KR102269977B1 - Coating apparatus and coating method - Google Patents

Abstract

This coating apparatus includes a backup roller 10 holding a base material, a drive unit for rotating the backup roller 10, and a nozzle 41 for discharging the coating liquid toward the surface of the base material held by the backup roller 10; , a heating unit for heating the coating liquid applied to the surface of the substrate. Moreover, this coating apparatus is further equipped with the gas injection part 42 which injects gas in the vicinity of the discharge port 411 of the nozzle 41. As shown in FIG. For this reason, even if the solvent vaporizes from the coating liquid in the vicinity of the discharge port 411, the gas containing the vapor|steam of the said solvent is replaced with the gas discharged from the gas injection part 42. FIG. Therefore, it can suppress that the solvent vaporized from the coating liquid aggregates in the vicinity of the discharge port 411 of the nozzle 41. As a result, the discharge defect of the coating liquid resulting from aggregation of a solvent can be suppressed.

Description

Coating apparatus and coating method

The present invention relates to a coating apparatus and a coating method for applying a coating liquid to the surface of a substrate while conveying a long band-shaped substrate.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART In recent years, a fuel cell attracts attention as a driving power source, such as an automobile or a mobile phone. 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.} The fuel cell has a feature that, compared with other cells, the power generation efficiency is high and the load on the environment is small.

There are several types of fuel cells depending on the electrolyte used. One of them is a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) using an ion exchange membrane (electrolyte membrane) as an electrolyte. BACKGROUND ART Solid polymer fuel cells are expected to be applied to automobiles or portable devices because they can be operated at room temperature and reduced in size and weight.

A solid polymer fuel cell generally has a structure in which a plurality of cells are stacked. One cell is constituted by sandwiching both sides of a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA: Membrane-Electrode-Assembly) with a pair of separators. The membrane-electrode assembly includes an electrolyte membrane and a pair of electrode layers formed on both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane. One of the pair of electrode layers is an anode electrode, and the other is a cathode electrode. When the fuel gas containing hydrogen comes into contact with the anode electrode and air comes into contact with the cathode electrode, electric power is generated by an electrochemical reaction.

In the production of the membrane-electrode assembly, an electrolyte membrane serving as a strip-shaped substrate is adsorbed and held on the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller having a plurality of suction holes. Then, a catalyst ink (electrode paste) in which catalyst particles containing platinum (Pt) are dispersed in a solvent such as alcohol is applied to the surface of the electrolyte membrane held by the adsorption roller. Then, by drying the catalyst ink, an electrode layer is formed.

About the conventional apparatus which apply|coats a coating liquid, hold|maintaining a strip|belt-shaped base material on the outer peripheral surface of a roller, it describes in patent document 1, for example.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-70863

In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a liquid catalyst ink is applied to the surface of a web-like thin film adsorbed by a suction heating roller, and the catalyst ink is heated and dried by heating (paragraph 0030). In this type of apparatus, solvent vapor generated when a coating liquid such as catalyst ink is heated and dried comes into contact with a nozzle that discharges the coating liquid, and there is a possibility that the solvent may aggregate in the nozzle. And when droplets of a solvent adhere to a nozzle, it will become easy to generate|occur|produce the discharge defect of a coating liquid.

This invention was made in view of such a situation, and an object of this invention is to provide the coating apparatus and coating method which can suppress that the solvent vaporized from a coating liquid aggregates in the nozzle which discharges a coating liquid.

In order to solve the above problem, the first invention of the present application is a coating device for applying a coating solution to the surface of the substrate while conveying a long band-shaped substrate, the backup roller having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface for holding the substrate; , a driving unit for rotating the backup roller, a nozzle having a discharge port for discharging the coating liquid toward the surface of the substrate held by the backup roller, and the coating applied to the surface of the substrate held by the backup roller A heating unit for heating the liquid, and a gas injection unit for jetting gas in the vicinity of the discharge port are provided.

2nd invention of this application is the coating apparatus of 1st invention, Comprising: The said gas injection part injects gas to the space adjacent to the rotation direction downstream of the said backup roller at least with respect to the said discharge port.

A third invention of the present application is the coating apparatus of the first or second invention, wherein the discharge port is a slit-shaped opening extending in the width direction of the substrate, and the gas injection unit includes the entire range of the discharge port in the width direction. The gas is sprayed against

4th invention of this application is the coating apparatus of 3rd invention, Comprising: The said gas injection part injects the said gas along the said discharge port.

5th invention of this application is the coating apparatus in any one of 1st invention thru|or 4th invention, Comprising: The said heating part heats the said base material from the inside of the said backup roller through the outer peripheral surface of the said backup roller.

A sixth invention of the present application is the coating device according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the gas injected from the gas injection unit is clean dry air or an inert gas.

A seventh invention of the present application is the coating device according to any one of the first to sixth inventions, wherein the substrate is an electrolyte membrane, and the coating solution is an electrode material.

The eighth invention of the present application is a coating method for applying a coating solution to the surface of the base material while conveying a long band-shaped base material, wherein the base material held on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical backup roller is rotated by rotation of the backup roller. While conveying, a) a step of discharging the coating solution from the nozzle outlet toward the surface of the substrate; b) a step of heating the coating solution applied to the surface of the substrate, and at least the step b) During execution, the gas is injected in the vicinity of the discharge port.

