JP2016048612A - Device for manufacturing membrane-catalyst layer assembly, and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide: a device for manufacturing a membrane-catalyst layer assembly, by which an electrolyte membrane can be stuck, by suction, to a suction roller without crease before a coating process regardless of the kind of an electrolyte membrane; and a method for manufacturing such a manufacturing device.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing a membrane-catalyst layer assembly comprises the steps of: sending out an electrolyte membrane with a backsheet from an electrolyte membrane-unwinding roller 12; peeling off the backsheet by a peeling roller 11; sticking, to the suction roller 20, the electrolyte membrane with the backsheet peeled off; and coating the electrolyte membrane with a catalyst ink from a coating nozzle 30. The method further comprises the steps of: applying, by a tension-applying part 80, a constant tension to the electrolyte membrane 2 until the electrolyte membrane is stuck to the suction roller 20 after the peeling of the backsheet 6 by the peeling roller 11; and pressing, by a sticking roller 19, the electrolyte membrane 2 against an outer peripheral face of the suction roller 20, whereby the electrolyte membrane is stuck to the suction roller 20 by suction. Thus, the electrolyte membrane 2 can be stuck to the suction roller 20 by suction without crease before a coating process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly of a fuel cell in which a catalyst layer is formed on an electrolyte membrane.

In recent years, fuel cells have attracted attention as drive power sources for automobiles, homes, mobile phones and the like. A fuel cell is a power generation system that generates electric power by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen (H ₂ ) contained in fuel and oxygen (O ₂ ) in the air, and has a feature of high power generation efficiency and light environmental load. .

  There are several types of fuel cells depending on the electrolyte used, one of which is a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) using an ion exchange membrane (electrolyte membrane) as the electrolyte. ) Since the polymer electrolyte fuel cell can operate at room temperature and can be reduced in size and weight, it is expected to be applied to automobiles and portable devices.

  A polymer electrolyte fuel cell is generally configured by stacking a plurality of cells. One cell (single cell) is configured by sandwiching both sides of a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) with a pair of separators. A membrane / electrode assembly is a membrane-catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) with a catalyst layer formed on both sides of an electrolyte thin film (polymer electrolyte membrane) and gas diffusion layers on both sides. is there. A catalyst layer and a gas diffusion layer disposed on both sides of the polymer electrolyte membrane constitute a pair of electrode layers, one of which is an anode electrode and the other is a cathode electrode. When the fuel gas containing hydrogen contacts the anode electrode and air contacts the cathode electrode, electric power is generated by an electrochemical reaction.

  Such a membrane / catalyst layer assembly is typically coated with a catalyst ink (electrode paste) in which catalyst particles containing platinum (Pt) are dispersed in a solvent such as alcohol on the surface of an electrolyte membrane. It is created by drying the catalyst ink. However, the electrolyte membrane has the property that it easily absorbs the solvent contained in the catalyst ink and the moisture in the atmosphere, and easily swells and shrinks. For this reason, there has been a problem that wrinkles and pinholes are generated in the electrolyte membrane when the catalyst ink is applied and dried. If soot or pinholes occur in the electrolyte membrane, the power generation performance of the fuel cell will be reduced.

  In order to solve such a problem, Patent Document 1 discloses that an electrolyte membrane is conveyed while being sucked by a suction heating roller, and the catalyst ink applied to the electrolyte membrane is immediately heated and dried. A technique for suppressing the deformation of is disclosed. Patent Document 2 also discloses a technique of spraying a catalyst ink on an electrolyte membrane adsorbed on a roller and drying the catalyst ink by heating with a roller.

  In addition, since the electrolyte membrane absorbs moisture in the atmosphere and easily deforms, wrinkles and pinholes may occur before the catalyst ink is applied. In order to solve such a problem, Patent Document 3 discloses that the electrolyte membrane before processing with the shape-retaining film attached is conveyed to the backup roller and pressed, and in that state, the shape-retaining film is peeled off by the peeling roller. Technology is disclosed.

JP 2001-70863 A JP 2004-351413 A JP 2013-98125 A

  However, in the techniques disclosed in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, since the catalyst ink is applied in a state where the electrolyte membrane is adsorbed by the roller, deformation due to swelling of the electrolyte membrane during coating can be prevented. However, the electrolyte membrane may be deformed due to a cause such as absorbing moisture in the atmosphere before it is adsorbed to the roller, and there is a possibility that wrinkles may be formed on the electrolyte membrane when adsorbed on the roller.

  On the other hand, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3, since the shape-holding film is peeled off after pressing the electrolyte membrane with the shape-holding film attached thereto against the backup roller, before being supported by the backup roller The deformation of the electrolyte membrane is suppressed. However, depending on the type of the electrolyte membrane, the adhesion with the shape-retaining film may be very strong. When the adhesive force between the electrolyte membrane and the shape retaining film is strong, when the shape retaining film is peeled off after pressing the electrolyte membrane against the backup roller, the electrolyte membrane is pulled by the shape retaining film and the backup roller and the electrolyte membrane There may be a gap between Then, air may enter the gap and wrinkles may occur when the electrolyte membrane from which the shape maintaining film has been peeled is wound around the backup roller again.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is an apparatus for manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly capable of adsorbing an electrolyte membrane to an adsorbing roller without coating before coating, regardless of the type of the electrolyte membrane. And it aims at providing a manufacturing method.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 is directed to an apparatus for manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly of a fuel cell, wherein an adsorption roller that adsorbs and supports a belt-shaped electrolyte membrane on an outer peripheral surface; A peeling means for peeling the support film from the electrolyte membrane having a support film bonded to one surface, and a coating liquid on one surface of the electrolyte membrane that is sucked and supported by the suction roller And a coating means for coating the coating roller and a drying unit that covers a part of the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller and that forms a catalyst layer by drying the coating solution applied to one surface of the electrolyte membrane. And a tension that is provided in a transport path of the electrolyte membrane from the peeling means to the adsorption roller and applies a constant tension to the electrolyte membrane until the support film is peeled off and adsorbed by the adsorption roller Characterized in that it comprises means given, the.

  The invention of claim 2 is the apparatus for manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly according to the invention of claim 1, wherein the other surface of the electrolyte membrane from which the support film has been peeled is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller. A sticking roller to be sucked is further provided.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the apparatus for manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly according to the invention of claim 2, wherein a gas jetting mechanism for jetting gas from the outer peripheral surface of the sticking roller is provided in the sticking roller. And

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus for manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the tension applying means is 0.3 N / mm ^{2 in the} electrolyte membrane. A tension of 7.0 N / mm ² or less is applied.

  The invention of claim 5 is the membrane / catalyst layer assembly manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the peeling means comes into contact with the support film from the electrolyte membrane. A control mechanism that further includes a peeling roller that peels off the support film, and that adjusts the rotation speed of the peeling roller according to the length of the electrolyte membrane in the electrolyte film transport path from the peeling means to the adsorption roller. It is characterized by providing.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the method for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly of a fuel cell, an adsorption support step for adsorbing and supporting a belt-shaped electrolyte membrane on the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller is separated from the adsorption roller. At a position, a peeling process for peeling the support film from the electrolyte membrane having a support film bonded to one side; and a coating solution is applied to one side of the electrolyte membrane that is sucked and supported by the suction roller. The supporting film is peeled from the electrolyte membrane in the coating step to be worked, the drying step in which the coating liquid coated on one surface of the electrolyte membrane is dried to form a catalyst layer, and the peeling step. And a tension applying step for applying a constant tension to the electrolyte membrane until the electrolyte membrane is adsorbed to the adsorption roller in the adsorption support step.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the method of manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly according to the invention of claim 6, wherein the other surface of the electrolyte membrane from which the support film has been peeled is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller by a sticking roller. It is characterized in that it is pressed against and adsorbed.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the method of manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly according to the invention of claim 7, in which gas is ejected from the outer peripheral surface of the sticking roller when the electrolyte membrane is adsorbed to the adsorption roller. It is characterized by that.

The invention according to claim 9 is the method for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein in the tension application step, 0.3 N / mm ² is applied to the electrolyte membrane. A tension of 7.0 N / mm ² or less is applied.

  The invention of claim 10 is the method for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein in the peeling step, the peeling roller abuts on the support film. The support film is peeled from the electrolyte membrane, and the electrolyte film is peeled from the electrolyte membrane in the peeling step until the electrolyte membrane is adsorbed to the suction roller in the suction support step. The rotational speed of the peeling roller is adjusted according to the length.

  According to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, since a constant tension is applied to the electrolyte membrane until the support film is peeled off and adsorbed to the adsorption roller, before the coating treatment is performed regardless of the type of the electrolyte membrane. In addition, the electrolyte membrane can be adsorbed to the adsorption roller without any defects.

  In particular, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the gas is ejected from the outer peripheral surface of the sticking roller, it is possible to prevent the electrolyte membrane from sticking to the sticking roller.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 5, since the rotation speed of the peeling roller is adjusted according to the length of the electrolyte membrane in the electrolyte film conveyance path from the peeling means to the adsorption roller, the fluctuation of the length of the electrolyte membrane is reduced. It is possible to prevent the generation of wrinkles more reliably.

