KR102356459B1 - Sub-gasket Assembly for Fuel Cells and Sub-Gaskets for Fuel Cells, Membrane-Electrode Assembly Made Using them - Google Patents

Abstract

A sub-gasket bonding process for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an input process of putting a roll-shaped sub-gasket into a cutting roll; a cutting process of continuously cutting the central portion of the sub gasket input from the cutting roll to a preset size at regular intervals to remove only the central portion with a protective film; In the cutting process step, the position of the pair of punched sub gaskets is adjusted so that the anode of the first electrode membrane assembly (3Lyer MEA), which is input by the push-down roll, is introduced into the cutting area of the sub-gasket punched out in the cutting process step, and the sub-gasket position control to be put into the press-down roll fair; and a sub-gasket bonding process of producing a second electrode membrane assembly (5Layer MEA) in which the punched sub-gasket and the first electrode membrane assembly (3Layer MEA) are joined by applying a preset pressure and temperature.

Description

Sub-gasket bonding device for fuel cell, sub-gasket bonding method for fuel cell, and membrane-electrode assembly using the same

The present invention relates to a sub-gasket bonding apparatus for a fuel cell, a sub-gasket bonding method for a fuel cell, and a membrane-electrode assembly manufactured using the same.

The polymer electrolyte fuel cell has an electrode-membrane assembly (MEA) as shown in FIG. 1 in the center, and this structure is called three-layer because it forms a three-layer structure of anode-membrane-cathode.

In addition, the sub-gasket layer is added on both sides to the outer part of the electrode layer as shown in FIG. 2, so it is called 5Layer.

The sub-gasket among the 5 layers composed in this way supplies fuel to the central part where the oxidation/reduction reaction takes place, and when the water produced by the reaction is discharged, it seals the side of the MEA so that fuel or water does not leak.

The method for manufacturing the membrane-electrode assembly is the CCG (Catalyst Coated on GDL) method, in which a catalyst layer is applied directly to the gas diffusion layer to bond with the polymer electrolyte membrane, and the electrolyte membrane by applying a catalyst layer directly to the polymer electrolyte membrane or by applying an electrode layer on a release film. There is a CCM (Catalyst Coated on Membrane) method that is manufactured through the transfer method above.

In particular, the CCG method is rarely used in mass production due to the disadvantage that the electrode layer is not uniformly coated due to the thickness variation of the gas diffusion layer material, and most membrane-electrode assembly manufacturers are manufacturing the membrane-electrode assembly using the CCM method.

In order to manufacture 5Layer (Sub gasket - Anode - Membrane - Cathode - Sub gasket) by attaching sub-gaskets to both sides of the edge of the 3 Layers, as shown in FIG. It is manufactured in a three-step process of bonding these plates on a plate-shaped hot press, a process of matching both sides of 3 layers on a plate-shaped plate.

In particular, since the sub-gasket is matched to both sides of the 3Layer and joined, it takes a long time and has many disadvantages of miss-matching defects.

Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1304881 (Title of the invention: Continuous sub-gasket bonding device for fuel cell membrane-electrode assembly production)

An object of the present invention is to provide a sub-gasket bonding apparatus for a fuel cell capable of solving the conventional problems and a method for manufacturing a membrane-electrode assembly using the same.

A sub-gasket bonding process for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems includes an input process of putting a roll-shaped sub-gasket into a cutting roll; a punching process of continuously cutting a central region of a preset size at regular intervals of the sub gasket input from the cutting roll to remove only the central portion; a position control process of matching the punched sub-gasket and the first electrode membrane assembly (3Layer MEA); and a sub-gasket bonding process of producing a second electrode membrane assembly (5Layer MEA) in which the matching 5Layer MEA is joined by applying a preset pressure and temperature, wherein the position control process is performed by the controller and controlling the driving motions of the driving roll and the positioning roll so that the cutting positions of the other sub gaskets match the cutting positions of one of the sub gaskets among the pair of punched sub gaskets measured by the camera.

In one embodiment, the position control process adjusts the input timing of each of the pair of punched sub gaskets and the position of the positioning roll to the left and right so that the pair of punched sub gaskets can accurately match the position. further comprising the step of

In one embodiment, the sub-gasket bonding process is characterized in that the linear pressure of the reduction roll is 5 to 200 kg Force, the reduction temperature is 100 to 200 ° C, and the running speed of the reduction roll is 0.1 to 10 m/min. .

