KR20190009803A - Coating device and coating method - Google Patents

Abstract

The coating apparatus includes a backup roller 10 for holding a substrate, a driving unit for rotating the backup roller 10, a nozzle 41 for discharging the coating liquid toward the surface of the substrate held by the backup roller 10, And a heating unit for heating the coating liquid applied to the surface of the substrate. The coating apparatus further includes a gas spraying section 42 for spraying a gas in the vicinity of the discharge port 411 of the nozzle 41. Therefore, even if the solvent vaporizes from the coating liquid in the vicinity of the discharge port 411, the gas containing the vapor of the solvent is replaced by the gas discharged from the gas spraying section 42. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the evaporation of the solvent vaporized from the coating liquid in the vicinity of the discharge port 411 of the nozzle 41. As a result, defective ejection of the coating liquid resulting from agglomeration of the solvent can be suppressed.

Description

Coating device and coating method

The present invention relates to a coating apparatus and a coating method for coating a coating liquid onto the surface of a base material while transporting the base material in a long band.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a fuel cell has attracted attention as a driving power source for an automobile or a cellular phone. A fuel cell is a power generation system that generates electric power by electrochemical reaction between hydrogen (H ₂ ) contained in fuel and oxygen (O ₂ ) in the air. The fuel cell has a feature that the generation efficiency is high and the load on the environment is small as compared with other cells.

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

Solid polymer fuel cells generally have a structure in which a plurality of cells are stacked. One cell is formed by sandwiching both sides of a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) with a pair of separators. The membrane-electrode assembly has 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 electrode layer is a cathode electrode. When fuel gas containing hydrogen contacts the anode electrode and air comes into contact with the cathode electrode, electric power is generated by the electrochemical reaction.

At the time of manufacturing the membrane-electrode assembly, an electrolyte membrane serving as a strip-like base material is adsorbed and held on the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller having a plurality of adsorption holes. 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 on the adsorption roller. Thereafter, the catalyst ink is dried to form an electrode layer.

A conventional apparatus for applying a coating liquid while holding a strip-like base material on the outer peripheral surface of a roller is described in, for example, Patent Document 1. [

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-70863

In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a liquid catalyst ink is applied to the surface of a thin film on a web adsorbed on a suction heating roller, and the catalyst ink is heated and dried by heating (paragraph 0030). In this kind of apparatus, the vapor of the solvent generated when the coating liquid such as the catalyst ink is heated and dried contacts with the nozzle for discharging the coating liquid, and there is a possibility that the solvent coagulates to the nozzle. When a droplet of a solvent is adhered to the nozzle, defective ejection of the coating liquid tends to occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a coating apparatus and a coating method capable of suppressing coagulation of a solvent vaporized from a coating liquid on a nozzle for discharging the coating liquid.

In order to solve the above problems, a first invention of the present application is a coating apparatus for applying a coating liquid onto a surface of a base material while conveying a base material in a long band, comprising: a backup roller having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface for holding the base material; A driving roller 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 liquid, and a gas ejecting unit for ejecting a gas in the vicinity of the ejection opening.

The second invention of the present application is the coating apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the gas injecting unit injects a gas to at least a space adjacent to the discharge port on the downstream side in the rotating direction of the backup roller.

The third invention of the present application is the coating apparatus according to the first invention or the second invention, wherein the discharge port is a slit-shaped opening extending in the width direction of the base material, The gas is sprayed.

The fourth invention of the present application is the coating apparatus of the third invention, wherein the gas injecting unit injects the gas along the ejection opening.

The fifth invention of the present application is the coating apparatus according to any of the first through fourth aspects of the present invention, wherein the heating section heats the base material from the inside of the backup roller through the outer peripheral surface of the backup roller.

The sixth invention of the present application is the coating apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the gas injected from the gas injecting section is clean dry air or inert gas.

The seventh invention of the present application is the coating apparatus of any one of the first to sixth inventions, wherein the substrate is an electrolyte film, and the coating liquid is an electrode material.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating method for applying a coating liquid onto a surface of a base material while conveying a base material in a long band, the method comprising: rotating the base material held on the outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical backup roller by rotation of the backup roller A step of discharging a coating solution from a discharge port of the nozzle toward the surface of the base material while carrying it, and b) a step of heating the coating solution applied to the surface of the base material, During the execution, the gas is sprayed in the vicinity of the discharge port.

The ninth invention of the present application is the coating method of the eighth invention, wherein during the execution of the step b), the gas is injected into the space adjacent to the discharge port on the downstream side in the rotating direction of the backup roller.