  According to the inventions of claims 6 to 10, in order to apply a certain tension to the electrolyte membrane from when the support film is peeled off until it is adsorbed to the adsorption roller, the coating treatment is performed regardless of the type of the electrolyte membrane. The electrolyte membrane can be adsorbed to the adsorbing roller without any trouble before.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 8, since the gas is ejected from the outer peripheral surface of the sticking roller when the electrolyte film is adsorbed to the suction roller, the electrolyte film can be prevented from sticking to the sticking roller.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 10, in order to adjust the rotation speed of the peeling roller according to the length of the electrolyte membrane from the time when the support film is peeled from the electrolyte membrane to the time when the electrolyte membrane is adsorbed to the adsorption roller, It is possible to prevent wrinkles more reliably by suppressing fluctuations in the length of the electrolyte membrane.

It is a side view which shows the whole structure of the manufacturing apparatus of the membrane-catalyst layer assembly based on this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a tension | tensile_strength provision part. It is a perspective view of a suction roller vicinity. It is a figure which shows the structure of an adsorption | suction roller and a drying furnace. It is a front view of a suction roller and a drying furnace. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure for manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly in the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing of an electrolyte membrane at the time of unwinding from an electrolyte membrane unwinding roller. It is a figure which shows the catalyst layer formed in the surface of an electrolyte membrane. It is a figure which shows a mode that an electrolyte membrane is made to adsorb | suck to an adsorption | suction roller with a sticking roller. It is a figure which shows the state by which the catalyst ink was intermittently applied to the electrolyte membrane. It is sectional drawing of the electrolyte membrane in which the catalyst ink was intermittently applied. It is sectional drawing of the electrolyte membrane in which the catalyst layer was formed in both front and back. It is a figure which shows the mode of the lamination process which bonds a support film on the coating surface of an electrolyte membrane. It is sectional drawing of the electrolyte membrane in which the support film was bonded together.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing an overall configuration of a membrane / catalyst layer assembly manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. In this membrane / catalyst layer assembly manufacturing apparatus 1, a catalyst ink (electrode paste) is applied to an electrolyte membrane 2, which is a strip-shaped thin film, and the catalyst ink is dried to form a catalyst layer on the electrolyte membrane 2. This is an apparatus for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. In addition, in FIG. 1 and each figure after that, in order to clarify those directional relationships, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction and the XY plane is a horizontal plane is appropriately attached. Further, in FIG. 1 and the subsequent drawings, the dimensions and numbers of the respective parts are exaggerated or simplified as necessary for easy understanding.

  The manufacturing apparatus 1 includes, as main elements, a peeling unit 10 that peels the back sheet 6 from the electrolyte membrane 2, a tension applying unit 80 that applies a constant tension to the electrolyte membrane 2 from which the back sheet 6 is peeled, and the electrolyte membrane 2. An adsorbing roller 20 that adsorbs and conveys the ink, a coating nozzle 30 that coats the surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 with a catalyst ink, a drying furnace 40 that heats and dries the coated catalyst ink, and a drying process. And a pasting part 50 for pasting the supporting film to the electrolyte membrane 2 that has passed. In addition, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 90 that manages the entire apparatus.

  The peeling unit 10 includes a peeling roller 11 and a nip roller 16. As shown in FIG. 1, the peeling roller 11 is provided at a position separated from the suction roller 20. The peeling roller 11 is rotated around a central axis along the Y-axis direction by a motor (not shown). The rotation speed of the peeling roller 11 is controlled by the control unit 90. The nip roller 16 is rotatably provided and rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the peeling roller 11.

  The manufacturing apparatus 1 also includes an electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12, a back sheet winding roller 14, and tension detection rollers 13 and 15. The electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12 is continuously rotated by a motor (not shown). A belt-shaped electrolyte membrane 2 with a back sheet 6 is wound around the electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12, and the electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12 continuously sends out the electrolyte membrane 2 with the back sheet 6.

  The electrolyte membrane 2 with the back sheet 6 sent out from the electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12 is suspended by the tension detection roller 13 and is sandwiched between the peeling roller 11 and the nip roller 16. The distance between the peeling roller 11 and the nip roller 16 is smaller than the thickness of the electrolyte membrane 2 with the back sheet 6. Therefore, the peeling roller 11 and the nip roller 16 sandwich the electrolyte membrane 2 with the back sheet 6 while applying pressure.

  The tension detection roller 13 detects the tension of the electrolyte membrane 2 with the back sheet from the electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12 to the peeling roller 11. The tension detection roller 13 detects the tension acting on the electrolyte membrane 2 by measuring the load acting on the shaft with a load cell. The control unit 90 controls the rotation of the electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12 so that the tension of the electrolyte membrane 2 with a back sheet detected by the tension detection roller 13 becomes a preset value.

  Further, the back sheet 6 is peeled from the electrolyte membrane 2 by the peeling roller 11, and the back sheet 6 is suspended by the tension detection roller 15 and wound around the back sheet winding roller 14. The backsheet take-up roller 14 is continuously rotated by a motor (not shown) to continuously take up the backsheet 6 and is fixed to the backsheet 6 peeled from the electrolyte membrane 2 by the peeling roller 11. Apply tension. The tension applied to the back sheet 6 by the back sheet winding roller 14 is detected by the tension detection roller 15. Similar to the tension detection roller 13, the tension detection roller 15 detects the tension acting on the back sheet 6 by measuring the load acting on the shaft with a load cell. The controller 90 controls the rotation of the backsheet take-up roller 14 so that the tension of the backsheet 6 detected by the tension detection roller 15 becomes a preset value.

  The electrolyte membrane 2 from which the back sheet 6 has been peeled off at the peeling portion 10 is transported without a supporting member for reinforcement until it is attracted to the suction roller 20 by a sticking roller 19 described later. Since the electrolyte membrane 2 for a fuel cell is very easily deformed, it is necessary to apply a weak tension for preventing wrinkles when the electrolyte membrane 2 is conveyed without a reinforcing member such as the back sheet 6. The tension applying unit 80 applies a certain tension to the electrolyte membrane 2 from when the back sheet 6 is peeled off at the peeling unit 10 until it is adsorbed by the adsorption roller 20.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the tension applying unit 80. The tension applying unit 80 is provided in the transport path of the electrolyte membrane 2 from the peeling unit 10 to the suction roller 20. The tension applying unit 80 includes a tension roller 81, a front roller 82, a rear roller 83, and a cylinder 87 as main elements. The tension roller 81 is a roller that can be moved in a direction indicated by an arrow AR2 in FIG. On the other hand, the front roller 82 and the rear roller 83 are rollers whose shaft positions are fixed. The cylinder 87 is an air cylinder, for example, and moves the tension roller 81 in the direction indicated by the arrow AR2 by air pressure. The air pressure of the cylinder 87 is defined by an electropneumatic regulator 86. In place of the cylinder 87, an air slider or a linear motor guide may be used.

  The shaft of the tension roller 81 is connected to the roller guide 88. The roller guide 88 measures the position of the tension roller 81 that can move in the direction indicated by the arrow AR2. Position information of the tension roller 81 measured by the roller guide 88 is transmitted to the control unit 90.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electrolyte membrane 2 suspended between the front roller 82 and the rear roller 83 whose axial positions are fixed is wound around a tension roller 81 that is movable between the two rollers. Depending on the configuration, tension is applied to the electrolyte membrane 2. When the cylinder 87 moves the tension roller 81 in the direction indicated by the arrow AR2, the tension applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 can be adjusted. When the cylinder 87 moves the tension roller 81 leftward in FIG. 2, the tension acting on the electrolyte membrane 2 increases. Conversely, when the cylinder 87 moves the tension roller 81 to the right in FIG. 2, the tension acting on the electrolyte membrane 2 is reduced.

  A tension sensor 84 such as a load cell for measuring a load acting on the shaft is attached to at least one of the front roller 82 and the rear roller 83 (attached to the rear roller 83 in the example of FIG. 2). The tension sensor 84 detects the tension acting on the electrolyte membrane 2 suspended on the rear roller 83 by measuring the load acting on the shaft of the rear roller 83.

  In addition, the tension applying unit 80 is provided with a tension controller 85 and an electropneumatic regulator 86. The tension acting on the electrolyte membrane 2 detected by the tension sensor 84 is transmitted to the tension controller 85. The tension controller 85 controls the air pressure that the electropneumatic regulator 86 applies to the cylinder 87 so that the tension acting on the electrolyte membrane 2 is constant based on the detection result by the tension sensor 84. That is, the tension controller 85 performs feedback control of the cylinder 87 based on the detection result of the tension sensor 84. With such a configuration, the tension applying unit 80 applies a certain tension to the electrolyte membrane 2 from when the back sheet 6 is peeled off at the peeling unit 10 until it is adsorbed by the suction roller 20.

  Since the peeling roller 11 and the nip roller 16 sandwich the electrolyte membrane 2 with the back sheet 6 while applying pressure, the tension applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 by the tension applying unit 80 is upstream of the peeling roller 11 (electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12 It does not act on the electrolyte membrane 2 on the side). That is, the tension applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 by the tension applying unit 80 is blocked by the peeling roller 11 and the nip roller 16 toward the upstream side in the transport direction of the electrolyte membrane 2. Similarly, since the application roller 19 and the suction roller 20 sandwich the electrolyte membrane 2 while applying pressure, the tension applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 by the tension applying unit 80 is applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 on the downstream side of the application roller 19. Does not work. That is, the tension applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 by the tension applying unit 80 is blocked by the sticking roller 19 and the suction roller 20 toward the downstream side in the transport direction of the electrolyte membrane 2. Therefore, the tension applying unit 80 applies a certain tension to the electrolyte membrane 2 from the peeling roller 11 to the sticking roller 19. In the conveyance section from the peeling roller 11 to the sticking roller 19, the tension acting on the electrolyte membrane 2 is constant regardless of the position.