In the sub-gasket bonding apparatus for fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems, a pair of cutting rolls that continuously cut and punch a central area of a preset size at regular intervals when a roll-type sub gasket is inserted ; a pair of running rolls and a positioning roll for controlling the running speed and position of a pair of sub gaskets punched out from the pair of cutting rolls; an MEA supply unit for supplying a first electrode membrane assembly (3-Layer MEA); a pressing roll that receives the pair of sub gaskets and the first electrode membrane assembly (3-Layer MEA) and presses them together at a preset linear pressure and temperature; a vision camera for detecting a cutting position of the pair of punched sub gaskets traveling along the pair of positioning rolls; and a control unit for controlling the operation of the pair of cutting rolls, the pair of traveling rolls and positioning rolls, the MEA supply unit, and the push-down roll, wherein the control unit includes any one of the pair of punched sub gaskets measured by the vision camera It is characterized in that the driving operation of the pair of driving rolls and the positioning roll is controlled so that the cutting positions of the remaining sub gaskets are matched with the cutting positions of the sub gaskets.

In one embodiment, each of the pair of cutting rolls includes a cutting unit for cutting a central area of the preset size; And it characterized in that it comprises a De-Lami roll for removing the cut central portion in the cutting portion.

In one embodiment, the cutting part is characterized in that the rotary cutter or a plate-shaped jig for cutting a partial layer of the sub-gasket.

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In one embodiment, the control unit is characterized in that it controls the linear pressure of the reduction roll to 5 ~ 200 kg Force, the reduction temperature is 100 ~ 200 ℃, the traveling speed of the reduction roll to proceed to 0.1 ~ 10 m / min.

An electrode film assembly having a 5-layer structure according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems is characterized in that it is manufactured by any one of the bonding methods of claims 1 to 3 of the present invention.

An electrode membrane assembly having a 5-layer structure according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems comprises the sub-gasket bonding apparatus for a fuel cell according to any one of claims 4 to 6 and 8 of the present invention. It is characterized in that it is manufactured using

When the sub-gasket bonding device for fuel cell and the sub-gasket bonding process for fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention are used, the productivity of the 5-Layer MEA and the cut sub-gasket piece-to-piece matching (Piece) are used. There is an advantage in that it is possible to mass-produce an electrode membrane assembly (MEA) by reducing a mismatching defect that occurs during to-piece matching.

In more detail, since it is a process in which roll-type fabrics are continuously fed in a roll-to-roll format, cutting and bonding are simultaneously carried out, the existing piece-to-piece production method when manufacturing a 5-layer semi-finished product Productivity is improved by more than 20 times compared to the production of Therefore, the defect rate is lowered, and thus the price competitiveness of the electrode assembly (MEA) can be secured.

1 is an exemplary diagram showing the structure of a 3-Layer MEA.
2 is an exemplary diagram showing the structure of a 5-Layer MEA.
3A is a block diagram of a sub-gasket bonding apparatus for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a three-dimensional view of FIG. 3A.
4 is an exemplary view showing a cutting area (line) of the sub gasket.
5 is a flowchart of a sub-gasket bonding process for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. One embodiment of the present invention may be modified in various other forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited only to the embodiments described below. The shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for a clearer description, and elements indicated by the same reference numerals in the drawings are the same elements.

First, before explaining the present application, the present invention relates to a process and an apparatus for bonding sub-gaskets to both ends of a membrane-electrode assembly, which is one of the fuel cell manufacturing processes, and the roll-type fabrics are Roll to This invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a 5-layer electrode membrane assembly by continuously inputting in a roll format, cutting and bonding at the same time.

3A is a block diagram of a sub-gasket bonding apparatus for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3B is a three-dimensional view of FIG. 3A, and FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing a cutting area (line) of the sub-gasket.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B , the fuel cell sub-gasket bonding apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a pair of cutting rolls 10 , a pair of positioning rolls 20 , and an MEA supply unit 30 . , including a lowering roll 40 and a control unit 50 .

The pair of cutting rolls 10 may be configured to continuously cut a central region of a preset size at regular intervals when the roll-shaped sub gasket 1 is fed at a preset speed (0.1 to 10 m/min). .

Here, the cutting roll 10 cuts only the sub-gasket film and the adhesive layer (refer to FIG. 4). The reason is that the protective film should not be cut so that the protective film may be re-winding while removing the central part of the sub gasket in the De-Lami process to be described later.

For reference, when the speed at which the sub-gasket is fed to the cutting roll 10 is slower than 0.1, it is difficult to control the sub-gasket matching, which will be described later, and when the speed is faster than 10 m/min, the sub-gasket The sub-gasket may come off from the membrane part of the 3-Layer electrode membrane assembly, which will be described later, because the cutting is not done properly when cutting the central part of the electrode, or the adhesive layer does not harden in the pressing roll.

Here, each of the pair of cutting rolls 10 includes a cutting unit 11 for cutting the central region of the preset size and a De-Lami roll 12 for removing the cut portion from the cutting unit 11 . In addition, the cutting part 11 may be a rotary cutter or a plate-mounted jig for cutting some layers (sub-gasket film and adhesive layer) of the sub-gasket 1 .