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

The eleventh invention of the present application is the coating method of the tenth invention, wherein the gas is sprayed along the discharge port during the execution of the step b).

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

The thirteenth invention of the present application is the coating method of 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 first to thirteenth inventions of the present application, it is possible to suppress the evaporation of the solvent vaporized from the coating liquid in the vicinity of the discharge port of the nozzle. Therefore, defective discharge of the coating liquid caused by agglomeration of the solvent can be suppressed.

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

Particularly, according to the third and tenth inventions of the present application, defective discharge of the solvent can be suppressed over the entire width of the slit-shaped discharge port.

Particularly, according to the fourth and eleventh inventions of the present application, the gas containing the solvent can be easily discharged to the other side in the width direction by jetting the gas from one side in the width direction of the discharge port. Thereby, the gas can be efficiently replaced in the vicinity of the discharge port. As a result, agglomeration of the solvent with respect to the nozzle can be suppressed more effectively.

Particularly, according to the fifth and twelfth inventions of the present application, drying of the coating liquid can be started immediately after application, and coagulation of the solvent with respect to the nozzle can be suppressed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view showing a configuration of an apparatus for producing a membrane-electrode assembly. FIG.
2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the lower portion of the adsorption roller.
3 is a block diagram showing the connection between the control unit and each unit.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the adsorption roller, the coating nozzle, and the gas injecting portion. Fig.
5 is a side view of the adsorption roller, the coating nozzle, and the gas injection nozzle.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a suction roller, a coating nozzle, and a gas injecting portion according to a modified example.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a suction roller, a coating nozzle, and a gas injecting portion according to a modification. Fig.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<1. First Embodiment>

1 is a view showing a configuration of an apparatus 1 for manufacturing a membrane-electrode assembly including a coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This manufacturing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for producing a membrane-electrode assembly for a solid polymer type fuel cell by forming an electrode layer on the surface of an electrolyte membrane which is a base material in a long band. 1, the apparatus 1 for manufacturing a membrane-electrode assembly according to the present embodiment includes an adsorption roller 10, a porous substrate supply / recovery section 20, an electrolyte membrane supply section 30, an application section 40, A drying furnace 50, a bonded body collecting section 60, and a control section 70. [

The adsorption roller 10 is a roller that rotates while adsorbing and holding the porous substrate 91 and the electrolyte membrane 92. The adsorption roller 10 is an example of a backup roller in the present invention. The adsorption roller 10 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface having a plurality of adsorption holes. The diameter of the adsorption roller 10 is, for example, 30 mm to 1600 mm. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the lower portion of the adsorption roller 10. Fig. As shown by the broken line in Fig. 2, the suction roller 10 is connected to a rotation drive unit 11 having a drive source such as a motor. When the rotation drive section 11 is operated, the absorption roller 10 rotates about the axis extending horizontally.

As the material of the adsorption roller 10, for example, a porous material such as porous carbon or porous ceramics is used. Specific examples of the porous ceramics include sintered bodies of alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ) or silicon carbide (SiC). The pore diameter of the porous adsorption roller 10 is, for example, 5 mu m or less, and the porosity is, for example, 15% to 50%.

A metal may be used for the material of the adsorption roller 10 instead of the porous material. Specific examples of the metal include stainless steel such as SUS or iron. When a metal is used as the material of the adsorption roller 10, minute adsorption holes may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10 by processing. In order to prevent the occurrence of adsorption shakes, the diameter of the adsorption holes is preferably 2 mm or less.

A suction port 12 is formed in the end surface of the suction roller 10. The suction port 12 is connected to a suction mechanism (for example, an exhaust pump) outside the drawing. When the suction mechanism is operated, a negative pressure is generated in the suction port (12) of the suction roller (10). A negative pressure is also generated in the plurality of adsorption holes formed on the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10 through the pores in the adsorption roller 10. [ The porous substrate 91 and the electrolyte membrane 92 are conveyed in an arc shape by the rotation of the adsorption roller 10 while being adsorbed and held on the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10 by the negative pressure. 1 and 2, the angle range in which the porous substrate 91 and the electrolyte membrane 92 are adsorbed and held on the outer circumferential surface of the adsorption roller 10 is the center of the axial center of the adsorption roller 10 Is about 270 deg.

