersing a catalyst such as carbon carrying platinum (Pt) or the like together with another metal such as ruthenium (Ru) in a resin such as a solid polymer electrolyte such as Nafion (registered trademark). It has been done. The film thickness of the fuel electrode 12 is, for example, in the range of 1 μm to 100 μm, preferably 1 μm to 20 μm.

  The air electrode 14 is formed, for example, by dispersing a catalyst such as carbon carrying platinum (Pt) or the like in a resin such as a solid polymer electrolyte such as Nafion (registered trademark). The film thickness of the air electrode 14 is, for example, in the range of 1 μm to 100 μm, preferably 1 μm to 20 μm.

  The joined body 20 including the electrolyte membrane 10, the fuel electrode 12, and the air electrode 14 may be cylindrical, for example, cylindrical; polygonal cylinder such as a triangular cylinder, a quadrangular cylinder, a pentagonal cylinder, and a hexagonal cylinder; However, it is usually cylindrical. Here, in this specification, “cylindrical” includes a solid body in addition to a hollow body.

  FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the A-A ′ cross section of the fuel cell 1 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the current collector 16 includes a conductive bead 22. Examples of the conductive beads 22 include metal-coated particles such as carbon or titanium whose surfaces are coated with a metal such as gold or platinum, and metal particles such as gold or platinum.

  The shape of the conductive beads 22 is not particularly limited, but is preferably spherical or elliptical for uniform filling, and more preferably spherical for closest packing.

  The average particle diameter of the conductive beads 22 is preferably in the range of 10 μm to 500 μm, and more preferably in the range of 50 μm to 200 μm. When the particle diameter is smaller than 10 μm, the packing density increases, and the raw material supply efficiency may be reduced. Further, when the particle diameter is larger than 500 μm, the packing density is lowered, the contact area with the joined body 20 is lowered, and the current collection efficiency may be lowered.

  Here, the “average particle size” is obtained by first measuring 100 particle sizes on a microscope image and setting the average value. In the case of an elliptical particle, the average particle diameter of the conductive beads 22 is the long diameter of the particle on the microscope image when the particle is observed with a microscope (maximum value between any two points on the particle outline). I mean.

  The “spherical” is represented by a circularity SF obtained by the following method. The circularity is a value obtained by dividing the circumference L of a circle obtained from the same circle equivalent diameter as the projected area of the particle when the particle is observed with a microscope by the circumference D of the projected image of the particle (SF = L / D ), SF = 1 for a true sphere, and less than 1 for an ellipse. The conductive beads 22 in this embodiment are preferably “spherical” having an average circularity F in the range of 0.9 to 1.0. The circularity F can be obtained by image analysis or the like based on a microscope image.

  The current collector is required to have diffusivity such as gas diffusivity as a supply path for a raw material gas or the like as well as electron conductivity for passing electrons during power generation in the joined body. Since the current collector 16 according to this embodiment is filled so that the conductive beads 22 are in contact with the joined body 20, the current collector 16 has electron conductivity, and is filled with the conductive beads 22 and pressed. It also has diffusivity due to the voids.

  The storage unit 18 in FIG. 1 is not particularly limited as long as it has a bottomed shape capable of storing the entire joined body 20; for example, a bottomed cylindrical shape; a triangular tube, a square tube, a pentagonal tube, a hexagon The shape may be any shape such as a polygonal cylindrical shape such as a cylinder; an elliptical cylindrical shape, but is usually a cylindrical shape. Examples of the material of the storage unit 18 include resins such as polyetherimide, metals such as titanium, and the like. For example, a metal mesh (material: titanium) can be used.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the fuel cell according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, on a columnar support 24 such as a Teflon (registered trademark) -like resin rod, a metal rod coated with a good-release resin such as Teflon (registered trademark), for example, The fuel electrode film is formed by a coating method such as spraying or dipping. In the spray method, a paste 26 in which a fuel electrode catalyst powder is dispersed in a solution obtained by dissolving a resin such as a solid polymer electrolyte such as Nafion (registered trademark) in an alcohol solvent such as methanol, ethanol, or isopropanol, After spraying on the support 24 to form a film having a desired thickness, it is dried. In the dipping method, a paste in which catalyst powder for the fuel electrode 12 is dispersed in a solution obtained by dissolving a resin such as a solid polymer electrolyte such as Nafion (registered trademark) in an alcohol solvent such as methanol, ethanol, or isopropanol. 26, the support 24 is dipped and pulled up (FIG. 3A) to form a film having a desired thickness and then dried.