9th invention of this application is the coating method of 8th invention, Comprising: During execution of the said process b), gas is injected into the space adjacent to the rotation direction downstream of the said backup roller with respect to the said discharge port.

A tenth invention of the present application is the coating method of the eighth or ninth invention, wherein the discharge port is a slit-shaped opening extending in the width direction of the substrate, and during execution of the step b), Spray the gas over the entire range.

11th invention of this application is the coating method of 10th invention, Comprising: During execution of the said process b), the said gas is injected along the said discharge port.

The twelfth invention of the present application is the coating method according to any one of the eighth to eleventh inventions, wherein in the step b), the base material is heated from the inside of the backup roller through the outer peripheral surface of the backup roller.

A thirteenth invention of the present application is the coating method according to any one of the eighth to twelfth inventions, wherein clean dry air or an inert gas is sprayed during the execution of the step b).

According to the 1st - 13th invention of this application, it can suppress that the solvent vaporized from the coating liquid aggregates in the discharge port vicinity of a nozzle. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the poor discharge of the coating liquid resulting from the aggregation of the solvent.

In particular, according to the second and ninth inventions of the present application, in the space adjacent to the downstream side of the discharge port, the solvent vaporized from the coating liquid immediately after application can be replaced with the gas supplied from the gas injection unit. Thereby, adhesion of the solvent to a nozzle can be suppressed effectively.

In particular, according to the 3rd invention and 10th invention of this application, over the full width of the slit-shaped discharge port, the discharge defect of a solvent can be suppressed.

In particular, according to the 4th invention and 11th invention of this application, it is easy to discharge|emit gas containing a solvent to the other side of the width direction by injecting gas from the one side of the width direction of a discharge port. Thereby, in the vicinity of the discharge port, the gas can be replaced efficiently. As a result, aggregation of the solvent with respect to a nozzle can be suppressed more effectively.

In particular, according to the 5th invention and 12th invention of this application, drying of a coating liquid can be started immediately after application|coating, and aggregation of the solvent with respect to a nozzle can be suppressed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which showed the structure of the manufacturing apparatus of a membrane-electrode assembly.
It is an enlarged view of lower part vicinity of an adsorption|suction roller.
Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the connection between the control unit and each unit.
4 : is a perspective view of an adsorption|suction roller, a coating nozzle, and a gas injection part.
5 : is a side view of an adsorption|suction roller, a coating nozzle, and a gas injection nozzle.
It is a perspective view of the adsorption|suction roller which concerns on a modified example, a coating nozzle, and a gas injection part.
7 : is a perspective view of the adsorption|suction roller which concerns on a modified example, a coating nozzle, and a gas injection part.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described, referring drawings.

<1. 1st Embodiment>

1 : is a figure which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus 1 of the membrane-electrode assembly containing the coating apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. This manufacturing apparatus 1 is an apparatus which forms an electrode layer on the surface of the electrolyte membrane which is an elongate band-shaped base material, and manufactures the membrane-electrode assembly for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. As shown in FIG. 1 , the apparatus 1 for manufacturing a membrane-electrode assembly of the present embodiment includes an adsorption roller 10 , a porous substrate supply and recovery unit 20 , an electrolyte membrane supply unit 30 , and an application unit 40 . , a drying furnace 50 , a bonded body recovery unit 60 , and a control unit 70 .

The adsorption roller 10 is a roller that rotates while adsorbing and holding the porous substrate 91 and the electrolyte membrane 92 . The suction roller 10 becomes an example of the backup roller in this invention. The suction roller 10 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface which has a some suction hole. The diameter of the suction roller 10 is set to 30 mm - 1600 mm, for example. 2 : is an enlarged view of lower part vicinity of the adsorption|suction roller 10. As shown in FIG. As shown by the broken line in FIG. 2, the rotation drive part 11 which has drive sources, such as a motor, is connected to the suction roller 10. When the rotation drive part 11 is operated, the adsorption|suction roller 10 rotates about the axial center extending horizontally.

A porous material, such as porous carbon or porous ceramics, is used for the material of the adsorption|suction roller 10, for example. Specific examples of the porous ceramics include _{a sintered body of alumina (Al 2} O ₃ ) or silicon carbide (SiC). The pore diameter in the porous adsorption roller 10 is, for example, 5 µm or less, and the porosity is, for example, 15% to 50%.

Moreover, you may use a metal for the material of the adsorption|suction roller 10 instead of a porous material. Specific examples of the metal include stainless steel or iron such as SUS. When using a metal for the material of the adsorption|suction roller 10, what is necessary is just to form minute adsorption hole in the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption|suction roller 10 by a process. In order to prevent generation|occurrence|production of an adsorption|suction trace, it is preferable that the diameter of an adsorption hole shall be 2 mm or less.

A suction port 12 is formed in the end face of the suction roller 10 . The suction port 12 is connected to a suction mechanism (for example, an exhaust pump) outside the figure. When the suction mechanism is operated, a negative pressure is generated in the suction port 12 of the suction roller 10 . And the negative pressure also generate|occur|produces also in the some adsorption hole formed in the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption|suction roller 10 through the pores in the adsorption|suction roller 10. As shown in FIG. The porous substrate 91 and the electrolyte membrane 92 are conveyed in an arc shape by the rotation of the suction roller 10 while being adsorbed and held on the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10 by the negative pressure. 1 and 2, the porous substrate 91 and the electrolyte membrane 92 are conveyed while being adsorbed and held on the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10. It has a range of about 270 °.