2, a plurality of heating flow paths 13 are formed in the adsorption roller 10, as indicated by broken lines. To the heating channel 13, a high-temperature heating medium is supplied from a heating medium feeding mechanism outside the drawing. As the thermal medium, for example, water or oil heated to a temperature higher than the environmental temperature is used. The heat is conducted to the electrolyte membrane 92 via the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10 and the porous substrate 91 from the heat medium flowing through the heating flow path 13 during operation of the manufacturing apparatus 1. [ As a result, on the surface of the electrolyte membrane 92, the electrode material described later is heated.

The porous substrate supply and recovery section 20 is a section for supplying the porous substrate 91 in the form of a long band toward the adsorption roller 10 and collecting the porous substrate 91 after use. The porous substrate 91 is a breathable substrate having a plurality of fine pores. It is preferable that the porous substrate 91 is formed of a material hardly generating dust. 1, the porous substrate supplying / collecting unit 20 includes a porous substrate supplying roller 21, a plurality of porous substrate carrying rollers 22, a plurality of porous substrate taking-out rollers 23 and a porous substrate collecting roller 24). The porous substrate feed roller 21, the plurality of porous substrate take-in rollers 22, the plurality of porous substrate take-out rollers 23 and the porous substrate collecting roller 24 are all disposed in parallel with the adsorption roller 10.

The porous substrate 91 before the supply is wound on the porous substrate supply roller 21. [ The porous substrate feed roller 21 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown). When the porous substrate feed roller 21 rotates, the porous substrate 91 is fed out from the porous substrate feed roller 21. The discharged porous substrate 91 is conveyed to the outer circumferential surface of the adsorption roller 10 along a predetermined loading path while being guided by the plurality of porous substrate loading rollers 22. The porous substrate 91 is conveyed in an arc shape by the rotation of the adsorption roller 10 while being adsorbed and held on the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10. [ 2, the adsorption roller 10 and the porous substrate 91 held by the adsorption roller 10 are shown at intervals in order to facilitate understanding.

The porous substrate 91 is conveyed at an angle of 180 DEG or more, preferably 270 DEG or more, about the axis of the adsorption roller 10. Thereafter, the porous substrate 91 falls off the outer circumferential surface of the adsorption roller 10. The porous substrate 91 separated from the adsorption roller 10 is conveyed to the porous substrate collecting roller 24 along a predetermined carry-out path while being guided by the plurality of porous substrate take-out rollers 23. The porous substrate recovery roller 24 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown). Thereby, the used porous substrate 91 is wound around the porous substrate collecting roller 24.

The electrolyte membrane supplying section 30 supplies the laminated base material 94 composed of the two layers of the electrolyte membrane 92 and the first supporting film 93 to the periphery of the adsorption roller 10 and the electrolyte membrane 92 The first supporting film 93 is peeled off from the first supporting film 93. [

As 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 perfluorocarbonsulfonic acid (for example, Nafion (registered trademark) manufactured by DuPont, USA, Flemion (registered trademark) manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Aciplex (registered trademark) manufactured by Asahi Kasei Corporation, and Goreselect (registered trademark) manufactured by Gore Corporation). The film thickness of the electrolyte membrane 92 is, for example, 5 mu m to 30 mu m. The electrolyte membrane 92 is swollen by moisture in the air, and shrinks when the humidity is low. That is, the electrolyte membrane 92 has a property of being easily deformed according to the humidity in the atmosphere.

The first supporting film 93 is a film for suppressing the deformation of the electrolyte membrane 92. As the material of the first supporting film 93, a resin having a mechanical strength higher than that of the electrolyte membrane 92 and having excellent shape-retaining function is used. Specific examples of the first supporting film 93 include films of PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The film thickness of the first support film 93 is, for example, 25 to 100 占 퐉.

1, the electrolyte membrane feeder 30 includes a laminated substrate feed roller 31 (electrolyte membrane feed roller), a plurality of laminated substrate feed rollers 32, a peeling roller 33, A film take-out roller 34 and a first support film collection roller 35. [ The lamination substrate feed roller 31, the plurality of laminated substrate feed rollers 32, the peeling roller 33, the plurality of first support film take-out rollers 34 and the first support film take- (10).

The laminated base material 94 before supply is wound around the laminated base material supply roller 31 such that the first supporting film 93 is outside. In the present embodiment, an electrode layer (hereinafter referred to as &quot; first electrode layer 9a &quot;) is formed in advance on the surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 opposite to the first support film 93 Quot;). The first electrode layer 9a is formed by laminating the laminated base material 94 composed of the two layers of the first supporting film 93 and the electrolyte film 92 in the apparatus different from the manufacturing apparatus 1 Intermittently applying an electrode material to the first surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 while being conveyed in a roll manner, and drying the coated electrode material.