  Returning to FIG. 1, a sticking roller 19 is provided so as to be in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 or at a minute interval from the outer peripheral surface. The sticking roller 19 is a porous roller, and is supported by a cylinder (not shown). Even when the sticking roller 19 is closely supported from the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 with a small gap, the distance between the sticking roller 19 and the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 is larger than the film thickness of the electrolyte membrane 2. small. Therefore, when the electrolyte membrane 2 from which the back sheet 6 has been peeled passes between the sticking roller 19 and the suction roller 20, the electrolyte membrane 2 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 by the sticking roller 19. That is, the sticking roller 19 sandwiches the electrolyte membrane 2 between the adsorption roller 20 and adsorbs the electrolyte membrane 2 to the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 20 while applying pressure to the electrolyte membrane 2. The force with which the sticking roller 19 presses the electrolyte membrane 2 against the suction roller 20 is controlled by adjusting the distance between the sticking roller 19 and the suction roller 20 by the cylinder.

  The sticking roller 19 is provided with an air purge mechanism 18 for ejecting air from the outer peripheral surface of the porous roller. The air purge mechanism 18 is, for example, an air supply pipe provided on the central axis of the sticking roller 19. By supplying pressurized air from the vicinity of the center of the sticking roller 19 toward the outer periphery, a porous roller is provided. Air is ejected from the outer peripheral surface. Thereby, it can prevent that the electrolyte membrane 2 with strong adhesive force sticks to the sticking roller 19 itself.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the suction roller 20. The suction roller 20 is a cylindrical member that is installed so that the central axis is along the Y-axis direction. The size of the suction roller 20 is, for example, a height (length in the Y-axis direction) of 400 mm and a diameter of 400 mm to 1600 mm. The suction roller 20 is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow AR3 in FIG. 3 about a central axis along the Y-axis direction by a motor (not shown).

The adsorption roller 20 is a porous roller formed of porous carbon or porous ceramics. As the porous ceramic, for example, a sintered body of alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ) or silicon carbide (SiC) can be used. The porous adsorption roller 20 has a pore diameter of 5 μm or less and a porosity in the range of 15% to 50%. The surface roughness of the outer peripheral surface (circumferential surface of the cylinder) of the suction roller 20 has an Rz (maximum height) of 5 μm or less, and the smaller this value is, the more preferable. Further, the total runout of the suction roller 20 during rotation (variation in the distance from the rotation shaft to the outer peripheral surface) is set to 10 μm or less.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the suction roller 20 and the drying furnace 40. A suction port 21 is provided on the upper surface and / or the bottom surface of the suction roller 20. The suction port 21 is sucked by a suction mechanism (for example, an exhaust pump) (not shown) and given a negative pressure. Since the suction roller 20 is porous with a porosity of 15% to 50%, when a negative pressure is applied to the suction port 21, a negative value of a predetermined value is also applied to the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 through the internal pores. The pressure (pressure sucked from the surrounding atmosphere to the outer peripheral surface) acts uniformly. For example, in the present embodiment, by applying a negative pressure of 90 kPa or more to the suction port 21, a negative pressure of 10 kPa or more acts uniformly on the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20. As a result, the suction roller 20 can evenly suck the belt-shaped electrolyte membrane 2 over the entire region in the width direction (Y-axis direction).

  The suction roller 20 is provided with a plurality of water cooling tubes 22. The water cooling tubes 22 are provided with a uniform arrangement density so as to go around the inside of the suction roller 20. The water cooling pipe 22 is supplied with constant temperature water whose temperature is adjusted to a predetermined temperature from a water supply mechanism (not shown). The constant temperature water that has flowed through the water cooling pipe 22 is discharged to a drainage mechanism (not shown). The suction roller 20 is cooled by flowing constant temperature water through the water cooling tube 22.

  Returning to FIGS. 1 and 3, a coating nozzle 30 is provided facing the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20. The coating nozzle 30 is provided on the downstream side of the sticking roller 19 in the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 2 by the suction roller 20. The coating nozzle 30 is a slit nozzle having a slit-like discharge port at the tip (end on the (+ X) side). The longitudinal direction of the slit-like discharge port is the Y-axis direction. The coating nozzle 30 is provided at a position where a slit-like discharge port is spaced a predetermined distance from the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20. The coating nozzle 30 is provided such that the position and posture with respect to the suction roller 20 can be adjusted by a driving mechanism (not shown).

  Catalyst ink is supplied to the coating nozzle 30 as a coating liquid from a coating liquid supply mechanism 35. The coating liquid supply mechanism 35 includes a tank that stores catalyst ink, a supply pipe that connects the tank and the coating nozzle 30 in communication, and an open / close valve that is provided in the supply pipe. The coating liquid supply mechanism 35 can continuously supply the catalyst ink to the coating nozzle 30 by continuously opening the opening / closing valve, or can be intermittently connected to the coating nozzle 30 by repeatedly opening / closing the opening / closing valve. In addition, it is possible to supply catalyst ink.

  The catalyst ink supplied from the coating liquid supply mechanism 35 is applied from the coating nozzle 30 to the electrolyte membrane 2 that is conveyed while being adsorbed and supported by the adsorption roller 20. When the coating liquid supply mechanism 35 continuously supplies the catalyst ink, the catalyst ink is continuously applied to the electrolyte membrane 2, and when the catalyst ink is intermittently supplied, the catalyst ink is applied to the electrolyte membrane 2. Intermittent coating.

  The drying furnace 40 is provided so as to cover a part of the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20. As shown in FIG. 4, the drying furnace 40 is divided into a total of five zones including three drying zones 41, 42, 43 and two heat blocking zones 44, 45. Each of the three drying zones 41, 42, and 43 blows hot air toward the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 20 by hot air blowing from a hot air blowing unit (not shown). The catalyst ink applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 is dried by blowing hot air from the drying furnace 40.

  The three drying zones 41, 42, and 43 differ in the temperature of the hot air that is blown. The temperature of the hot air blown by the three drying zones 41, 42, 43 sequentially increases from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 2 by the adsorption roller 20 (clockwise on the paper surface of FIG. 4). . For example, the hot air temperature of the most upstream drying zone 41 is room temperature to 40 ° C., the hot air temperature of the intermediate drying zone 42 is 40 ° C. to 80 ° C., and the hot air temperature of the most downstream drying zone 43 is 50 ° C. ~ 100 ° C.

  The two heat shielding zones 44 and 45 are provided at both ends of the drying zones 41, 42 and 43 along the transport direction of the electrolyte membrane 2. The heat blocking zone 44 is provided on the upstream side of the drying zone 41, and the heat blocking zone 45 is provided on the downstream side of the drying zone 43. The two heat shut-off zones 44 and 45 suck the atmosphere in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 by exhausting air from an exhaust unit (not shown). This prevents hot air blown from the drying zones 41, 42, 43 from flowing over the drying furnace 40 to the upstream side and downstream side of the adsorption roller 20, and solvent vapor generated from the catalyst ink during drying. Leakage to the outside of the drying furnace 40 can be prevented. If at least the upstream heat-blocking zone 44 is provided, coating failure caused by hot air blown from the drying zones 41, 42, 43 flows into the coating nozzle 30 to dry the vicinity of the discharge port. Can be prevented.

  FIG. 5 is a front view of the suction roller 20 and the drying furnace 40. The drying furnace 40 is also provided with suction portions 46 and 47 at both ends along the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the suction roller 20. The suction units 46 and 47 suck the ambient atmosphere as in the heat blocking zones 44 and 45. As a result, hot air, solvent vapor, and the like that are about to leak from both ends in the width direction of the drying furnace 40 can also be sucked and collected.

  Returning to FIGS. 1 and 3, a sticking portion 50 is provided on the downstream side of the drying furnace 40 along the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 2 by the suction roller 20. The affixing unit 50 includes a laminating roller 51. The laminating roller 51 is closely supported at a position spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 by a cylinder (not shown). The distance between the laminating roller 51 and the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 20 is smaller than the thickness of the electrolyte membrane 2 after the drying process (the total thickness of the electrolyte membrane 2 and the catalyst layer). Therefore, when the electrolyte membrane 2 after the drying process passes between the laminating roller 51 and the adsorption roller 20, the electrolyte membrane 2 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 20 by the laminating roller 51. The force that the laminating roller 51 presses is controlled by adjusting the distance between the laminating roller 51 and the suction roller 20 by the cylinder.

  The laminating roller 51 can be a metal roller having a width comparable to that of the suction roller 20, for example. A heater 95 is provided inside the laminating roller 51 (see FIG. 13). For example, a sheathed heater is used as the heater 95. The heater 95 adjusts the temperature of the laminating roller 51 to a predetermined temperature. The temperature of the roller surface of the laminating roller 51 is measured by a radiation thermometer (not shown), and the controller 90 controls the heater 95 so that the roller surface becomes a predetermined temperature based on the measurement result of the radiation thermometer. The diameter of the laminating roller 51 can be set appropriately.