Moreover, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 2, the some heating flow path 13 is formed inside the suction roller 10. As shown in FIG. A high-temperature thermal medium is supplied to the heating flow path 13 from a thermal medium supply mechanism outside the figure. As the thermal medium, for example, water or oil heated to a temperature higher than the environmental temperature is used. During operation of the manufacturing apparatus 1 , heat is conducted from the heat medium flowing through the heating flow path 13 to the electrolyte membrane 92 via the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10 and the porous substrate 91 . As a result, on the surface of the electrolyte membrane 92, the electrode material mentioned later is heated.

The porous base material supply and recovery part 20 is a site|part which collects the porous base material 91 after use while supplying the elongate strip|belt-shaped porous base material 91 toward the adsorption|suction roller 10. The porous substrate 91 is a breathable substrate having a large number of fine pores. It is preferable that the porous base material 91 is formed of the material which dust does not generate|occur|produce easily. 1 , the porous substrate supply and recovery unit 20 includes a porous substrate supply roller 21, a plurality of porous substrate loading rollers 22, a plurality of porous substrate unloading rollers 23, and a porous substrate collection roller ( 24) has The porous substrate supply roller 21 , the plurality of porous substrate loading rollers 22 , the plurality of porous substrate unloading rollers 23 , and the porous substrate collection roller 24 are all arranged parallel to the suction roller 10 .

The porous substrate 91 before supply is wound around the porous substrate supply roller 21 . The porous base material supply roller 21 rotates by the power of the motor which abbreviate|omitted illustration. When the porous substrate supply roller 21 rotates, the porous substrate 91 is fed out from the porous substrate supply roller 21 . The fed porous base material 91 is conveyed to the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption|suction roller 10 along a predetermined|prescribed carrying-in path, while being guided by the some porous base material carrying-in roller 22. And the porous base material 91 is conveyed in arc shape by rotation of the adsorption|suction roller 10, adsorbing and holding by the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption|suction roller 10. As shown in FIG. In addition, in FIG. 2, in order to make understanding easy, the adsorption|suction roller 10 and the porous base material 91 hold|maintained by the adsorption|suction roller 10 are shown with space|interval.

The porous base material 91 is 180 degrees or more centering on the axial center of the adsorption|suction roller 10, Preferably it is 270 degrees or more and conveyed. Thereafter, the porous substrate 91 is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10 . The porous substrate 91 separated from the suction roller 10 is conveyed to the porous substrate recovery roller 24 along a predetermined unloading path while being guided by the plurality of porous substrate unloading rollers 23 . The porous substrate collection roller 24 rotates by the power of the motor which abbreviate|omitted illustration. Thereby, the porous base material 91 after use is wound up by the porous base material collection|recovery roller 24.

The electrolyte membrane supply unit 30 supplies the laminated base material 94 composed of two layers of the electrolyte membrane 92 and the first support film 93 around the adsorption roller 10 , and the electrolyte membrane 92 . ) is a site for peeling the first support film 93 from the .

For the electrolyte membrane 92, for example, a fluorine-based or hydrocarbon-based polymer electrolyte membrane is used. Specific examples of the electrolyte membrane 92 include a polymer electrolyte membrane containing perfluorocarbon sulfonic acid (for example, Nafion (registered trademark) manufactured by DuPont, USA, and Flemion (registered trademark) manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) ), Aciplex (registered trademark) manufactured by Asahi Kasei Co., Ltd., and Goreselect (registered trademark) manufactured by Gore) are mentioned. The thickness of the electrolyte membrane 92 is, for example, 5 µm to 30 µm. The electrolyte membrane 92 swells with moisture in the atmosphere, while shrinking when the humidity decreases. That is, the electrolyte membrane 92 has a property of being easily deformed depending on the humidity in the air.

The first support film 93 is a film for suppressing deformation of the electrolyte membrane 92 . As the material of the first support film 93 , a resin having a higher mechanical strength than that of the electrolyte membrane 92 and excellent in the shape-retaining function is used. As a specific example of the 1st support film 93, the film of PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is mentioned. The film thickness of the 1st support film 93 is set to 25 micrometers - 100 micrometers, for example.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the electrolyte membrane supply unit 30 includes a laminated substrate supply roller 31 (electrolyte film supply roller), a plurality of laminated substrate loading rollers 32 , a peeling roller 33 , and a plurality of first supports. It has a film carrying-out roller 34 and the 1st support film collection|recovery roller 35. The laminated base material supply roller 31, the some laminated base material carrying-in roller 32, the peeling roller 33, the some 1st support film carrying-out roller 34, and the 1st support film collection roller 35 are all adsorption|suction rollers. (10) is arranged parallel to

The laminated base material 94 before supply is wound around the laminated base material supply roller 31 so that the 1st support film 93 may become an outer side. In the present embodiment, on the surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 on the opposite side to the first support film 93 (hereinafter referred to as "first surface"), an electrode layer (hereinafter, referred to as "first electrode layer 9a") called) is formed. The 1st electrode layer 9a is a device different from this manufacturing apparatus 1 WHEREIN: The laminated|multilayer base material 94 comprised by the 2 layer of the 1st support film 93 and the electrolyte membrane 92 is rolled-toed as it is. - Formed by intermittently applying an electrode material to the first surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 while conveying it in a roll manner, and drying the applied electrode material.