Next, the pair of positioning rolls 20 is configured to adjust the running speed and position of the pair of sub gaskets 1a punched out by the pair of cutting rolls 10, and the control signal of the control unit 50 to be described later. Based on the operation is controlled. A more detailed description of the control unit 50 will be provided later.

Next, the MEA supply unit 30 may be configured to fix the 3-Layer electrode film assembly and supply it with a lowering roll to be described later. For reference, the 3Lyer electrode membrane assembly has a structure in which an anode, a membrane, and a cathode are sequentially stacked (see FIG. 1 ).

Next, the reduction roll 40 may be configured to receive a pair of punched sub gaskets and a 3-Layer electrode membrane assembly and provide a 5-Layer electrode membrane assembly pressurized to a preset linear pressure and temperature (see FIG. 2 ).

Here, the linear pressure of the reduction roll 40 is 5 to 200 kg Force, the reduction temperature is 100 to 200 ° C., and the traveling speed of the reduction roll 40 is 0.1 to 10 m/min.

For reference, if the linear pressure of the reduction roll is less than 5 kg force, air bubbles are not removed between the sub-gasket and the electrolyte membrane surface, resulting in a step, which causes a leak problem and cannot be applied to the fuel cell stack.

In addition, if the line pressure is more than 200kg force, the electrolyte membrane at the area where the upper and lower sub-gaskets meet is torn to produce a defective MEA or a defective MEA that sticks to both sides of the sub-gasket due to excessive line pressure.

In addition, if the bonding temperature is less than 100°C, the thermosetting adhesive of the sub gasket does not harden, so bonding with the electrolyte membrane is not good. There is a downside to this.

Next, the control unit 50 controls the operation of the pair of cutting rolls 10, the pair of positioning rolls 20, the MEA supply unit 30 and the reduction roll 40, more specifically, a pair of sub-gaskets and 3Layer electrodes. It may be configured to control the position matching control of the membrane assembly and the tension and temperature of the reduction roll.

On the other hand, the sub-gasket bonding apparatus 100 for fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention is a vision camera for detecting the cutting position of the pair of punched sub-gaskets traveling along the pair of positioning rolls 20, the bonding temperature It may further include a temperature measuring unit for measuring, a linear pressure measuring unit for measuring the linear pressure (tension) of the reduction roll.

Accordingly, the control unit 50 controls the driving operation of the positioning roll 20 so that the cutting positions of the other sub gaskets match the cutting positions of any one of the pair of punched sub gaskets measured by the vision camera. control

5 is a flowchart of a sub-gasket bonding process for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5, the sub-gasket bonding process (S700) for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an input process (S710), a cutting process (S720), a sub-gasket position control process (S730), and a bonding process (S740) includes

The input process ( S710 ) may be a process of putting the sub gasket wound in a roll shape into the cutting roll.

Here, the sub gasket is unwinded and inserted at a speed of 0.1 to 10 m/min. If the unwinding speed is slower than 0.1, matching control is difficult, and if the speed is faster than 10 m/min, the central part of the sub gasket is When cutting, the sub-gasket may come off from the membrane part of the 3-Layer MEA, which will be described later, because the cutting is not done properly or the adhesive layer does not harden.

Next, the cutting process ( S720 ) may be a process of continuously cutting and punching a central region of a preset size at regular intervals for the sub gasket fed into the cutting roll 10 . Here, the cutting process (S720) cuts only the sub-gasket film and the adhesive layer, for that reason, the protective film should not be cut. This is because it can be Re-Winding.

Next, in the sub-gasket position control process (S730), the position of a pair of punched sub gaskets is adjusted so that the anode of the 3 lyer MEA, which is input by the press-down roll, is introduced into the cutting area of the sub-gasket punched out in the cutting process (S720). It may be an input process.

The sub-gasket position control process ( S730 ) may include a process of controlling the speed of the positioning roll to run adjacent to the positioning roll to control the tension of the punched sub-gasket.

If the vehicle is not driven through the above process, the shape of the sub-gasket punched in the center is deformed into a diamond shape during the tension control process, so that tension and position control cannot be performed.

In addition, in the sub-gasket position control process ( S730 ), the cutting area of the pair of punched sub-gaskets is matched by adjusting the positions of the positioning roll and the device for adjusting the input timing of each of the pair of punched sub gaskets to the left/right. It may include the process of adjusting the position so that it becomes possible.

Next, the sub-gasket bonding process ( S740 ) may be a process of providing a 5-layer MEA in which the punched sub-gasket and the 3-layer MEA are joined by applying a preset pressure and temperature.

Here, the linear pressure of the reduction roll is 5 ~ 200 kg Force, the reduction temperature is 100 ~ 200 ℃, the traveling speed of the reduction roll is progressed to 0.1 ~ 10 m / min.