  The manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes a support film unwinding roller 55, a joined body winding roller 56, and tension detection rollers 52 and 53. The support film unwinding roller 55 is continuously rotated by a motor (not shown). A belt-like support film 7 is wound around the support film unwinding roller 55, and the support film unwinding roller 55 continuously supplies the support film 7 toward the suction roller 20. The support film 7 sent out from the support film unwinding roller 55 is suspended on the tension detection roller 52 and bonded to the electrolyte membrane 2 by the laminating process by the laminating roller 51 and the suction roller 20, and this laminating process will be further described later. To do.

  The tension of the support film 7 fed from the support film unwinding roller 55 and supplied to the suction roller 20 is detected by the tension detection roller 52. Similar to the tension detection roller 13, the tension detection roller 52 detects the tension acting on the support film 7 by measuring the load acting on the shaft with a load cell. The controller 90 controls the rotation of the support film unwinding roller 55 so that the tension of the support film 7 detected by the tension detection roller 52 becomes a preset value.

  The membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 on which the support film 7 is bonded by the laminating process using the laminating roller 51 and the suction roller 20 is suspended from the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 and suspended on the tension detection roller 53, and the assembly winding roller 56. Is wound up by. The joined body winding roller 56 is continuously rotated by a motor (not shown) so as to wind up the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 and to be fixed to the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 away from the adsorption roller 20. Apply tension. The tension applied to the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 by the assembly winding roller 56 is detected by the tension detection roller 53. Similar to the tension detection roller 13, the tension detection roller 53 detects the tension acting on the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 by measuring the load acting on the shaft with a load cell. The controller 90 controls the rotation of the bonded body winding roller 56 so that the tension of the membrane / catalyst layer bonded body 5 detected by the tension detecting roller 53 becomes a preset value.

  In addition, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a surface cooling unit 60. The surface cooling unit 60 is located between the sticking roller 19 and the laminating roller 51 at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20. The surface cooling unit 60 includes an air nozzle and blows cooling air (for example, cooled to about 5 ° C.) toward the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20. When the surface cooling unit 60 blows cooling air, the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 is cooled. In addition, since the surface cooling unit 60 is provided between the sticking roller 19 and the laminating roller 51, air is blown to the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 20 on which the electrolyte membrane 2 is not adsorbed.

  In addition, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes inspection cameras 71 and 75, fiber sensors 72 and 74, and a laser displacement meter 73 as sensors for inspecting the coating state. The inspection cameras 71 and 75 are constituted by CCD cameras, for example. The inspection camera 71 is provided at a position facing the roller surface of the rear roller 83 of the tension applying unit 80, and the position in the width direction (Y of the catalyst layer formed on the electrolyte membrane 2 suspended from the rear roller 83) Axial position) is detected. The inspection camera 75 is provided at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 and downstream of the coating nozzle 30 along the transport direction of the electrolyte membrane 2. The inspection camera 75 detects the position in the width direction (position in the Y-axis direction) of the coating film immediately after coating by the coating nozzle 30.

  The fiber sensors 72 and 74 are sensors that irradiate the light transmitted through the optical fiber and detect the presence of the object by the reflected light. The fiber sensor 72 is provided at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 and upstream of the coating nozzle 30 along the transport direction of the electrolyte membrane 2. The fiber sensor 72 detects a position (position along the circumferential direction of the suction roller 20) along the transport direction of the catalyst layer formed on the electrolyte membrane 2 before the coating treatment. One fiber sensor 74 is provided at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 and downstream of the coating nozzle 30 along the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 2. The fiber sensor 74 detects a position (position along the circumferential direction of the suction roller 20) along the transport direction of the coating film immediately after coating by the coating nozzle 30.

  The laser displacement meter 73 detects the amount of displacement from the reflected light of the irradiated laser light to the object. The laser displacement meter 73 is provided at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 and downstream of the coating nozzle 30 along the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 2. The laser displacement meter 73 detects the thickness of the coating film immediately after coating by the coating nozzle 30. In FIG. 1, the laser displacement meter 73, the fiber sensor 74, and the inspection camera 75 are arranged in this order from the upstream side along the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 2, but the arrangement order of these three sensors is limited to this. It is not a thing but arbitrary.

  Furthermore, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 90 that controls each mechanism provided in the apparatus. The configuration of the control unit 90 as hardware is the same as that of a general computer. That is, the control unit 90 stores a CPU that performs various arithmetic processes, a ROM that is a read-only memory that stores basic programs, a RAM that is a readable and writable memory that stores various information, control software, data, and the like. It is configured with a magnetic disk. When the CPU of the control unit 90 executes a predetermined processing program, each operation mechanism provided in the manufacturing apparatus 1 is controlled, and the manufacturing process of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 proceeds.

  Next, a processing procedure in the membrane / catalyst layer assembly manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure for manufacturing the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 in the manufacturing apparatus 1. The manufacturing procedure of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 described below proceeds by the control unit 90 controlling each operation mechanism of the manufacturing apparatus 1.

  First, the electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12 unwinds the electrolyte membrane 2 with the back sheet 6 (step S1). As the electrolyte membrane 2, it is possible to use a polymer electrolyte membrane such as a fluorine-based or hydrocarbon-based polymer conventionally used for membrane / catalyst layer assembly applications of solid polymer fuel cells. For example, as the electrolyte membrane 2, a polymer electrolyte membrane containing perfluorocarbon sulfonic acid (for example, Nafion (registered trademark) manufactured by DuPont, USA, Flemion (registered trademark) manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd., and Aciplex manufactured by Asahi Kasei Co., Ltd. (Registered trademark), Goreselect (registered trademark) manufactured by Gore, etc.) can be used.

  The electrolyte membrane 2 is very thin and weak in mechanical strength, and easily swells even with a small amount of moisture in the atmosphere, while shrinking when the humidity is low, and is very easily deformed. For this reason, the electrolyte membrane 2 with the back sheet 6 is wound around the electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12 as an initial state in order to prevent deformation of the electrolyte membrane 2. Since the electrolyte membrane 2 is very easily deformed even by a small amount of moisture contained in the atmosphere, a back sheet 6 that is a belt-like resin film for maintaining the shape is attached at the stage of being wound up when the electrolyte membrane 2 is manufactured. It is in the state.

  As the back sheet 6, a resin material having a high mechanical strength and an excellent shape holding function, for example, a film of PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) can be used. In the present embodiment, the back sheet 6 is bonded to the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2. Note that there is no difference in properties as an electrolyte membrane between the front surface and the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2, and the surface on the side where the back sheet 6 is bonded is merely the back surface for the sake of convenience for distinction.

  In the electrolyte membrane 2 with the back sheet 6 in an initial state wound around the electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12, the thickness of the electrolyte membrane 2 is 5 μm to 30 μm, and the width is about 300 mm at the maximum. Moreover, the film thickness of the back sheet 6 is 25 μm to 100 μm, and its width is equal to or slightly larger than the width of the electrolyte membrane 2.

  In the present embodiment, a catalyst layer is already formed on the surface side of the electrolyte membrane 2. The catalyst layer on the surface side is formed by a roll-to-roll system by directly applying the electrolyte membrane 2 with the back sheet 6 attached thereto in a coating apparatus separate from the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. The catalyst ink is intermittently applied to the surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 while being conveyed, and the coating film is dried. The formation of the catalyst layer on the front side is performed while the back sheet 6 is adhered to the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2, so that the deformation of the electrolyte membrane 2 does not occur.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the electrolyte membrane 2 when it is unwound from the electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12. FIG. 8 is a view showing the catalyst layer 9 formed on the surface of the electrolyte membrane 2. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a catalyst layer 9 having a certain size is intermittently formed on the surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 at regular intervals. A back sheet 6 is bonded to the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2.

  The electrolyte membrane 2 with the back sheet 6 as shown in FIG. 7 is unwound from the electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12, suspended on the tension detection roller 13, and sent to the peeling unit 10. The tension of the electrolyte membrane 2 with the back sheet from the electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 12 to the peeling roller 11 is detected by the tension detection roller 13, and the electrolyte membrane winding is performed so that the measured value becomes a preset value. The rotation of the exit roller 12 is controlled. Since the tension detection roller 13 is in contact with the back sheet 6, that is, not in direct contact with the electrolyte membrane 2, the electrolyte membrane 2 is prevented from being deformed by contact with the tension detection roller 13.

  In the peeling part 10, the back sheet 6 is peeled from the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 sandwiched between the peeling roller 11 and the nip roller 16 (step S2). The back sheet 6 peeled off from the electrolyte membrane 2 is suspended by a tension detection roller 15 and taken up by the back sheet take-up roller 14. The tension of the backsheet 6 until it is peeled off from the electrolyte membrane 2 by the peeling roller 11 and reaches the backsheet take-up roller 14 is detected by the tension detection roller 15, and the measured value is set to a preset value. The rotation of the sheet take-up roller 14 is controlled.

  The electrolyte membrane 2 from which the back sheet 6 has been peeled is conveyed from the peeling roller 11 to the sticking roller 19 through the front roller 82, the tension roller 81, and the rear roller 83. The tension applying unit 80 including the front roller 82, the tension roller 81, and the rear roller 83 applies a constant tension to the electrolyte membrane 2 from when the back sheet 6 is peeled off by the peeling roller 11 until it is adsorbed by the suction roller 20. (Step S3). Specifically, the tension sensor 84 detects the tension acting on the electrolyte membrane 2 from when the back sheet 6 is peeled off by the peeling roller 11 until it is sucked by the suction roller 20. The tension controller 85 controls the air pressure applied to the cylinder 87 via the electropneumatic regulator 86 so that the detection result of the tension sensor 84 becomes a predetermined set value, thereby adjusting the position of the tension roller 81. When the detection result of the tension sensor 84 is larger than the set value, the tension controller 85 controls the cylinder 87 and moves the tension roller 81 to the right in FIG. Reduce. Conversely, when the detection result of the tension sensor 84 is smaller than the set value, the tension controller 85 controls the cylinder 87 and moves the tension roller 81 leftward in FIG. Increase the tension. In this way, the tension applying unit 80 applies a certain tension to the electrolyte membrane 2 from when the back sheet 6 is peeled off until it is adsorbed by the adsorption roller 20.