The laminated base material supply roller 31 rotates with the motive power of the motor which abbreviate|omitted illustration. When the laminated substrate supply roller 31 rotates, the laminated substrate 94 is fed out from the laminated substrate supply roller 31 . The fed laminated base material 94 is conveyed to the peeling roller 33 along a predetermined|prescribed carrying-in path, while being guided by the some lamination|stacking base material carrying-in roller 32.

The peeling roller 33 is a roller for peeling the first support film 93 from the electrolyte membrane 92 . The peeling roller 33 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface having a diameter smaller than that of the suction roller 10 . At least the outer peripheral surface of the peeling roller 33 is formed of an elastic body. The peeling roller 33 is arranged adjacent to the suction roller 10 in a slightly downstream side of the rotation direction of the suction roller 10 rather than the introduction position of the porous base material 91 with respect to the suction roller 10. Moreover, the peeling roller 33 is pressed to the suction roller 10 side with the air cylinder which abbreviate|omitted illustration.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the laminated substrate 94 carried in by the plurality of laminated substrate carrying rollers 32 is introduced between the adsorption roller 10 and the peeling roller 33 . At this time, the first surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 is in contact with the surface of the porous substrate 91 held by the suction roller 10 together with the first electrode layer 9a, and the first support film 93 is , in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the peeling roller 33 . Moreover, the laminated base material 94 is pressed by the pressure received from the peeling roller 33 toward the adsorption|suction roller 10 side. A negative pressure is generated on the surface of the porous substrate 91 held by the suction roller 10 by the suction force from the suction roller 10 . The electrolyte membrane 92 is adsorbed to the surface of the porous substrate 91 by the negative pressure. Then, the electrolyte membrane 92 is conveyed in an arc shape by the rotation of the suction roller 10 while being held by the suction roller 10 together with the porous substrate 91 . In addition, in FIG. 2, in order to facilitate understanding, the porous base material 91 held by the suction roller 10, the electrolyte membrane 92, and the 1st electrode layer 9a are shown with space|interval.

Thus, in this embodiment, the porous base material 91 is interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption|suction roller 10 and the electrolyte membrane 92. As shown in FIG. For this reason, the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption|suction roller 10 and the 1st electrode layer 9a formed in the 1st surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 do not come into direct contact. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a part of the first electrode layer 9a from adhering to the outer circumferential surface of the adsorption roller 10 or transferring foreign substances from the outer circumferential surface of the adsorption roller 10 to the electrolyte membrane 92 .

On the other hand, the 1st support film 93 which passed between the adsorption|suction roller 10 and the peeling roller 33 separates from the adsorption|suction roller 10, and is conveyed to the some 1st support film carrying out roller 34 side. Thereby, the 1st support film 93 is peeled from the electrolyte membrane 92. As a result, the surface on the opposite side to the first surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 (hereinafter referred to as "second surface") is exposed. The peeled 1st support film 93 is conveyed to the 1st support film collection|recovery roller 35 along a predetermined|prescribed carrying out path|route, guided by the some 1st support film carrying-out roller 34. The 1st support film collection|recovery roller 35 rotates by the motive power of the motor which abbreviate|omitted illustration. Thereby, the 1st support film 93 is wound around the 1st support film collection roller 35.

The application unit 40 is a mechanism for applying an electrode material (coating solution) to the surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 around the suction roller 10 . For the electrode material, for example, a catalyst ink in which catalyst particles containing platinum (Pt) are dispersed in a solvent such as alcohol is used. As shown in FIG. 1 , the application part 40 has a coating nozzle 41 . The coating nozzle 41 is provided downstream of the peeling roller 33 in the conveyance direction of the electrolyte membrane 92 by the adsorption|suction roller 10. The coating nozzle 41 has a discharge port 411 opposing the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10 . The discharge port 411 is a slit-shaped opening extending horizontally along the width direction of the electrolyte membrane 92 held by the suction roller 10 .

The coating nozzle 41 is connected to the electrode material supply source which abbreviate|omitted illustration. When the application part 40 is driven, an electrode material is supplied to the coating nozzle 41 through piping from an electrode material supply source. Then, the electrode material is discharged from the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41 toward the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 . Thus, the electrode material is applied to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 .

In this embodiment, the electrode material is intermittently discharged from the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41 by opening and closing the valve connected to the coating nozzle 41 at a fixed period. Thereby, the electrode material is intermittently apply|coated to the 2nd surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 at fixed intervals in a conveyance direction. However, the valve may be continuously opened and the electrode material may be applied to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 without interruption in the conveying direction.

In addition, as the catalyst particles in the electrode material, a material that causes a fuel cell reaction in the anode or cathode of the polymer fuel cell is used. Specifically, particles such as platinum (Pt), a platinum alloy, or a platinum compound can be used as the catalyst particles. Examples of the platinum alloy include, 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 a metal and platinum is mentioned. Generally, platinum is used for the electrode material for cathodes, and platinum alloy is used for the electrode material for anodes. The electrode material discharged from the coating nozzle 41 may be for a cathode or for an anode may be sufficient as it. However, electrode materials having opposite polarities are used for the electrode layers 9a and 9b formed on the front and back sides of the electrolyte membrane 92 .