  In addition, what is necessary is just to select the shape of the support body 24 according to the shape of the cylindrical joined body 20 to manufacture. Further, the drying temperature may be a temperature that does not cause alteration of the catalyst, the electrolyte membrane, etc. according to the boiling point of the solvent to be used. For example, when methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, etc. are used, 80-100 ℃.

  Next, in the same manner, an electrolyte membrane is formed on the support 24 on which the fuel electrode membrane is formed, using a paste 26 in which a solid polymer electrolyte or the like is dissolved in the solvent. Further, in the same manner, a resin such as a solid polymer electrolyte such as Nafion (registered trademark) was dissolved in the alcohol solvent or the like on the support 24 on which the fuel electrode and the electrolyte membrane were formed. Using the paste 26 in which the catalyst powder for the air electrode is dispersed in the solution, an air electrode film is formed to obtain the joined body 20.

  The joined body 20 thus formed is taken out from the support 24 (FIG. 3B), and a cylindrical joined body 20 is obtained in which the fuel electrode is formed on the inner surface of the electrolyte membrane and the air electrode is formed on the outer surface. .

  Next, the thus obtained cylindrical joined body 20 is accommodated in a bottomed cylindrical accommodating portion 18 such as a metal mesh with the central axis aligned. Thereafter, the conductive beads 22 are filled into the inside of the joined body 20 and between the outside of the joined body 20 and the inside of the storage portion 18 (FIG. 3C). At this time, the inside of the joined body 20 and the space between the outside of the joined body 20 and the inside of the storage portion 18 may be filled simultaneously, or may be filled separately. The conductive beads 22 are filled with a predetermined amount so as to contact a predetermined portion of the surface of the bonded body 20.

  Further, when the conductive beads 22 are filled, it is preferable to fill the conductive beads 22 while vibrating the storage portion 18 so as to fill the conductive beads 22 in a close-packed manner. The vibration of the storage unit 18 is preferably performed so as to vibrate in the horizontal direction with respect to the central axis direction of the storage unit 18 and the joined body 20.

  After filling the conductive beads 22 with a predetermined amount, finally, the conductive beads 22 are pressed from the outside of the storage portion 18 using a stainless steel wire or the like (FIG. 3D). By pressing, the conductive beads 22 can be prevented from moving inside and outside the bonded body 20, and the contact resistance between the bonded body 20 and the conductive beads 22 can be lowered. In addition, the conductive beads 22 can function sufficiently as a current collector without being sintered after being filled and pressed to form a sintered body. Since it is not necessary to sinter, there is no need to consider deterioration due to sintering of the joined body 20.

The pressure when pressing the conductive beads 22 is not particularly limited as long as the pressure is such that the catalyst layer (fuel electrode 12 and air electrode 14) is not damaged or the conductive beads 22 are not crushed. If you pressed using stainless steel ^wire, preferably a pressure of ^{10kgf / cm 2 ~50kgf / cm 2} .

  In the fuel cell 1 shown in FIG. 1 manufactured as described above, the current collector 16a formed inside the joined body 20 and the current collector 16b formed outside the joined body 20 are electrically connected to an external circuit. The battery can be made to function as a battery if it is operated by supplying the raw material gas to the inside and outside of the joined body 20.

  Examples of the raw material supplied to the fuel electrode 12 include reducing gas (fuel gas) such as hydrogen and methane, or liquid fuel such as methanol. Examples of the raw material supplied to the air electrode 14 include oxidizing gases such as oxygen and air.

In the fuel cell 1, for example, when the raw material supplied to the fuel electrode 12 is operated as hydrogen gas and the raw material supplied to the air electrode 14 is operated as air,
2H ₂ → 4H ⁺ + 4e ⁻
Through the reaction formula shown below, hydrogen ions (H ⁺ ) and electrons (e ⁻ ) are generated from hydrogen gas (H ₂ ). The electrons (e ⁻ ) pass through the external circuit from the current collector 16a and reach the air electrode 14 from the current collector 16b. In the air electrode 14, oxygen (O ₂ ) in the supplied air, hydrogen ions (H ⁺ ) that have passed through the electrolyte membrane 10, and electrons (e ⁻ ) that have reached the air electrode 14 through an external circuit,
4H ⁺ + O ₂ + 4e ⁻ → 2H ₂ O
Water is produced through the reaction formula shown below. In this way, a chemical reaction occurs in the fuel electrode 12 and the air electrode 14, and charges are generated to function as a battery. And since the component discharged | emitted in a series of reaction is water, a clean battery is comprised.