  As described above, the electrolyte membrane 2 for a fuel cell is very thin, has a low mechanical strength, and is very easily deformed. In order to reinforce such a fragile electrolyte membrane 2, a back sheet 6 is bonded to the back surface, but in order to manufacture a membrane / catalyst layer assembly of a fuel cell, different polarities are provided on both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane 2. Therefore, the back sheet 6 must be peeled from the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2. That is, if only the surface side of the electrolyte membrane 2 is used, the catalyst ink can be applied with the back sheet 6 attached to form the catalyst layer 9, but the catalyst ink is also applied to the back side. For this, it is essential to peel off the back sheet 6 from the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2.

  From the viewpoint of preventing deformation of the electrolyte membrane 2, as disclosed in Patent Document 3, the backsheet 6 is peeled off after the electrolyte membrane 2 to which the backsheet 6 is bonded is adsorbed and supported by the adsorption roller 20. However, when the adhesive force between the electrolyte membrane 2 and the back sheet 6 is strong, the electrolyte membrane 2 may be wrinkled by being pulled by the back sheet 6 at the time of peeling. Therefore, when the adhesion force of the electrolyte membrane 2 is strong, the electrolyte membrane 2 from which the back sheet 6 is peeled off by the peeling portion 10 provided at a position separated from the suction roller 20 as in this embodiment is applied to the suction roller 20. Adsorption is preferred.

  However, when the back sheet 6 is peeled off at a position separated from the suction roller 20, there is a section in which the electrolyte membrane 2 is conveyed in a state where the back sheet 6 for reinforcement does not exist. Specifically, the electrolyte membrane 2 from the peeling roller 11 to the adsorption roller 20 is in an unstable state in which the back sheet 6 does not exist.

  If the electrolyte membrane 2 is adsorbed to the adsorption roller 20 without applying any tension to the unstable electrolyte membrane 2 from which the back sheet 6 has been peeled off, wrinkles are likely to occur. In order to prevent this, it is effective to adsorb the electrolyte membrane 2 to the adsorption roller 20 while applying a certain amount of tension. Conversely, when an excessively strong tension is applied to the electrolyte membrane 2, The electrolyte membrane 2 is stretched to generate wrinkles (called vertical scissors) along the transport direction. That is, in order to cause the electrolyte membrane 2 to be adsorbed to the adsorption roller 20 without generating wrinkles in the electrolyte membrane 2, the electrolyte membrane from when the back sheet 6 is peeled off by the peeling roller 11 until it is adsorbed by the adsorption roller 20. It is necessary to give moderate tension to 2.

  The inventor of the present application has conducted intensive investigations on the tension applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 from when the back sheet 6 is peeled off until it is adsorbed by the adsorption roller 20. Table 1 below shows the relationship between the tension applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 from which the back sheet 6 has been peeled and the presence or absence of wrinkles during adsorption.

  Here, three types of electrolyte membranes 2 having film thicknesses of 5 μm, 15 μm, and 27.5 μm were used. The width of each electrolyte membrane 2 is 200 mm. The measuring force shown in Table 1 is a force applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 from the peeling roller 11 to the adsorption roller 20 along the conveying direction. The value obtained by dividing the measuring force by the cross-sectional area of the electrolyte membrane 2 is the tension. Further, in the “wrinkle” column, a circle indicates that no wrinkle was generated on the electrolyte membrane 2 at the time of adsorption to the adsorption roller 20, and a cross indicates that a wrinkle occurred on the electrolyte membrane 2. Is.

As shown in Table 1, regardless of the thickness of the electrolyte membrane 2, the tension applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 from when the back sheet 6 is peeled off until it is adsorbed by the adsorption roller 20 is 0.3 N / mm ² or more 7 If it is 0.0 N / mm ² or less, no wrinkles are generated in the electrolyte membrane 2 at the time of adsorption to the adsorption roller 20. This shows that, when tension of the electrolyte membrane 2 tensioning portion 80 is 0.3 N / mm ² or more 7.0 N / mm ² or less to be adsorbed by the adsorption roller 20 from the back sheet 6 is peeled off In addition, it is possible to prevent wrinkles from being generated on the electrolyte membrane 2 during adsorption onto the adsorption roller 20. Of course, the lower limit value of the tension applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 is equal to or greater than the adhesion between the back sheet 6 and the electrolyte membrane 2, and the upper limit value of the tension is equal to or less than the yield stress of the electrolyte membrane 2.

The tension applying unit 80 adjusts the position of the tension roller 81 so that the electrolyte film 2 from when the back sheet 6 is peeled off until it is adsorbed by the adsorption roller 20 is 0.3 N / mm ² or more and 7.0 N / mm. A constant tension of ² or less is applied. Therefore, when the tension roller 81 is moved leftward in FIG. 2 in order to keep the tension acting on the electrolyte membrane 2 constant, the electrolyte membrane 2 from the peeling portion 10 to the adsorption roller 20 is maintained. The length of the electrolyte membrane 2 in the transport path becomes longer. On the contrary, when the tension roller 81 is moved rightward in FIG. 2 in order to keep the tension acting on the electrolyte membrane 2 constant, the electrolyte membrane 2 from the peeling portion 10 to the adsorption roller 20 is maintained. The length of the electrolyte membrane 2 in the transport path becomes shorter. From the viewpoint of preventing wrinkles, it is not preferable that the length of the electrolyte membrane 2 in the transport path from the peeling unit 10 to the suction roller 20 varies greatly. In particular, when the length of the electrolyte membrane 2 in the conveyance path from the peeling unit 10 to the adsorption roller 20 becomes long, wrinkles are likely to occur in the electrolyte membrane 2.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, the rotational speed (number of rotations) of the peeling roller 11 is adjusted according to the length of the electrolyte film 2 in the conveyance path from the peeling unit 10 to the suction roller 20, and the electrolyte film 2 in the conveyance path is adjusted. Is made constant (step S4). Specifically, the position of the tension roller 81 is measured by the roller guide 88, and the position information of the tension roller 81 acquired by the roller guide 88 is transmitted to the control unit 90. The control unit 90 controls the number of rotations of the peeling roller 11 based on the measurement result of the roller guide 88 so that the tension roller 81 stays at a predetermined position. That is, when the tension roller 81 moves leftward in FIG. 2 and the length of the electrolyte membrane 2 in the conveyance path from the peeling unit 10 to the adsorption roller 20 is long, the control unit 90 rotates the peeling roller 11. The feeding speed of the electrolyte membrane 2 to the downstream side of the peeling roller 11 is reduced by decreasing the number. On the other hand, when the tension roller 81 moves rightward in FIG. 2 and the length of the electrolyte membrane 2 in the conveyance path from the peeling unit 10 to the adsorption roller 20 becomes short, the control unit 90 rotates the peeling roller 11. The feeding speed of the electrolyte membrane 2 to the downstream side of the peeling roller 11 is increased by increasing the number. In this way, the length of the electrolyte membrane 2 in the conveyance path from the peeling unit 10 to the suction roller 20 is made constant, and fluctuations in the length of the electrolyte membrane 2 are suppressed, thereby preventing wrinkles more reliably. doing. Although the length of the electrolyte membrane 2 in the conveyance path from the peeling unit 10 to the suction roller 20 can be adjusted by the rotation speed of the suction roller 20, the rotation speed of the suction roller 20 depends on the coating processing time and the drying time. It is not preferable to change it easily because it affects it.

  Further, when the electrolyte membrane 2 passes the rear roller 83, the inspection camera 71 detects the position in the width direction (position in the Y-axis direction) of the catalyst layer 9 formed on the surface of the electrolyte membrane 2. When the electrolyte membrane 2 passes through the rear roller 83, the back side of the electrolyte membrane 2 is in contact with the rear roller 83. Therefore, the inspection camera 71 can detect the position in the width direction of the catalyst layer 9 by imaging the electrolyte membrane 2 from the surface side where the catalyst layer 9 is formed. The position in the width direction of the catalyst layer 9 detected by the inspection camera 71 is transmitted to the control unit 90.

  The electrolyte membrane 2 that has reached the suction roller 20 while being given a constant tension after the backsheet 6 is peeled off is sucked to the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 by the sticking roller 19 (step S5). FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the electrolyte membrane 2 is adsorbed to the adsorption roller 20 by the sticking roller 19. The electrolyte membrane 2 from which the back sheet 6 has been peeled is sandwiched between the sticking roller 19 and the suction roller 20. The affixing roller 19 adsorbs and supports the electrolyte membrane 2 on the adsorption roller 20 by pressing the surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 from which the back sheet 6 has been peeled against the adsorption roller 20. Although the catalyst layer 9 is formed on the surface of the electrolyte membrane 2, the surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 is adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 20 together with the catalyst layer 9 as shown in FIG. 9. Since the electrolyte membrane 2 to which a certain tension is applied by the tension applying unit 80 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 20 by the sticking roller 19 and is adsorbed, the electrolyte membrane 2 does not generate wrinkles. It will be supported by suction on the outer peripheral surface.