The coating nozzle 41 or piping of the application part 40 needs to perform maintenance, such as disassembly and washing|cleaning, regularly. For this reason, this manufacturing apparatus 1 has the maintenance space 80 for performing maintenance of the application|coating part 40. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, between the application part 40 and the 1st support film collection roller 35, the maintenance space 80 is arrange|positioned. When performing maintenance of the applicator 40, the operator 89 stands on the pawl 801 formed in the maintenance space 80, and performs washing of the components constituting the applicator 40, etc. .

The drying furnace 50 is a site for spraying heated gas (hot air) onto the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 . The drying furnace 50 of this embodiment is arrange|positioned rather than the application|coating part 40 downstream in the conveyance direction of the electrolyte membrane 92 by the adsorption|suction roller 10. Moreover, the drying furnace 50 is formed in the arc shape along the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption|suction roller 10. As shown in FIG. The drying furnace 50 blows hot air from the blow-out port formed in the surface opposite to the adsorption|suction roller 10 toward the 2nd surface of the electrolyte membrane 92. As shown in FIG.

In this manufacturing apparatus 1, after the electrolyte membrane 92 passes through the application part 40, the electrode material applied to the 2nd surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 is heated by the heat conducted from the heating flow path 13. is heated Thereby, the solvent in the electrode material is vaporized, and the electrode material is dried. Moreover, the drying furnace 50 auxiliaryly heats an electrode material by spraying a hot air. Thereby, drying of an electrode material is accelerated|stimulated more. The electrode material applied to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 becomes an electrode layer (hereinafter, referred to as a "second electrode layer 9b") by drying. As a result, a membrane-electrode assembly 95 composed of the electrolyte membrane 92, the first electrode layer 9a, and the second electrode layer 9b is obtained.

Thus, in this embodiment, the heating flow path 13 formed in the inside of the suction roller 10, and the drying furnace 50 are a heating part which heats the electrode material apply|coated to the 2nd surface of the electrolyte membrane 92. make up However, either one of the heating flow path 13 and the drying furnace 50 may be abbreviate|omitted. Moreover, instead of the heating flow path 13, the heater which heat|fever-generates by electricity supply inside the adsorption|suction roller 10 may be formed as a heating part.

The assembly collection part 60 is a site|part from which the 2nd support film 96 is affixed to the membrane-electrode assembly 95, and the membrane-electrode assembly 95 is collect|recovered. As shown in FIG. 1, the bonding body collection|recovery part 60 is the 2nd support film supply roller 61, the some 2nd support film carrying-in roller 62, the lamination roller 63, the some bonding body carrying-out roller 64 ) and a bonded body recovery roller 65 . The 2nd support film supply roller 61, the some 2nd support film carrying-in roller 62, the lamination roller 63, the some bonding body carrying out roller 64, and the bonding body collection|recovery roller 65 are all adsorption|suction roller 10 ) is placed parallel to

The second support film 96 before supply is wound around the second support film supply roller 61 . The 2nd support film supply roller 61 rotates by the power of the motor which abbreviate|omitted illustration. When the 2nd support film supply roller 61 rotates, the 2nd support film 96 is fed out from the 2nd support film supply roller 61 . The fed 2nd support film 96 is conveyed to the lamination roller 63 along a predetermined|prescribed carrying-in path, while being guided by the some 2nd support film carrying-in roller 62.

As the material of the second support film 96, a resin having a higher mechanical strength than that of the electrolyte membrane 92 and having an excellent shape-retaining function is used. As a specific example of the 2nd support film 96, the film of PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is mentioned. The film thickness of the 2nd support film 96 is set to 25 micrometers - 100 micrometers, for example. The second support film 96 may be the same as the first support film 93 . Moreover, you may make it feed out the 1st support film 93 wound up by the 1st support film collection roller 35 from the 2nd support film supply roller 61 as the 2nd support film 96 .

The lamination roller 63 is a roller for affixing the second support film 96 to the membrane-electrode assembly 95 . For the material of the lamination roller 63, for example, rubber with high heat resistance is used. The lamination roller 63 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface having a diameter smaller than that of the suction roller 10 . The lamination roller 63 adsorbs on the downstream side from the drying furnace 50 in the rotational direction of the suction roller 10 and upstream from the position where the porous substrate 91 is separated from the suction roller 10. It is arrange|positioned adjacent to the roller 10. Moreover, the lamination roller 63 is pressurized to the suction roller 10 side by the air cylinder which abbreviate|omitted illustration.

As shown in FIG. 2 , a heater 631 that generates heat by energization is provided inside the lamination roller 63 . For the heater 631 , for example, a sheath heater is used. When the heater 631 is energized, the outer peripheral surface of the lamination roller 63 is temperature-controlled to a predetermined temperature higher than the environmental temperature by the heat generated from the heater 631 . Further, the temperature of the outer peripheral surface of the lamination roller 63 is measured using a temperature sensor such as a radiation thermometer, and based on the measurement result, the output of the heater 631 is such that the outer peripheral surface of the laminating roller 63 has a constant temperature. may be controlled.

The 2nd support film 96 carried in by the some 2nd support film carrying-in roller 62 is, as shown in FIG. 2, the membrane|membrane electrode assembly 95 conveyed in the circumference|surroundings of the adsorption|suction roller 10, and It is introduced between the laminate rollers (63). At this time, the second support film 96 is pressed by the membrane-electrode assembly 95 by the pressure from the lamination roller 63 and is heated by the heat of the lamination roller 63 . As a result, the second support film 96 is affixed to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 . The second electrode layer 9b formed on the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 is sandwiched between the electrolyte membrane 92 and the second support film 96 .