  When the raw material is supplied through the current collector 16 of the fuel cell 1, especially when the raw material is a gas, there is a difference in gas pressure (pressure loss) between the raw material supply port of the current collector 16 and the raw material outlet of the current collector 16. When it is small, there may be a difference in concentration of the raw material gas supplied along the flow direction of the gas from the raw material supply port to the raw material outlet. In this case, as shown in FIG. It is preferable to fill the conductive beads 22 so that the average particle diameter thereof changes stepwise along the long axis direction of the joined body 20, that is, along the flow direction of the source gas. For example, by increasing the gap in the portion near the raw material supply port of the current collector 16, reducing the gap in the portion near the raw material outlet of the current collector 16, and increasing the pressure loss, the source gas is efficiently transferred to the catalyst layer ( It can be distributed to the fuel electrode 12 and the air electrode 14).

  In this case, according to the state of the pressure of the raw material gas inside the current collector 16, if the average particle diameter of the conductive beads 22 is filled so as to change stepwise along the long axis direction of the cylindrical joined body 20. Well, it may be changed to two stages, or may be changed to three or more stages.

  For example, the average particle diameter of the conductive beads 22 is set so that the gap in the portion near the raw material supply port of the current collector 16 is enlarged, the gap in the portion near the raw material outlet of the current collector 16 is reduced, and the pressure loss is increased. Is changed to three stages, the above method is used to first fill a predetermined amount of conductive beads 22 having the smallest average particle diameter, and then fill a predetermined amount of conductive beads 22 having the second average particle diameter. A predetermined amount of conductive beads 22 having the largest average particle diameter are filled, and finally, the conductive beads 22 are pressed from the outside of the storage unit 18.

  As described above, with the fuel cell and the fuel cell manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the conductive beads 22 are filled inside and outside the cylindrical joined body 20 to suppress damage to the electrodes inside the cylinder. Thus, the current collector can be easily formed. In addition, conventionally, there is a method in which a catalyst layer and an electrolyte membrane are directly formed on a porous metal rod or metal wire as a current collector by the above-described paste or the like by a dipping method, a spray method, or the like. It was difficult to form a uniform joined body because the paste soaked into the holes of the rod, metal wire or the like. However, after forming the uniform joined body 20 by the fuel cell and the manufacturing method of the fuel cell according to the present embodiment, the current collector 16 is filled with the conductive beads 22 without causing such a problem. It can be formed easily.

  Further, when a conventional porous metal, metal mesh, metal fiber cloth, or conductive felt is used as the current collector 16, the porosity is substantially constant with respect to the flow direction of the source gas. Although it was difficult to control the state of the pressure, as described above, if the current collector 16 is configured by changing the particle diameter of the conductive beads 22 to be filled in stages, the porosity of the current collector 16 is increased. Therefore, the state of the pressure, that is, the diffusibility of the raw material can be easily controlled, and the raw material gas can be efficiently distributed to the catalyst layer.

  The fuel cell according to the present embodiment can obtain necessary current and voltage by collecting a plurality of cylindrical fuel cells (single cells) and connecting them in series. A plurality of cylindrical fuel cells (single cells) may be assembled and connected in parallel.

  Since the fuel cell according to the present embodiment has a simple structure and can be reduced in size and weight, it can be used as a small power source for mobile devices such as a mobile phone and a portable personal computer;

  Hereinafter, although an example and a comparative example are given and the present invention is explained more concretely in detail, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

Example 1
<Preparation of joined body>
A cylindrical Teflon (registered trademark) rod (diameter: 1 mm, length: 200 mm) was used as a support, and a fuel electrode, an electrolyte membrane, and an air electrode were formed in this order by an immersion method. For film formation, as a fuel electrode, a paste in which carbon carrying platinum (Pt) together with ruthenium (Ru) as a catalyst in a 2-propanol solution of resin (Nafion, registered trademark), as an electrolyte membrane, Perfluorosulfonic acid-based solid polymer electrolyte (Nafion (registered trademark)) in 2-propanol paste, for air electrode, resin (Nafion (registered trademark)) in 2-propanol solution, platinum (Pt ) Was used to disperse the paste. After each film formation, it was dried in an oven at 80 ° C. for 60 minutes. The thickness of the formed film was 10 μm for the fuel electrode, 40 μm for the electrolyte film, and 10 μm for the air electrode. The joined body thus formed was taken out from the Teflon rod, and a cylindrical joined body was obtained in which the fuel electrode was formed on the inner surface of the electrolyte membrane and the air electrode was formed on the outer surface.