  Further, when the electrolyte membrane 2 is adsorbed by the adsorbing roller 20 by the adhering roller 19, pressurized air is supplied by the air purge mechanism 18 and air is ejected from the outer peripheral surface of the adhering roller 19. When the electrolyte membrane 2 having a strong adhesion is used, the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 may stick to the sticking roller 19 during the suction onto the suction roller 20. Such sticking to the sticking roller 19 becomes a new cause of wrinkles on the electrolyte membrane 2. For this reason, air is ejected from the outer peripheral surface of the sticking roller 19 by the air purge mechanism 18 to prevent the electrolyte membrane 2 itself from sticking to the sticking roller 19, and more reliably attract the electrolyte membrane 2 to the suction roller 20 without any loss. Can be made.

  The adsorption roller 20 adsorbs the surface of the electrolyte membrane 2. Regardless of whether or not the electrolyte membrane 2 is adsorbed by applying a negative pressure of 90 kPa or more to the suction port 21 of the adsorption roller 20 made of porous ceramics having a porosity of 15% to 50%, A negative pressure of 10 kPa or more acts uniformly on the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20. Therefore, regardless of the width of the electrolyte membrane 2, the adsorption roller 20 can stably adsorb and support the electrolyte membrane 2 with a constant suction pressure. Further, deformation of the electrolyte membrane 2 due to the adsorption of the adsorption roller 20 can be suppressed.

  Further, the surface roughness of the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 is Rz of 5 μm or less and the pore diameter of the suction roller 20 is 5 μm or less. That is, the suction roller 20 of the present embodiment can stably support the adsorption without causing the electrolyte membrane 2 having fragile mechanical properties to be deformed or causing a suction mark.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the adsorption roller 20 that adsorbs and supports the electrolyte membrane 2 rotates around the central axis along the Y-axis direction, so that the electrolyte membrane 2 is supported by the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 20 and conveyed. Is done. Before the electrolyte membrane 2 conveyed by being adsorbed and supported by the adsorption roller 20 reaches the coating nozzle 30, a position along the conveyance direction of the catalyst layer 9 formed on the surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 (of the adsorption roller 20). The position along the circumferential direction) is detected by the fiber sensor 72. At this time, since the surface side of the electrolyte membrane 2 on which the catalyst layer 9 is formed is adsorbed by the adsorption roller 20, the fiber sensor 72 detects from the back side of the electrolyte membrane 2. Since 2 is translucent, the fiber sensor 72 can detect the electrolyte membrane 2 on the surface even from the back side of the electrolyte membrane 2. The position along the transport direction of the catalyst layer 9 detected by the fiber sensor 72 is transmitted to the control unit 90.

  Next, catalyst ink is applied from the coating nozzle 30 to the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 that is conveyed while being supported by the adsorption roller 20 (step S6). The catalyst ink used in this embodiment contains, for example, catalyst particles, an ion conductive electrolyte, and a dispersion medium. As the catalyst particles, known or commercially available particles can be used, and are not particularly limited as long as they cause a fuel cell reaction at the anode or cathode of the polymer fuel cell. For example, platinum (Pt), platinum alloy Platinum compounds can be used. Among these, as the platinum alloy, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), palladium (Pd), nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), iridium (Ir), iron (Fe), and the like. An alloy of metal and platinum can be mentioned. Generally, platinum is used for the catalyst particles of the catalyst ink for the cathode, and the above-described platinum alloy is used for the catalyst particles of the catalyst ink for the anode.

  The catalyst particles may be so-called catalyst-supported carbon powder in which catalyst fine particles are supported on carbon powder. The average particle size of the catalyst-supporting carbon is usually about 10 nm to 100 nm, preferably about 20 nm to 80 nm, and most preferably about 40 nm to 50 nm. The carbon powder supporting the catalyst fine particles is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include carbon black such as channel black, furnace black, ketjen black, acetylene black, and lamp black, graphite, activated carbon, carbon fiber, and carbon nanotube. It is done. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  A solvent is added to the catalyst particles as described above to obtain a paste that can be applied from a slit nozzle. As the solvent, water, ethanol, alcohols such as n-propanol and n-butanol, and organic solvents such as ethers, esters and fluorines can be used.

  Further, a polymer electrolyte solution in which an ionomer having an ion exchange group is dispersed in the solvent is added to a solution obtained by adding a solvent to the catalyst particles. As an example, carbon black supporting 50 wt% platinum (“TEC10E50E” manufactured by Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo Co., Ltd.) is dispersed in water, ethanol and a polymer electrolyte solution (Nafion liquid “D2020” manufactured by DuPont USA) as a catalyst. Ink can be obtained.

  The paste thus mixed is supplied as a catalyst ink from the coating liquid supply mechanism 35 to the coating nozzle 30. The catalyst ink supplied from the coating liquid supply mechanism 35 is applied from the coating nozzle 30 to the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2. The catalyst ink applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 may be for the cathode or the anode, but a catalyst ink having a polarity opposite to that of the catalyst layer 9 formed on the surface is applied on the back surface. The

  In the present embodiment, the coating liquid supply mechanism 35 intermittently supplies the catalyst ink to the coating nozzle 30, whereby the coating nozzle is formed on the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 that is adsorbed and supported by the adsorption roller 20. Intermittent coating is performed from 30. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the catalyst ink is intermittently applied to the electrolyte membrane 2. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the electrolyte membrane 2 on which the catalyst ink is intermittently applied. By intermittently ejecting the catalyst ink from the coating nozzle 30 onto the electrolyte membrane 2 that is adsorbed and supported by the adsorption roller 20 and conveyed at a constant speed, as shown in FIGS. The catalyst ink layer 8 having a certain size is formed discontinuously at regular intervals.

  The total runout of the suction roller 20 during rotation is 10 μm or less, and the surface roughness of the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 is Rz of 5 μm or less. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of the rotating suction roller 20 and the slit of the coating nozzle 30 The distance from the discharge port is stable at a substantially constant value. For this reason, the uniform catalyst ink layer 8 can be formed with high accuracy by intermittent coating from the coating nozzle 30.

  The width of each catalyst ink layer 8 formed on the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 is defined by the width of the slit-like discharge port of the coating nozzle 30. The length of each catalyst ink layer 8 is defined by the catalyst ink discharge time of the coating nozzle 30 and the transport speed of the electrolyte membrane 2 (that is, the rotation speed of the suction roller 20). The thickness (height) of the catalyst ink layer 8 is defined by the distance between the discharge port of the coating nozzle 30 and the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2, the discharge flow rate of the catalyst ink, and the transport speed of the electrolyte membrane 2. 10 μm to 300 μm. The catalyst ink is a paste that can be applied from the application nozzle 30, and has a viscosity that can maintain the shape of the catalyst ink layer 8 on the electrolyte membrane 2.

  The coating nozzle 30 applies the catalyst ink to the same area as the catalyst layer 9 on the front surface side already formed on the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2. That is, the coating nozzle 30 applies the catalyst ink to the opposite surface (back surface) of the same region as the catalyst layer 9 on the front surface side. Specifically, based on the width direction position information of the catalyst layer 9 on the front surface side detected by the inspection camera 71, the control unit 90 applies the coating nozzle so as to apply the catalyst ink to the same width direction position on the back surface side. Finely adjust the position of 30 in the Y-axis direction. Further, based on the positional information along the transport direction of the catalyst layer 9 detected by the fiber sensor 72, the control unit 90 sets the discharge timing of the coating nozzle 30 so as to apply the catalyst ink to the same position on the back surface side. Control. In this way, as shown in FIG. 11, the catalyst ink layer 8 is formed on the back surface side in the same region as the catalyst layer 9 on the surface side of the electrolyte membrane 2.

  Then, the inspection of the catalyst ink layer 8 which is a coating film formed by coating from the coating nozzle 30 is performed (step S7). This inspection is performed with respect to the application state of the catalyst ink layer 8, and specifically, the position of the catalyst ink layer 8 in the width direction, the position along the transport direction, and the film thickness are inspected. These inspections are performed by a laser displacement meter 73, a fiber sensor 74, and an inspection camera 75 provided on the downstream side of the coating nozzle 30 along the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 2.

  The laser displacement meter 73 detects the thickness of the catalyst ink layer 8 immediately after being formed by coating from the coating nozzle 30. The fiber sensor 74 detects the position along the transport direction of the catalyst ink layer 8. The inspection camera 75 detects the position in the width direction of the catalyst ink layer 8. These detection results are transmitted to the control unit 90. Based on the detection results of the laser displacement meter 73, the fiber sensor 74, and the inspection camera 75, the control unit 90 forms the catalyst ink layer 8 with a film thickness set in advance in the same region as the catalyst layer 9 on the surface side. It is determined whether or not.

  The bottom of FIG. 10 illustrates a case where the coating region of the catalyst ink layer 8 is deviated from the formation region of the catalyst layer 9 on the surface side. In this example, both the position in the width direction of the catalyst ink layer 8 and the position along the transport direction are deviated from the formation region of the catalyst layer 9 on the surface side. Such a positional deviation of the catalyst ink layer 8 is determined by the control unit 90 based on the detection results of the fiber sensor 74 and the inspection camera 75.