The membrane-electrode assembly 95 with the second support film 96 that has passed between the adsorption roller 10 and the lamination roller 63 is conveyed in a direction away from the adsorption roller 10 . Thereby, the membrane/electrode assembly 95 is peeled from the porous substrate 91 .

Moreover, in this embodiment, the pressing roller 632 is arrange|positioned in the vicinity of the lamination roller 63. As shown in FIG. The pressure roller 632 is disposed adjacent to the lamination roller 63 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the membrane-electrode assembly 95 rather than the gap between the suction roller 10 and the lamination roller 63 . Moreover, the pressure roller 632 is pressed to the lamination roller 63 side by the air cylinder which abbreviate|omitted illustration. The membrane-electrode assembly 95 with the second support film 96 attached thereto, separated from the porous substrate 91 , then passes between the lamination roller 63 and the pressing roller 632 . Thereby, the adhesiveness of the 2nd support film 96 with respect to the 2nd surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 improves.

Thereafter, the membrane/electrode assembly 95 to which the second support film 96 is attached is conveyed to the bonded body recovery roller 65 along a predetermined unloading path while being guided by the plurality of bonding body discharging rollers 64 . do. The joined body collection roller 65 rotates with the power of a motor not shown. Thereby, the membrane-electrode assembly 95 with the 2nd support film 96 is wound up by the assembly collection|recovery roller 65 so that the 2nd support film 96 may become an outer side.

Thus, in the manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, in the feeding|feeding of the laminated base material 94 from the laminated substrate supply roller 31, peeling of the 1st support film 93 from the electrolyte membrane 92, and electrolyte membrane. Each of application of the electrode material to (92), drying of the electrode material, pasting of the second support film (96) to the electrolyte membrane (92), and winding of the membrane/electrode assembly (95) to the assembly recovery roller (65) The processes are sequentially executed. Thereby, the membrane-electrode assembly 95 used for the electrode of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell is manufactured. The electrolyte membrane 92 is always held by the first support film 93 , the suction roller 10 , or the second support film 96 . Thereby, deformation, such as swelling and contraction of the electrolyte membrane 92 in the manufacturing apparatus 1, is suppressed.

The control part 70 is a means for operation-controlling each part in the manufacturing apparatus 1 . 3 : is a block diagram which showed the connection of the control part 70 and each part in the manufacturing apparatus 1 . As conceptually shown in FIG. 3 , the control unit 70 is constituted by a computer having an arithmetic processing unit 71 such as a CPU, a memory 72 such as RAM, and a storage unit 73 such as a hard disk drive. In the storage unit 73, a computer program P for executing the manufacturing process of the membrane-electrode assembly is installed.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, the control part 70 includes the rotation drive part 11 of the above-mentioned suction roller 10, the suction mechanism of the suction roller 10, the heat medium supply mechanism to the heating flow path 13, The motor of the porous substrate supply roller 21, the motor of the porous substrate collection roller 24, the motor of the laminated substrate supply roller 31, the air cylinder of the peeling roller 33, the motor of the 1st support film collection roller 35 , the application unit 40 , the drying furnace 50 , the motor of the second support film supply roller 61 , the air cylinder of the laminating roller 63 , the heater 631 of the laminating roller 63 , the pressing roller 632 ) of the air cylinder and the motor of the bonded body collection roller 65 are respectively communicatively connected. Moreover, the control part 70 is also connected with the gas injection part 42 mentioned later so that communication is possible.

The control unit 70 temporarily reads and outputs the computer program P or data stored in the storage unit 73 to the memory 72, and based on the computer program P, the arithmetic processing unit 71 calculates. By performing the process, each of the above-mentioned units is operated and controlled. Thereby, the manufacturing process of the membrane-electrode assembly in the manufacturing apparatus 1 advances.

<2. About the gas injection part>

In this manufacturing apparatus 1, after an electrode material is apply|coated to the 2nd surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 from the application part 40, the heat from the heating flow path 13 immediately starts drying of an electrode material. . Accordingly, at a position close to the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41 , the solvent is vaporized from the electrode material applied to the electrolyte membrane 92 . When this solvent comes into contact with the coating nozzle 41, aggregates, and adheres to the coating nozzle 41 as a droplet, there is a possibility that the discharge defect of an electrode material may generate|occur|produce. In order to suppress generation|occurrence|production of such a discharge defect, this manufacturing apparatus 1 has the gas injection part 42. As shown in FIG.

4 : is a perspective view of the adsorption|suction roller 10, the coating nozzle 41, and the gas injection part 42. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4 , the gas injection unit 42 includes a gas injection nozzle 421 , an air supply pipe 422 , and an on-off valve 423 . The gas injection nozzle 421 is arrange|positioned at the side of the coating nozzle 41 (one side of the coating nozzle 41 in the direction parallel to the axis center of the adsorption|suction roller 10). The downstream end of the air supply pipe 422 is connected to the gas injection nozzle 421 . An upstream end of the air supply pipe 422 is connected to a gas supply source 424 . Moreover, on the path|route of the air supply piping 422, the on-off valve 423 is interposed and inserted.