The laminated substrate feed roller 31 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown). When the laminated substrate feed roller 31 rotates, the laminated substrate 94 is fed out from the laminated substrate feed roller 31. [ The fed laminated base material 94 is conveyed to the peeling roller 33 along a predetermined loading path while being guided by a plurality of laminated substrate carrying rollers 32. [

The peeling roller 33 is a roller for peeling off the first supporting film 93 from the electrolyte film 92. The peeling roller 33 has a cylindrical outer circumferential surface smaller in diameter than the adsorption roller 10. At least the outer peripheral surface of the peeling roller 33 is formed by an elastic body. The peeling roller 33 is disposed adjacent to the adsorption roller 10 on the slightly downstream side of the rotation direction of the adsorption roller 10 than the introduction position of the porous substrate 91 to the adsorption roller 10. [ The peeling roller 33 is pressed toward the adsorption roller 10 by an air cylinder (not shown).

2, the laminated base material 94 carried by the plurality of laminated substrate carrying-in rollers 32 is introduced between the suction roller 10 and the peeling roller 33. At this time, the first surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 contacts the surface of the porous substrate 91 held by the adsorption roller 10 together with the first electrode layer 9a, and the first support film 93 , And comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the peeling roller (33). The laminated substrate 94 is pressed toward the adsorption roller 10 by the pressure exerted from the peeling roller 33. A negative pressure is generated on the surface of the porous substrate 91 held by the adsorption roller 10 by the suction force from the adsorption roller 10. [ The electrolyte membrane 92 is adsorbed on the surface of the porous substrate 91 by the negative pressure. The electrolyte membrane 92 is conveyed in an arc shape by the rotation of the adsorption roller 10 while being held on the adsorption roller 10 together with the porous substrate 91. [ 2, the porous substrate 91 held by the adsorption roller 10, the electrolyte membrane 92 and the first electrode layer 9a are shown at intervals in order to facilitate understanding.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the porous substrate 91 is interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10 and the electrolyte membrane 92. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10 and the first electrode layer 9a formed on the first surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 are not in direct contact with each other. 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 from transferring foreign matter from the outer circumferential surface of the adsorption roller 10 to the electrolyte membrane 92. [

On the other hand, the first support film 93 that has passed between the adsorption roller 10 and the peeling roller 33 is conveyed to the plurality of first support film take-out rollers 34 side away from the adsorption roller 10. Thereby, the first supporting film 93 is peeled off from the electrolyte membrane 92. As a result, the surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 opposite to the first surface (hereinafter referred to as &quot; second surface &quot;) is exposed. The peeled first support film 93 is conveyed to the first support film collection roller 35 along a predetermined take-out path while being guided by the plurality of first support film take-out rollers 34. The first support film recovery roller 35 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown). Thereby, the first support film 93 is wound around the first support film recovery roller 35.

The application section 40 is a mechanism for applying an electrode material (coating liquid) to the surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 around the adsorption roller 10. [ As 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 coating section 40 has a coating nozzle 41. [ The coating nozzle 41 is formed on the downstream side of the peeling roller 33 in the conveying direction of the electrolyte membrane 92 by the attracting roller 10. The coating nozzle 41 has a discharge port 411 opposed to the outer circumferential surface of the adsorption roller 10. The discharge port 411 is a slit-shaped opening that extends horizontally along the width direction of the electrolyte membrane 92 held by the adsorption roller 10.

The coating nozzle 41 is connected to an electrode material supply source (not shown). When the applying section 40 is driven, the electrode material is supplied to the coating nozzle 41 from the electrode material supply source through the pipe. 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). Thereby, 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 constant cycle. Thus, the electrode material is intermittently applied to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 at a constant interval in the transport direction. However, the valve may be continuously opened to apply the electrode material to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 without interruption in the carrying direction.

As the catalyst particles in the electrode material, a material that causes a fuel cell reaction in an anode or a cathode of a polymer type fuel cell is used. Specifically, particles such as platinum (Pt), a platinum alloy, and a platinum compound can be used as catalyst particles. Examples of the platinum alloy include at least one kind of platinum alloy selected from the group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), palladium (Pd), nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), iridium (Ir) Metals and platinum alloys. Generally, platinum is used for the electrode material for the cathode, and platinum alloy is used for the electrode material for the anode. The electrode material discharged from the coating nozzle 41 may be a cathode or an anode. However, electrode materials of opposite polarities are used for the electrode layers 9a and 9b formed on the front and back surfaces of the electrolyte membrane 92, respectively.