  Next, the catalyst ink layer 8 on the back surface side of the electrolyte membrane 2 is transported to a position facing the drying furnace 40 by the rotation of the adsorption roller 20, and the catalyst ink layer 8 is dried (step S8). The drying process of the catalyst ink layer 8 is performed by blowing hot air from the drying furnace 40 to the catalyst ink layer 8. When the hot air is blown, the catalyst ink layer 8 is heated, the solvent component is volatilized, and the catalyst ink layer 8 is dried. As the solvent component volatilizes, the catalyst ink layer 8 is dried to become the catalyst layer 9.

  FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the electrolyte membrane 2 in which the catalyst layers 9 are formed on both the front and back surfaces. The catalyst layer 9 is an electrode layer on which catalyst particles such as platinum are supported. Since the catalyst layer 9 is formed by volatilization and solidification of the solvent component from the catalyst ink layer 8, the thickness of the catalyst layer 9 is thinner than that of the catalyst ink layer 8. The thickness of the catalyst layer 9 after drying is, for example, 3 μm to 50 μm. The membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 is formed by forming the catalyst layers 9 on both the front and back surfaces of the electrolyte membrane 2 as shown in FIG.

  The drying furnace 40 includes three drying zones 41, 42, and 43, from which hot air having different temperatures is blown. Specifically, the hot air temperature increases in the order of the drying zone 41 located on the most upstream side in the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 2 by the adsorption roller 20, the intermediate drying zone 42, and the most downstream drying zone 43. If high-temperature hot air is immediately blown onto the catalyst ink layer 8 immediately after coating without dividing the drying zone, the catalyst ink layer 8 may be rapidly dried to cause cracks on the surface. Alternatively, the same applies to the case where the heater is built in the suction roller 20 and the catalyst ink layer 8 immediately after coating is dried rapidly.

  In the present embodiment, the drying furnace 40 is divided into three drying zones 41, 42, and 43, and the drying temperature is sequentially increased from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the electrolyte membrane 2. That is, the most upstream drying zone 41 slightly raises the temperature of the catalyst ink layer 8 by blowing hot air of relatively low temperature onto the catalyst ink layer 8 immediately after coating. Next, the intermediate drying zone 42 blows slightly hot hot air to gently dry the catalyst ink layer 8. Then, the catalyst ink layer 8 is strongly dried by blowing hot hot air from the most downstream drying zone 43. As described above, by gradually increasing the drying temperature and drying the catalyst ink layer 8 stepwise, the generation of cracks during the drying process can be prevented.

  In order to appropriately dry the catalyst ink layer 8 while preventing the occurrence of cracks, it is necessary to appropriately manage the drying process time, and for example, about 60 seconds is preferable. The drying processing time is the total time for one catalyst ink layer 8 to pass through the three drying zones 41, 42, and 43. For example, if the suction roller 20 has a diameter of 400 mm and the three drying zones 41, 42, and 43 cover the half circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20, the length is about 628 mm. In order to ensure 60 seconds as the drying process time under these conditions, the conveying speed of the electrolyte membrane 2 may be 10.4 mm / second. The conveyance speed of the electrolyte membrane 2 is defined by the rotation speed of the suction roller 20.

  Further, the drying furnace 40 includes a heat blocking zone 44 on the most upstream side along the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 2 and includes a heat blocking zone 45 on the most downstream side. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the hot air blown from the drying zones 41, 42, 43 from flowing over the drying furnace 40 to the upstream side and the downstream side of the suction roller 20. As a result, it is possible to prevent the coating nozzle 30 located on the upstream side of the drying furnace 40 and the sticking portion 50 located on the downstream side from being unnecessarily heated.

  Further, the drying furnace 40 is provided with suction portions 46 and 47 in addition to the heat shut-off zones 44 and 45, thereby preventing hot air from flowing around the drying furnace 40 and a catalyst ink layer during drying. It is possible to prevent the vapor of the solvent volatilized from 8 from leaking out.

  Next, the catalyst layer 9 on the back side after drying reaches the pasting part 50 by further rotation of the suction roller 20. The affixing unit 50 performs a laminating process for affixing the support film 7 to the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 (step S9). That is, the sticking unit 50 sticks the support film 7 to the coating surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 that has been subjected to the coating process in the manufacturing apparatus 1.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a state of a laminating process in which the support film 7 is bonded to the coating surface of the electrolyte membrane 2. The belt-like support film 7 is continuously supplied from the support film unwinding roller 55 toward the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 in the vicinity of the position where the sticking portion 50 is provided. As the support film 7, a resin film having a high mechanical strength and an excellent shape holding function, for example, a film of PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) can be used. That is, the support film 7 may be the same as the back sheet 6, and the back sheet 6 peeled off by the peeling portion 10 and taken up by the back sheet take-up roller 14 is used as the support film 7 from the support film unwind roller 55. You may make it send out.

  The support film 7 sent out from the support film unwinding roller 55 is suspended from the tension detection roller 52 and supplied to the suction roller 20. The tension of the support film 7 from the support film unwinding roller 55 until it is used for the laminating process is detected by the tension detection roller 52, and the measured value becomes a preset value so that the measured value becomes a preset value. The rotation of 55 is controlled.

  The support film 7 is supplied slightly upstream of the laminating roller 51 of the sticking unit 50 in the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 2. That is, the support film 7 is supplied between the laminating roller 51 and the drying furnace 40. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the supplied support film 7 is superimposed on the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 so as to be wound around the rotation of the laminating roller 51. On the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2, a catalyst layer 9 that is applied from the application nozzle 30 and dried in a drying furnace 40 is formed. When the support film 7 is overlaid on the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2, the catalyst layer 9 on the back surface side is sandwiched between the electrolyte membrane 2 and the support film 7.

  A laminated body in which the support film 7 is superimposed on the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 on which the catalyst layer 9 is formed is sandwiched between the two rollers as the suction roller 20 and the laminating roller 51 rotate. As a result, the laminate in which the support film 7 is superimposed on the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 is pressed from the suction roller 20 and the laminating roller 51. The force with which the suction roller 20 and the laminating roller 51 press the laminate is defined by the distance between the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 and the laminating roller 51. The distance between the suction roller 20 and the laminating roller 51 is adjusted by a cylinder that supports the laminating roller 51.

  When the laminated body in which the support film 7 is superimposed on the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 is pressed from the adsorption roller 20 and the laminate roller 51, the lamination process in which the support film 7 is bonded to the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 proceeds. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the electrolyte membrane 2 to which the support film 7 is bonded. The support film 7 is attached to the electrolyte membrane 2 in a region (non-coated region) where the catalyst layer 9 is not formed on the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2. On the other hand, the support film 7 does not stick to the catalyst layer 9.

  Further, the temperature of the laminating roller 51 is adjusted to a predetermined temperature by a heater 95. The laminating roller 51 whose temperature is controlled by the heater 95 heats the electrolyte membrane 2, thereby increasing the adhesive force of the electrolyte membrane 2 and ensuring that the support film 7 is adhered to the electrolyte membrane 2. The temperature control temperature by the heater 95 depends on the adhesive strength of the electrolyte membrane 2. Specifically, the heater 95 adjusts the temperature of the laminating roller 51 to a higher temperature as the adhesive strength of the electrolyte membrane 2 itself is weaker. If the adhesive strength of the electrolyte membrane 2 itself is sufficiently strong and the support film 7 sticks to the electrolyte membrane 2 without special heating, it is sufficient that the heater 95 adjusts the temperature of the laminating roller 51 to room temperature. Conversely, when the adhesive strength of the electrolyte membrane 2 itself is weak and the support film 7 does not stick to the electrolyte membrane 2 unless heated, the heater 95 adjusts the temperature of the laminating roller 51 to a high temperature.

  However, the upper limit of the temperature at which the heater 95 controls the temperature of the laminating roller 51 is the glass transition point Tg of the ionomer contained in the catalyst layer 9. This is because if the temperature of the laminating roller 51 exceeds the glass transition point Tg of the ionomer contained in the catalyst layer 9, the catalyst layer 9 heated by the laminating roller 51 may melt and stick to the support film 7. Because there is. That is, the heater 95 adjusts the temperature of the laminating roller 51 to a glass transition point Tg or less of an ionomer contained in the catalyst layer 9 at room temperature or higher.

  The laminating roller 51 bonds the support film 7 to the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 and peels the surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 to which the support film 7 is bonded from the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20. Then, the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 on which the support film 7 is bonded by the laminating process by the suction roller 20 and the laminating roller 51 is suspended by the tension detection roller 53 and wound by the bonded body winding roller 56 (step S10). ). The tension of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 with the support film 7 from the time when the support film 7 is pasted and peeled off from the adsorption roller 20 to the joined body take-up roller 56 is detected by the tension detection roller 53 and the measured value thereof. The rotation of the joined body winding roller 56 is controlled so that becomes a preset value. By winding the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 with the support film 7 by the assembly winding roller 56, a series of manufacturing processes of the membrane / catalyst layer assembly 5 is completed. Since the tension detection roller 53 is in contact with the support film 7, that is, not directly in contact with the electrolyte membrane 2, the electrolyte membrane 2 is prevented from being deformed by contact with the tension detection roller 53.