As the gas supplied from the gas supply source 424, a dried gas containing no solvent component is used. Specifically, clean dry air or an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is used. When the on-off valve 423 is opened, gas is supplied from the gas supply source 424 to the gas injection nozzle 421 through the air supply pipe 422 . And as shown by the broken-line arrow in FIG. 4, gas is injected toward the vicinity of the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41 from the gas injection nozzle 421.

In this way, in the space in the vicinity of the discharge port 411 , the solvent vapor is replaced with the gas discharged from the gas injection nozzle 421 . For this reason, it can suppress that a solvent aggregates in the vicinity of the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the discharge failure of the electrode material resulting from the aggregation of the solvent.

Moreover, the pressure of the gas discharged from the gas injection nozzle 421 is 0.01-0.4 Mpa, for example, Preferably it is set as 0.05-0.1 Mpa. In addition, the flow rate of the gas discharged from the gas injection nozzle 421 is, for example, from 1 to 300 L/min, preferably from 10 to 100 L/min.

5 : is a side view of the adsorption|suction roller 10, the coating nozzle 41, and the gas injection nozzle 421. As shown in FIG. 5, the gas injection nozzle 421 is a side view. WHEREIN: It is located slightly downstream of the rotation direction of the adsorption|suction roller 10 rather than the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41. As shown in FIG. And the gas injection nozzle 421 injects gas into the space adjacent to the rotation direction downstream of the adsorption|suction roller 10 with respect to the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41. As shown in FIG. For this reason, in the space adjacent to the downstream of the discharge port 411, the solvent vaporized from the electrode material immediately after application|coating is replaced with the gas injected from the gas injection nozzle 421. As shown in FIG. Thereby, adhesion of the solvent to the coating nozzle 41 can be suppressed effectively.

At the time of discharging the electrode material, as shown in FIG. 5 , a bead 90 of the electrode material is formed in the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41 by the surface tension of the electrode material. If the shape of the liquid pool 90 is disturbed, poor coating of the electrode material is likely to occur on the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 . In this regard, the gas injection nozzle 421 of the present embodiment injects gas to a position on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the suction roller 10 rather than the liquid pool 90 . That is, the discharge direction of the gas from the gas injection nozzle 421 does not face the liquid pool 90 . Therefore, gas can be injected into the space near the discharge port 411 while suppressing the shape of the liquid pool 90 from being disturbed. Moreover, as mentioned above, it is hard to aggregate a solvent in the vicinity of the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41. For this reason, it can also suppress that the shape of the liquid pool 90 is disturbed by the liquid droplet of a solvent.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the cylindrical pipe-shaped nozzle is used for the gas injection nozzle 421. As shown in FIG. For this reason, like the broken-line arrow in FIG. 4, the gas blown out from the gas injection nozzle 421 has high directivity, and forms the airflow along the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, it becomes possible to inject the gas to the entire space along the discharge port 411 . Moreover, by injecting the gas from one side of the discharge port 411 , the gas containing the solvent can be easily discharged to the other side of the discharge port 411 . Thereby, in the vicinity of the discharge port 411, the gas can be replaced more efficiently. As a result, aggregation of the solvent with respect to the coating nozzle 41 can be suppressed effectively over the full width of the slit-shaped discharge port 411.

It is preferable that the gas injection nozzle 421 discharges gas when the electrode material applied to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 is heated at least around the adsorption roller 10 . The gas injection nozzle 421 may always discharge gas during conveyance of the electrolyte membrane 92 by the adsorption roller 10 . In addition, the gas injection nozzle 421 may be made to discharge gas only when an electrode material is apply|coated according to the timing of the intermittent application|coating of the electrode material by the coating nozzle 41.

<3. Modifications>

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment.

6 : is a perspective view of the adsorption|suction roller 10 which concerns on one modification, the coating nozzle 41, and the gas injection part 42. As shown in FIG. In the above embodiment, a pipe-type nozzle with high directivity was used for the gas injection nozzle 421 . On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 6, the diffusion nozzle which discharges gas in the wide angle range is used for the gas injection nozzle 421. In the example of FIG. When such a diffusion nozzle is used, in a wider space in the vicinity of the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41, the gas containing the vapor of the solvent can be replaced with the gas discharged from the gas injection nozzle 421. . Further, the diffusion nozzle may be a fan-shaped nozzle in which the discharged gas is diffused in a planar fan shape, or a conical nozzle in which the discharged gas is diffused in a circular cone shape. In addition, the gas injection nozzle 421 may be nozzles other than a pipe shape, a sector shape, and a cone shape.

Moreover, in the said embodiment and the example of FIG. 6, the gas injection part 42 had the one gas injection nozzle 421. As shown in FIG. However, the gas injection unit 42 may include a plurality of gas injection nozzles 421 . For example, a pair of gas injection nozzles 421 may be arranged on both sides of the coating nozzle 41 (both sides of the coating nozzle 41 in a direction parallel to the axis center of the suction roller 10). . In addition, the pair of gas injection nozzles 421 may each spray gas toward the vicinity of the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41 .