<Filling with conductive beads>
Next, the cylindrical joined body thus obtained was stored in a bottomed cylindrical metal mesh (material stainless steel, diameter 2 mm, height 200 mm, mesh diameter 25 μm) with the central axis aligned. Thereafter, spherical conductive beads (material titanium, average particle size 30 μm, circularity 0.99) are placed on the inside of the joined body and between the outside of the joined body and the inside of the metal mesh, Each was filled so that the outer surface was almost filled.

After filling a predetermined amount of conductive beads, finally, the conductive beads were pressed from the outside of the metal mesh using a stainless steel wire (pressure 30 kgf / cm ² ) to obtain a fuel cell. No damage was observed on the fuel electrode and the air electrode. Hydrogen gas was supplied to the inside of the joined body and air was supplied to the outside of the joined body, but the difference (pressure loss) in gas pressure between the current supply port of the current collector and the material outlet of the current collector was 10 kPa.

(Example 2)
<Filling with conductive beads>
The joined body obtained in Example 1 was stored with a bottomed cylindrical metal mesh (material stainless steel, diameter 2 mm, height 200 mm, mesh diameter 25 μm) with the center axis aligned. Thereafter, spherical conductive beads (material titanium, average particle size 30 μm, circularity 0.99) are applied from the bottom surface of the metal mesh to the inside of the joined body and between the outside of the joined body and the inside of the metal mesh. Each was filled up to 50 mm. Next, spherical conductive beads (material titanium, average particle size 100 μm, circularity 0.99) are placed on the inside of the joined body and between the outside of the joined body and the inside of the metal mesh. To 150 mm, each was filled. Finally, spherical conductive beads (material titanium, average particle size 150 μm, circularity 0.99) are placed on the inside of the joined body and between the outside of the joined body and the inside of the metal mesh. To 200 mm so as to be filled.

After filling a predetermined amount of conductive beads, finally, the conductive beads are pressed from the outside of the metal mesh using a stainless steel wire (pressure 30 kgf / cm ² ), and the average particle diameter of the conductive beads is determined in three stages. An altered fuel cell was obtained. No damage was observed on the fuel electrode and the air electrode. Although hydrogen gas was supplied to the inside of the joined body and air was supplied to the outside of the joined body, the difference in gas pressure (pressure loss) between the material supply port of the current collector and the material outlet of the current collector was 20 kPa. It was bigger than 1.

(Comparative Example 1)
<Filling with conductive beads>
A porous metal wire (material: stainless steel) as a current collector was inserted into the joined body obtained in Example 1 between the inside of the joined body and between the outside of the joined body and the inside of the metal mesh. Damage was seen in the fuel electrode and air electrode.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the fuel cell which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the axial direction of an example of the fuel cell which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing method of the fuel cell which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the axial direction of the other example of the fuel cell which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fuel cell, 10 Electrolyte membrane, 12 Fuel electrode (anode catalyst layer), 14 Air electrode (cathode catalyst layer), 16 Current collector, 18 Storage part, 20 Joined body, 22 Conductive bead, 24 Support body, 26 Paste .

Claims (6)

A cylindrical fuel cell,
A cylindrical joint having a cylindrical electrolyte membrane, a fuel electrode provided on one of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, and an air electrode provided on the other surface of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane Body,
A storage section for storing the tubular joined body;
A current collector formed by filling conductive beads on the inside and outside of the cylindrical joined body;
A fuel cell comprising: The fuel cell according to claim 1,
The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the conductive beads have an average particle size that changes stepwise along a major axis direction of the cylindrical joined body. A method of manufacturing a tubular fuel cell,
A cylindrical electrolyte membrane, a fuel electrode provided on one of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, and an air electrode provided on the other surface of the inner and outer surfaces of the electrolyte membrane so as to face the fuel electrode And forming a current collector by filling the inside and outside of the joined body with conductive beads. A method for producing a fuel cell according to claim 3,
A method of manufacturing a fuel cell, wherein the conductive beads are filled while applying vibration. A method for producing a fuel cell according to claim 3 or 4,
A method of manufacturing a fuel cell, comprising pressing the conductive beads after filling the conductive beads. It is a manufacturing method of the fuel cell given in any 1 paragraph of Claims 3-5,
A method of manufacturing a fuel cell, wherein the conductive beads are filled so that an average particle diameter changes stepwise along a major axis direction of the cylindrical joined body.

Images