It is necessary to regularly perform maintenance such as disassembly cleaning or the like at the coating nozzle 41 or the piping of the application section 40. [ For this reason, the manufacturing apparatus 1 has a maintenance space 80 for performing maintenance of the application section 40. In the present embodiment, a maintenance space 80 is disposed between the application section 40 and the first support film collection roller 35. The operator 89 stands on the chief floor 801 formed in the maintenance space 80 and performs cleaning or the like of the components constituting the application unit 40 when performing the maintenance of the application unit 40 .

The drying furnace 50 is a portion for spraying a heated gas (hot air) onto the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92. The drying furnace 50 of the present embodiment is disposed on the downstream side of the application section 40 in the transport direction of the electrolyte membrane 92 by the adsorption roller 10. The drying furnace 50 is formed in an arc shape along the outer circumferential surface of the adsorption roller 10. The drying furnace 50 emits hot air toward the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 from an outlet formed on the surface facing the adsorption roller 10. [

In this manufacturing apparatus 1, after the electrolyte membrane 92 has passed through the application section 40, the electrode material applied on the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 is heated by the heat conducted from the heating flow path 13 And heated. As a result, the solvent in the electrode material is vaporized and the electrode material is dried. The drying furnace 50 additionally heats the electrode material by spraying hot air. As a result, drying of the electrode material is further promoted. The electrode material applied to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 is dried to form an electrode layer (hereinafter referred to as &quot; second electrode layer 9b &quot;). 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.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the heating passage 13 formed in the adsorption roller 10 and the drying furnace 50 are provided with a heating section for heating the electrode material coated on the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 . Either the heating passage 13 or the drying furnace 50 may be omitted. In place of the heating flow path 13, a heater that generates heat by energization may be formed as a heating portion inside the adsorption roller 10.

The junction collector 60 is a region where the second support film 96 is stuck to the membrane-electrode assembly 95 and the membrane-electrode assembly 95 is recovered. 1, the bonded body collecting section 60 includes a second support film feed roller 61, a plurality of second support film feed rollers 62, a laminate roller 63, a plurality of bonded body takeout rollers 64 And a joined body collecting roller 65. As shown in Fig. All of the second support film feed roller 61, the second support film feed roller 62, the laminate roller 63, the plurality of assembly body take-out rollers 64 and the assembly body take- .

The second support film 96 before supply is wound on the second support film supply roller 61. [ The second support film supply roller 61 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown). When the second support film feed roller 61 rotates, the second support film 96 is fed out from the second support film feed roller 61. [ The discharged second support film 96 is conveyed to the lamination roller 63 along a predetermined loading path while being guided by the plurality of second support film loading rollers 62. [

As the material of the second supporting film 96, a resin having a mechanical strength higher than that of the electrolyte membrane 92 and having a superior shape-retaining function is used. Specific examples of the second supporting film 96 include films of PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The thickness of the second support film 96 is, for example, 25 to 100 占 퐉. The second support film 96 may be the same as the first support film 93. The first support film 93 wound around the first support film recovery roller 35 may be fed from the second support film feed roller 61 as the second support film 96.

The laminate roller 63 is a roller for pasting the second support film 96 to the membrane-electrode assembly 95. As the material of the lamination roller 63, for example, a rubber having high heat resistance is used. The lamination roller 63 has a cylindrical outer circumferential surface smaller in diameter than the adsorption roller 10. The lamination roller 63 is adsorbed on the downstream side of the drying furnace 50 and upstream from the position where the porous substrate 91 is dropped from the adsorption roller 10 in the rotating direction of the adsorption roller 10 Is disposed adjacent to the roller (10). The laminate roller 63 is pressed toward the suction roller 10 by an air cylinder (not shown).

As shown in Fig. 2, a heater 631 which generates heat by energization is formed inside the lamination roller 63. As shown in Fig. As the heater 631, for example, a sheathed heater is used. When the heater 631 is energized, the outer circumferential surface of the laminate roller 63 is temperature-adjusted to a predetermined temperature higher than the ambient temperature by the heat generated from the heater 631. The temperature of the outer circumferential surface of the laminate roller 63 is measured using a temperature sensor such as a radiation thermometer and the output of the heater 631 is controlled so that the outer circumferential surface of the laminate roller 63 becomes a constant temperature, .