7 : is a perspective view of the adsorption|suction roller 10 which concerns on another modified example, the coating nozzle 41, and the gas injection part 42. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, illustration of the air supply piping 422, the on-off valve 423, and the gas supply source 424 is abbreviate|omitted. In the example of FIG. 7 , the gas injection unit 42 has a plurality of gas injection nozzles 421 . The plurality of gas injection nozzles 421 are arranged in a direction parallel to the axis of the suction roller 10 . Each gas injection nozzle 421 discharges gas toward the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption|suction roller 10. As shown in FIG. In this way, gas can be reliably supplied to the whole space along the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41. In addition, in order to improve the gas replacement efficiency, you may incline the direction of each gas injection nozzle 421 slightly from the direction perpendicular|vertical with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the suction roller 10.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, the case where the 2nd electrode layer 9b was formed in the other surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 in which the 1st electrode layer 9a was previously formed on one surface was demonstrated. However, the manufacturing apparatus of this invention may form an electrode layer with respect to the electrolyte membrane in which the electrode layer is not formed in either surface of the front and back.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, the case where the electrode material was apply|coated as a coating liquid to the surface of the electrolyte membrane which is a long band-shaped base material was demonstrated. However, the coating apparatus of this invention may apply|coat coating liquids other than an electrode material to the surface of a long band-shaped base material other than an electrolyte membrane. Moreover, the coating apparatus of this invention may be an apparatus for manufacturing products other than the membrane-electrode assembly for polymer electrolyte fuel cells.

Moreover, about the detailed structure of a manufacturing apparatus, you may differ from each drawing of this application. Moreover, you may combine each element which appeared in the said embodiment or a modified example suitably within the range in which contradiction does not arise.

1: Manufacturing device
9a: first electrode layer
9b: second electrode layer
10: suction roller
11: rotation drive unit
13: heating flow path
20: porous substrate supply and recovery unit
30: electrolyte membrane supply unit
40: applicator
41: coating nozzle
42: gas injection unit
50: drying furnace
60: assembly recovery unit
70: control unit
90: liquid pool
92: electrolyte membrane
411: outlet
421: gas injection nozzle
422: supply air pipe
423: on-off valve

Claims (13)

A coating device for applying a coating solution to a surface of the substrate while conveying a long band-shaped substrate, comprising:
a backup roller having a cylindrical outer circumferential surface for holding the substrate;
a driving unit for rotating the backup roller;
a nozzle having a discharge port for discharging the coating liquid toward the surface of the substrate held by the backup roller;
a heating unit for heating the coating solution applied to the surface of the substrate held by the backup roller;
A gas injection unit for injecting gas in the vicinity of the discharge port is provided;
The heating unit has a heating flow path formed inside the backup roller, and heats the substrate from the inside of the backup roller through the outer peripheral surface of the backup roller,
The gas injection unit has a gas injection nozzle disposed on one side of the nozzle in a direction parallel to the axis center of the backup roller,
The gas jet nozzle is located on the nozzle side relative to the base material held by the backup roller in a side view, and is located on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the backup roller from the discharge port of the nozzle,
The gas injection nozzle injects gas from the one side of the discharge port into a space adjacent to the downstream side in the rotational direction of the backup roller with respect to the discharge port,
In the space adjacent to the discharge port and adjacent to the downstream side in the rotational direction of the backup roller with respect to the discharge port, the solvent vaporized from the coating liquid is replaced by the gas injected from the gas injection nozzle,
A coating apparatus in which a discharge direction of the gas from the gas injection nozzle does not face a pool of the coating liquid formed in the discharge port. The method of claim 1,
The discharge port is a slit-shaped opening extending in the width direction of the substrate,
The coating device in which the said gas injection part injects the said gas with respect to the whole range of the width direction of the said discharge port. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The said gas injection part is a coating device which injects the said gas along the said discharge port. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The coating device in which the gas injected from the said gas injection part is clean dry air or an inert gas. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The substrate is an electrolyte membrane,
The coating device wherein the coating liquid is an electrode material. A coating method for applying a coating solution to the surface of the substrate while conveying a long band-shaped substrate, the method comprising:
While conveying the base material held on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical backup roller by rotation of the backup roller,
a) a step of discharging the coating liquid from the discharge port of the nozzle toward the surface of the substrate;
b) performing a step of heating the coating solution applied to the surface of the substrate,
In the step b), the base material is heated from the inside of the backup roller through the outer peripheral surface of the backup roller by a heating passage formed inside the backup roller,
At least during execution of the step b), from a gas injection nozzle disposed on one side of the nozzle in a direction parallel to the axis center of the backup roller, in the vicinity of the discharge port, and with respect to the discharge port, the backup roller injecting gas from the one side of the outlet into a space adjacent to the downstream side in the rotational direction of
The gas jet nozzle is located on the nozzle side relative to the base material held by the backup roller in a side view, and is located on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the backup roller from the discharge port of the nozzle,
In the space adjacent to the discharge port and adjacent to the downstream side in the rotational direction of the backup roller with respect to the discharge port, the solvent vaporized from the coating liquid is replaced by the gas injected from the gas injection nozzle,
The coating method in which the discharge direction of the gas from the said gas injection nozzle does not point toward the liquid stagnant part of the said coating liquid formed in the said discharge port. 7. The method of claim 6,
The discharge port is a slit-shaped opening extending in the width direction of the substrate,
The coating method in which the said gas is injected with respect to the whole range of the width direction of the said discharge port during execution of the said process b). 8. The method according to claim 6 or 7,
A coating method in which the gas is sprayed along the discharge port during execution of the step b). 8. The method according to claim 6 or 7,
The coating method which sprays clean dry air or an inert gas during execution of the said process b). delete delete delete delete

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