  By the way, in the manufacturing apparatus 1 described above, the drying furnace 40 is provided so as to cover a part of the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 20, and hot air is blown to the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 20 for drying the catalyst ink layer 8. . For this reason, the suction roller 20 formed of porous ceramics gradually accumulates heat and rises in temperature. If the suction roller 20 exceeds the predetermined value and becomes high temperature, the catalyst ink applied to the electrolyte membrane 2 from the coating nozzle 30 is immediately heated and dried rapidly, and there is a possibility that cracks may occur on the surface of the catalyst ink layer 8. is there.

  For this reason, a plurality of water-cooled tubes 22 are provided on the suction roller 20 (FIG. 4), and constant temperature water is allowed to flow through the water-cooled tube 22 to prevent the suction roller 20 from being cooled and heated to a predetermined value or higher. However, the adsorption roller 20 made of porous ceramics may have a low thermal conductivity, and the drying furnace 40 blows hot air on the outer circumferential surface of the adsorption roller 20, so that the temperature rise on the outer circumferential surface is sufficiently suppressed. It may not be possible.

  Even in such a case, the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 stored by hot air from the drying furnace 40 by blowing cooling air from the surface cooling unit 60 (FIG. 1) toward the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20. The heat can be removed by cooling. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the catalyst ink applied from the coating nozzle 30 to the electrolyte membrane 2 from being heated immediately.

In the present embodiment, the tension applying portion 80 is 0.3 N / mm ² or more and 7.0 N / second with respect to the electrolyte membrane 2 from when the back sheet 6 is peeled off by the peeling roller 11 until it is sucked by the suction roller 20. A constant tension of mm ² or less is applied. Then, the electrolyte membrane 2 to which the back sheet 6 is peeled and given a constant tension is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 20 by the sticking roller 19 and is sucked, so that the electrolyte membrane 2 is removed before the coating process. It can be adsorbed by the adsorbing roller 20.

  In particular, in the case of using the electrolyte membrane 2 having strong adhesion, it is necessary to cause the electrolyte membrane 2 to be adsorbed to the adsorption roller 20 after the back sheet 6 is peeled off at the peeling portion 10 provided at a position separated from the adsorption roller 20. In such a case, a technique according to the present invention that applies a certain tension to the electrolyte membrane 2 from which the back sheet 6 has been peeled to prevent wrinkling during adsorption is suitable. That is, according to the technique of the present invention, the electrolyte membrane 2 can be adsorbed to the adsorption roller 20 without any coating before the coating process, regardless of the type of the electrolyte membrane 2.

  While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be modified in various ways other than those described above without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the back sheet 6 is peeled from the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 and the catalyst ink is applied to the back surface. However, the catalyst ink is applied to the surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 and the catalyst is applied. The layer 9 may be formed. As described above, the front surface and the back surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 are merely distinguished for convenience, and catalyst ink is applied to the other surface of the electrolyte membrane 2 on which the catalyst layer 9 has already been formed. Any form that forms the layer 9 may be used.

Further, the tension applying unit 80 is not limited to the configuration in which the position of the tension roller 81 is adjusted by the cylinder 87, and may be any configuration that can apply a constant tension to the electrolyte membrane 2. For example, a weight having a predetermined mass is provided. A constant load may be applied to the tension roller 81 by being connected to the tension roller 81. Alternatively, a servo motor may be connected to the tension roller 81 so that a constant load is applied to the tension roller 81 by torque control of the servo motor. However, the tension the tension applying portion 80 has on the electrolyte membrane 2 is very small and 0.3 N / mm ² or more 7.0 N / mm ² or less, is required to keep minimize the frictional resistance of the driving part .

  In the above embodiment, in order to prevent the electrolyte membrane 2 from sticking, the sticking roller 19 is a roller that ejects air from the outer peripheral surface, but other rollers (tension rollers) that are in direct contact with the electrolyte membrane 2 are used. 81, the front roller 82, and the rear roller 83) are preferably rollers that eject air from the outer peripheral surface similar to that of the sticking roller 19. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the electrolyte membrane 2 having a strong adhesion from sticking to the tension roller 81, the front roller 82 and the rear roller 83.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the three drying zones 41, 42, and 43 were provided in the drying furnace 40, the division | segmentation number of a drying zone is not limited to three, Two may be sufficient And four or more may be sufficient. In any case, the temperature of the hot air blown by the drying furnace 40 sequentially increases from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 2 by the adsorption roller 20.

  Moreover, you may make it provide the heat interruption | blocking zone similar to the said embodiment between the adjacent drying zones. If it does in this way, the mutual interference of the hot air blown from the adjacent drying zone can be prevented.

  Further, although the drying furnace 40 blows hot air to dry the catalyst ink layer 8, instead of this, the catalyst ink layer 8 may be dried by a far infrared heater or the like.

  The present invention relates to a membrane / catalyst layer joining of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell in which a catalyst layer is formed on the electrolyte membrane by applying a catalyst ink to a polymer electrolyte membrane that is easily deformed by swelling / shrinking and drying the membrane. It can be applied to the production of a body, and is particularly suitable when an electrolyte membrane having a strong adhesion is employed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Manufacturing apparatus 2 Electrolyte membrane 5 Membrane / catalyst layer assembly 6 Back sheet 7 Support film 9 Catalyst layer 10 Peeling part 11 Peeling roller 12 Electrolyte membrane unwinding roller 13, 15, 52, 53 Tension detection roller 14 Back sheet winding roller DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Adsorption roller 21 Suction port 22 Water cooling pipe 30 Coating nozzle 35 Coating liquid supply mechanism 40 Drying furnace 41,42,43 Drying zone 44,45 Heat interruption zone 50 Sticking part 51 Laminating roller 55 Support film unwinding roller 56 Assembly Winding roller 60 Surface cooling unit 80 Tension applying unit 81 Tension roller 84 Tension sensor 85 Tension controller 86 Electropneumatic regulator 87 Cylinder 88 Roller guide 90 Control unit 95 Heater

Claims (10)

An apparatus for manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly of a fuel cell,
An adsorption roller that adsorbs and supports a belt-shaped electrolyte membrane on the outer peripheral surface;
A peeling means for peeling the support film from the electrolyte membrane provided at a position separated from the adsorption roller and having a support film bonded to one surface;
A coating means for coating a coating liquid on one surface of the electrolyte membrane conveyed by being supported by suction by the suction roller;
A drying means provided so as to cover a part of the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller, and drying the coating liquid applied to one surface of the electrolyte membrane to form a catalyst layer;
A tension applying means provided in a transport path of the electrolyte film from the peeling means to the adsorption roller, and applying a constant tension to the electrolyte film until the support film is peeled off and adsorbed by the adsorption roller; ,
An apparatus for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly comprising: In the manufacturing apparatus of the membrane-catalyst layer assembly according to claim 1,
The apparatus for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly, further comprising a sticking roller for pressing and adsorbing the other surface of the electrolyte membrane from which the support film has been peeled against the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller. In the apparatus for manufacturing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly according to claim 2,
An apparatus for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly comprising a gas jetting mechanism for jetting gas from an outer peripheral surface of the sticking roller. In the manufacturing apparatus of the membrane-catalyst layer assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
It said tensioning means, the electrolyte membrane in 0.3 N / mm ² or more 7.0 N / mm ² or less of an apparatus for manufacturing a membrane-catalyst layer assembly, characterized in that tensioning. In the manufacturing apparatus of the membrane-catalyst layer assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The peeling means has a peeling roller that comes into contact with the support film and peels the support film from the electrolyte membrane,
The membrane / catalyst layer assembly further comprising a control mechanism that adjusts the rotation speed of the peeling roller in accordance with the length of the electrolyte membrane in the transport path of the electrolyte membrane from the peeling means to the adsorption roller Manufacturing equipment. A method for producing a fuel cell membrane / catalyst layer assembly comprising:
An adsorption support step for adsorbing and supporting a belt-like electrolyte membrane on the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller;
A peeling step of peeling the support film from the electrolyte membrane in which a support film is bonded to one surface at a position separated from the suction roller;
A coating step of coating a coating liquid on one surface of the electrolyte membrane that is supported by the suction roller and conveyed;
A drying step of drying the coating solution applied to one surface of the electrolyte membrane to form a catalyst layer;
A tension applying step for applying a constant tension to the electrolyte membrane after the support film is peeled from the electrolyte membrane in the peeling step until the electrolyte membrane is adsorbed to the adsorption roller in the adsorption supporting step; ,
A method for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly, comprising: In the manufacturing method of the membrane-catalyst layer assembly according to claim 6,
A method for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly, wherein the other surface of the electrolyte membrane from which the support film has been peeled is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller by an application roller. In the manufacturing method of the membrane-catalyst layer assembly according to claim 7,
A method for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly, wherein gas is ejected from an outer peripheral surface of the sticking roller when the electrolyte membrane is adsorbed to the adsorption roller. In the manufacturing method of the membrane-catalyst layer assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
Wherein in the step of giving a tension is a manufacturing method of the electrolyte membrane 0.3 N / mm ² or more 7.0 N / mm ^2, characterized in that imparts less tensile membrane-catalyst layer assembly. In the manufacturing method of the membrane-catalyst layer assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 9,
In the peeling step, a peeling roller comes into contact with the support film to peel the support film from the electrolyte membrane,
Rotation of the peeling roller in accordance with the length of the electrolyte film from the time when the supporting film is peeled from the electrolyte film in the peeling step to the time when the electrolyte film is adsorbed to the suction roller in the adsorption supporting step A method for producing a membrane / catalyst layer assembly comprising adjusting the speed.

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