2, the second support film 96 carried by the plurality of second support film carrier rollers 62 has a film-electrode assembly 95 conveyed around the adsorption roller 10 And is introduced between the lamination 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 supporting film 96 is attached 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 assemblies 95 to which the second support film 96 having passed between the adsorption roller 10 and the lamination roller 63 are adhered is conveyed in a direction away from the adsorption roller 10. [ As a result, the membrane-electrode assembly 95 is peeled from the porous substrate 91.

In the present embodiment, a pressing roller 632 is disposed in the vicinity of the lamination roller 63. [ The pressing roller 632 is disposed adjacent to the lamination roller 63 on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the membrane electrode assembly 95 with respect to the gap between the adsorption roller 10 and the lamination roller 63. The pressing roller 632 is pressed toward the laminate roller 63 by an air cylinder (not shown). The membrane electrode assembly 95 to which the second support film 96 separated from the porous substrate 91 is attached then passes between the lamination roller 63 and the pressure roller 632. As a result, the adhesion of the second support film 96 to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 is improved.

Thereafter, the membrane-electrode assembly 95 to which the second support film 96 is attached is conveyed to the bonded body collection roller 65 along the predetermined take-out path while being guided by the plurality of bonded body take-out rollers 64 do. The joint member recovery roller 65 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown). Thereby, the membrane-electrode assembly 95 with the second support film 96 attached thereto is wound around the bonded body collection roller 65 so that the second support film 96 is outside.

As described above, in the production apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the laminated base material 94 is fed from the laminated base material supply roller 31, the separation of the first supporting film 93 from the electrolyte film 92, Application of the electrode material to the electrode assembly 92, drying of the electrode material, application of the second supporting film 96 to the electrolyte membrane 92, winding of the membrane- electrode assembly 95 to the joined body collection roller 65, The process is executed sequentially. Thereby, the membrane-electrode assembly 95 used for the electrode of the solid polymer type fuel cell is manufactured. The electrolyte membrane 92 is always held in the first support film 93, the adsorption roller 10, or the second support film 96. Thus, deformation such as swelling and shrinkage of the electrolyte membrane 92 in the manufacturing apparatus 1 is suppressed.

The control unit (70) is a means for controlling the operation of each unit in the manufacturing apparatus (1). 3 is a block diagram showing the connection between the control unit 70 and the respective units in the manufacturing apparatus 1. As 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 a RAM, and a storage unit 73 such as a hard disk drive. In the storage section 73, a computer program P for executing the manufacturing process of the membrane-electrode assembly is installed.

3, the control section 70 controls the rotation drive section 11 of the above-described 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 feed roller 21, the motor of the porous substrate collecting roller 24, the motor of the laminated substrate feed roller 31, the air cylinder of the peeling roller 33, The motor of the second supporting film supply roller 61, the air cylinder of the lamination roller 63, the heater 631 of the lamination roller 63, the pressing roller 632, And the motor of the air cylinder and the bonding material collecting roller 65 are communicably connected. The control unit 70 is also connected to the gas injecting unit 42, which will be described later.

The control unit 70 temporarily reads out the computer program P or data stored in the storage unit 73 to the memory 72 and temporarily stores the computer program P stored in the memory 72 on the basis of the computer program P, And performs the operation control of each of the above units. Thereby, the manufacturing process of the membrane-electrode assembly in the production apparatus 1 proceeds.

<2. About gas injector>

In this manufacturing apparatus 1, after the electrode material is applied to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 from the application portion 40, drying of the electrode material is immediately started by the heat from the heating flow path 13 . Therefore, at a position near the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41, the solvent is evaporated from the electrode material applied to the electrolyte membrane 92. If this solvent is brought into contact with and agglomerated with the coating nozzle 41 and adhered to the coating nozzle 41 as a droplet, there is a possibility that ejection failure of the electrode material occurs. In order to suppress the occurrence of such a discharge failure, the production apparatus 1 has a gas spraying section 42. [

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the adsorption roller 10, the coating nozzle 41, and the gas injecting section 42. Fig. As shown in Fig. 4, the gas injecting section 42 has a gas injection nozzle 421, an air supply pipe 422, and an on-off valve 423. The gas injection nozzle 421 is disposed on the side of the coating nozzle 41 (one side of the coating nozzle 41 in the direction parallel to the axis of the adsorption roller 10). The downstream end of the supply pipe 422 is connected to the gas injection nozzle 421. The upstream end of the supply pipe 422 is connected to the gas supply source 424. On the path of the air supply pipe 422, an opening / closing valve 423 is interposed.