For reference, if the linear pressure of the reduction roll is less than 5 kg force, air bubbles are not removed between the sub-gasket and the electrolyte membrane surface, resulting in a step, which causes a leak problem and cannot be applied to the fuel cell stack.

In addition, if the line pressure is more than 200kg force, the electrolyte membrane at the area where the upper and lower sub-gaskets meet is torn to produce a defective MEA or a defective MEA that sticks to both sides of the sub-gasket due to excessive line pressure.

In addition, if the bonding temperature is less than 100°C, the thermosetting adhesive of the sub gasket does not harden, so bonding with the electrolyte membrane is not good. There is a downside to this.

When the sub-gasket bonding device for fuel cell and the sub-gasket bonding process for fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention are used, the productivity of the 5-Layer MEA and the cut sub-gasket piece-to-piece matching (Piece) are used. There is an advantage in that it is possible to mass-produce an electrode membrane assembly (MEA) by reducing a mismatching defect that occurs during to-piece matching.

In more detail, since it is a process in which roll-type fabrics are continuously fed in a roll-to-roll format, cutting and bonding are simultaneously carried out, the existing piece-to-piece production method when manufacturing a 5-layer semi-finished product Productivity is improved by more than 20 times compared to the production of Therefore, the defect rate is lowered, and thus the price competitiveness of the electrode assembly (MEA) can be secured.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, but those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various substitutions, additions and modifications within the scope without departing from the technical spirit described above. Of course, it should be understood that such modified embodiments also fall within the protection scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims below.

100: Sub-gasket bonding device for fuel cell
10: cutting roll
11: Cutting part
12: De-Lami Roll
20: running roll and positioning roll
30: MEA supply unit
40: Abharol
50: control unit

Claims (10)

an input process of putting a roll-shaped sub gasket into the cutting roll;
a punching process of continuously cutting a central region of a preset size at regular intervals of the sub gasket input from the cutting roll to remove only the central portion;
a position control process of matching the punched sub gasket and the first electrode membrane assembly (3Layer MEA); and
and a sub-gasket bonding process of producing a second electrode membrane assembly (5Layer MEA) in which the matching 5Layer MEA is joined by applying a preset pressure and temperature,
The position control process is
A fuel cell comprising a process in which a control unit controls the driving operation of the driving roll and the positioning roll so that the cutting position of one of the sub-gaskets of the pair of punched sub-gaskets measured by the vision camera matches the cutting position of the other sub-gasket Sub gasket bonding process.
According to claim 1,
The position control process is
Adjusting the cutting areas of the pair of punched sub gaskets to match by adjusting the left/right positions of the driving roll and the positioning roll for adjusting the input timing of each of the pair of punched sub gaskets Sub-gasket bonding process for batteries.
According to claim 1,
The sub gasket bonding process is
Sub-gasket bonding process for fuel cell, characterized in that the linear pressure of the reduction roll is 5 to 200 kg Force, the reduction temperature is 100 to 200 ° C, and the running speed of the reduction roll is 0.1 to 10 m/min.
a pair of cutting rolls for continuously cutting and punching a central area of a preset size at regular intervals when a roll-shaped sub gasket is inserted;
a pair of running rolls and a positioning roll for controlling the running speed and position of a pair of sub gaskets punched out from the pair of cutting rolls;
an MEA supply unit for supplying the first electrode film assembly (3-Layer MEA);
a pressing roll that receives the pair of sub gaskets and the first electrode membrane assembly (3-Layer MEA) and presses them together at a preset linear pressure and temperature;
a vision camera for detecting a cutting position of the pair of punched sub gaskets traveling along the pair of positioning rolls; and
A control unit for controlling the operation of the pair of cutting rolls, the pair of traveling rolls and positioning rolls, the MEA supply unit, and the reduction roll,
the control unit
A fuel cell sub gasket that controls the driving operation of the pair of driving rolls and the positioning roll so that the cutting positions of the other sub gaskets match the cutting positions of any one of the sub gaskets among the pair of punched sub gaskets measured by the vision camera bonding device.
5. The method of claim 4,
Each of the pair of cutting rolls
a cutting unit for cutting the central area of the preset size; and
Sub-gasket bonding device for fuel cell, characterized in that it comprises a De-Lami roll for removing the central portion cut from the cutting portion.
6. The method of claim 5,
The cutting part
A sub-gasket bonding device for a fuel cell, characterized in that it is a rotary cutter or a plate-mounted jig for cutting a partial layer of the sub-gasket.
delete 5. The method of claim 4,
the control unit
A sub-gasket bonding device for fuel cell, characterized in that the linear pressure of the reduction roll is controlled to be 5 to 200 kg Force, the reduction temperature is 100 to 200 ° C, and the traveling speed of the reduction roll is 0.1 to 10 m/min.
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