For 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 opening / closing valve 423 is opened, gas is supplied from the gas supply source 424 to the gas injection nozzle 421 through the gas supply pipe 422. 4, a gas is injected from the gas injection nozzle 421 toward the vicinity of the ejection port 411 of the coating nozzle 41, as indicated by the broken line arrow.

In this way, in the space near the ejection opening 411, the vapor of the solvent is replaced by the gas ejected from the gas ejection nozzle 421. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the coagulation of the solvent in the vicinity of the discharge port (411) of the coating nozzle (41). Therefore, defective ejection of the electrode material due to agglomeration of the solvent can be suppressed.

The pressure of the gas discharged from the gas injection nozzle 421 is, for example, 0.01 to 0.4 MPa, preferably 0.05 to 0.1 MPa. The flow rate of the gas discharged from the gas injection nozzle 421 is, for example, 1 to 300 L / min, preferably 10 to 100 L / min.

5 is a side view of the adsorption roller 10, the coating nozzle 41, and the gas injection nozzle 421. FIG. 5, the gas injection nozzle 421 is positioned slightly downstream of the rotation direction of the adsorption roller 10 than the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41 when viewed from the side. The gas injection nozzle 421 injects gas into the space adjacent to the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41 on the downstream side in the rotating direction of the adsorption roller 10. Therefore, in the space adjacent to the downstream side of the discharge port 411, the solvent vaporized from the electrode material immediately after the application is displaced by the gas injected from the gas injection nozzle 421. As a result, adhesion of the solvent to the coating nozzle 41 can be effectively suppressed.

In order to discharge the electrode material, a bead 90 of the electrode material is formed on the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41 by the surface tension of the electrode material, as shown in Fig. If the shape of the liquid impermeable portion 90 is disturbed, a poor coating of the electrode material on the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 tends to occur. In this regard, the gas injection nozzle 421 of this embodiment injects gas at a position on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the adsorption roller 10, rather than the liquid impregnated portion 90. That is, the discharge direction of the gas from the gas injection nozzle 421 is not directed toward the liquid reservoir portion 90. Therefore, the gas can be injected into the space in the vicinity of the discharge port 411 while suppressing the shape of the liquid suspension portion 90 from being disturbed. In addition, as described above, the solvent hardly coagulates near the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41. Therefore, it is also possible to suppress the shape of the liquid gyrator 90 from being disturbed by the droplet of the solvent.

In the present embodiment, a cylindrical pipe-type nozzle is used for the gas injection nozzle 421. 4, the gas ejected from the gas ejection nozzles 421 has a high directivity and forms an airflow along the ejection openings 411 of the coating nozzles 41. As shown in Fig. Therefore, it becomes possible to jet the gas over the entire space along the discharge port 411. [ The gas containing the solvent can be easily discharged to the other side of the discharge port 411 by jetting the gas from one side of the discharge port 411. Thereby, the gas can be replaced more efficiently in the vicinity of the discharge port 411. As a result, agglomeration of the solvent with respect to the coating nozzle 41 can be effectively suppressed over the whole width of the discharge port 411 of the slit.

It is preferable that the gas injection nozzle 421 discharges the gas at least when the electrode material applied to the second surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 is heated around the adsorption roller 10. [ The gas injection nozzle 421 may always discharge the gas while the electrolyte membrane 92 is being conveyed by the adsorption roller 10. The gas injection nozzle 421 may discharge the gas only when the electrode material is coated in accordance with the timing of the intermittent application of the electrode material by the coating nozzle 41.

<3. Modifications>

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the adsorption roller 10, the coating nozzle 41, and the gas injecting section 42 according to a modification. In the above-described embodiment, a pipe-shaped nozzle having high directivity is used for the gas injection nozzle 421. [ On the other hand, in the example of Fig. 6, a diffusion nozzle for discharging gas in a wide angle range is used for the gas injection nozzle 421. [ By using such a diffusion nozzle, the gas containing the vapor of the solvent can be replaced with the gas discharged from the gas injection nozzle 421 in a wider space near the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41 . The diffusing nozzle may be a fan-shaped nozzle in which the discharged gas is diffused in a planar fan shape, or may be a conical nozzle in which the discharged gas is diffused in a circular manner. The gas injection nozzle 421 may be a nozzle other than a pipe type, a fan type, or a conical type.

In the above-described embodiment and the example of Fig. 6, the gas injecting section 42 has one gas injection nozzle 421. However, the gas injecting section 42 may have a plurality of gas injection nozzles 421. For example, a pair of gas injection nozzles 421 may be disposed on both sides of the coating nozzle 41 (both sides of the coating nozzle 41 in the direction parallel to the axis of the adsorption roller 10) . The pair of gas ejection nozzles 421 may jet the gas toward the vicinity of the ejection port 411 of the coating nozzle 41, respectively.

7 is a perspective view of the adsorption roller 10, the coating nozzle 41, and the gas injecting section 42 according to another modified example. 7, the illustration of the air supply pipe 422, the on-off valve 423, and the gas supply source 424 is omitted. In the example of Fig. 7, the gas injecting section 42 has a plurality of gas injection nozzles 421. The plurality of gas injection nozzles 421 are arranged in a direction parallel to the axial center of the adsorption roller 10. Each gas injection nozzle 421 discharges gas toward the outer circumferential surface of the adsorption roller 10. By doing so, it is possible to reliably supply the gas to the entire space along the discharge port 411 of the coating nozzle 41. The direction of each gas injection nozzle 421 may be slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the outer peripheral surface of the adsorption roller 10 in order to increase the gas replacement efficiency.

In the above embodiment, the case where the second electrode layer 9b is formed on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane 92 in which the first electrode layer 9a is previously formed on one surface has been described. However, in the production apparatus of the present invention, an electrode layer may be formed for an electrolyte membrane on which no electrode layer is formed on any of the front and back surfaces.

In the above embodiment, the case where the electrode material is applied as the coating liquid on the surface of the electrolyte membrane serving as the base material in the long band has been described. However, in the coating apparatus of the present invention, a coating liquid other than the electrode material may be applied to the surface of the base material in the elongated strip other than the electrolyte membrane. The coating apparatus of the present invention may be an apparatus for producing a product other than a membrane-electrode assembly for a solid polymer type fuel cell.

The detailed configuration of the manufacturing apparatus may be different from the drawings in this application. It is to be noted that the respective elements appearing in the above-described embodiments or modifications may be appropriately combined within a range in which no contradiction occurs.

1: Manufacturing apparatus
9a: first electrode layer
9b: second electrode layer
10: adsorption roller
11:
13: heating channel
20: Porous substrate supply recovery unit
30: electrolyte membrane supplier
40:
41: Paint nozzle
42:
50: drying furnace
60:
70:
90: Latex pregnancy
92: electrolyte membrane
411:
421: gas injection nozzle
422: Supply piping
423: opening / closing valve

Claims (13)

A coating apparatus for coating a coating liquid on a surface of a base material while conveying a base material in a long band,
A backup roller having a cylindrical outer circumferential surface for holding the base material;
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 liquid applied to the surface of the substrate held by the backup roller,
And a gas ejecting portion for ejecting a gas in the vicinity of the ejection opening. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the gas injecting portion injects a gas to at least a space adjacent to the discharge port on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the backup roller. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The discharge port is a slit-shaped opening extending in the width direction of the substrate,
Wherein the gas injecting portion injects the gas onto the whole of the width direction range of the discharge port. The method of claim 3,
And the gas injecting unit injects the gas along the ejection opening. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the heating unit heats the base material from the inside of the backup roller through an outer peripheral surface of the backup roller. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Wherein the gas injected from the gas injecting portion is clean dry air or an inert gas. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The substrate is an electrolyte membrane,
The coating liquid is an electrode material. A coating method for coating a coating liquid onto the surface of a base material while conveying a base material in a long band,
While the substrate held on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical backup roller is conveyed by the rotation of the backup roller,
a) a step of discharging a coating liquid from a discharge port of the nozzle toward the surface of the base material;
b) heating the coating liquid applied to the surface of the base material,
Wherein at least during the execution of the step b), a gas is sprayed in the vicinity of the discharge port. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein during the execution of the step b), the gas is injected into the space adjacent to the discharge port on the downstream side in the rotating direction of the backup roller. 10. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
The discharge port is a slit-shaped opening extending in the width direction of the substrate,
Wherein during the execution of the step b), the gas is sprayed over the entire range in the width direction of the discharge port. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein during the execution of the step b), the gas is sprayed along the discharge port. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11,
In the step b), the substrate is heated from the inside of the backup roller through the outer peripheral surface of the backup roller. 13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12,
Wherein a clean dry air or an inert gas is sprayed during the execution of the step b).

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