Nissan Motor Company Limited

W.l. Gore & Associates, Co., Ltd.

Takanori Oku

Mitsutaka Abe

Yasuhiro Numao

Shigetaka Uehara

Kazuhiro Kageyama

Shigemasa Kuwata

Shinichi Miyazaki

Keigo Ikezoe

Tomoya Nomura

Keiji Ichihara

Hiromi Sugimoto

Hiroshi Miyaoka

Manabu Sugino

Tomoyuki Takane

Norikatsu Sekine

Ryan Blunt

A fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly constituted of an electrolyte membrane and an electrode layer, a frame portion disposed along an outer periphery of the membrane electrode assembly, and separators that include gas flow passages to supply the membrane electrode assembly with fuel gas, wherein the membrane electrode assembly is interposed by a pair of the separators, and the separators include adhesion regions bonded to the frame portion via an adhesive, and reduced portions where distances between the separators and the frame portion are shorter than distances between the separators and the frame portion at other adhesion regions in the adhesion regions.

Fuel cell

A fuel cell stack seal structure of a fuel cell stack, the fuel cell stack including a plurality of fuel cell single cells that are stacked, each of the fuel cell single cells including a membrane electrode assembly and a pair of separators holding the membrane electrode assembly between the pair of separators, includes inner peripheral sealing members and an outer peripheral sealing member at peripheral edges of a pair of separators, in which the inner peripheral sealing members close a gap between inner peripheral ribs that protrude at least towards a mutually facing sides of the pair of separators, and the outer peripheral sealing member that closes a gap between outer peripheral ribs that protrude at least towards the mutually facing sides of the pair of separators. The inner peripheral sealing members and the outer peripheral sealing member form a first closed space between the inner peripheral sealing members and the outer peripheral sealing member. The outer peripheral sealing member has a notch that communicates the first closed space with the outside.

Fuel cell stack seal structure and production method therefor

A fuel cell stack is constituted by stacking fuel cells including a membrane electrode assembly constituted by sandwiching an electrolyte membrane with a pair of electrodes and a pair of separators that have flow passages through which gas to be supplied to the membrane electrode assembly flows, the pair of separators being arranged across the membrane electrode assembly. The fuel cell stack includes a welded portion where the separators adjacent to one another in a stacking direction of the fuel cell are welded. The separator in the stacking direction at the welded portion has a height lower than a height of the separator other than the welded portion.

Fuel cell stack

A fuel cell stack has stacked individual fuel cells, each of the fuel cells having a cell frame, and an anode separator and a cathode separator disposed on respective sides of the cell frame, in which an electrolyte membrane joined with an anode side gas diffusion layer and a cathode side gas diffusion layer on respective sides thereof is disposed in the cell frame, an anode side load bearing member that bonds and fixes the anode separator, the cell frame, and the gas diffusion layer to each other, so as to receive a compressive load acting in a stacking direction of the fuel cell, and a cathode side load bearing member that bonds and fixes the cathode separator, the cell frame, and the gas diffusion layer to each other so as to receive a compressive load acting in the stacking direction of the fuel cell.

Fuel cell stack and load bearing method involving use of fuel cell stack

A fuel battery cell has a membrane electrode assembly, a frame, a pair of separators, and support members. The membrane electrode assembly is formed with an anode and a cathode bonded so as to face an electrolyte membrane. The frame holds the periphery of the membrane electrode assembly. The pair of separators sandwich the frame holding the membrane electrode assembly. The support members protrude along an edge part of the frame so as to pass beyond the frame and support the membrane electrode assembly.

The invention provides a fuel cell (A) in which a frame body () provided with a membrane electrode assembly () is sandwiched between a pair of separators (), and multiple projections () are arranged at given intervals on each of two surface sides of the frame body (). Thus, a gas flow path (S) for a hydrogen-containing gas is defined and formed on one surface side of the frame body () and a gas flow path (S) for an oxygen-containing gas is defined and formed on the other surface side of the frame body (). The projections () on the one surface side of the frame body () and the projections () on the other surface side of the frame body () are arranged asymmetrically with respect to the frame body () in a stacking direction (&#x3b1;) of the fuel cell.

A fuel cell electrode structure includes a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane between a pair or electrodes, and a frame being integrally formed with the membrane electrode assembly supporting the membrane electrode assembly from the peripheral side. The membrane electrode assembly includes a gas diffusion layer on the surface, and a sealing member for sealing the periphery of the membrane electrode assembly is provided on the frame. The sealing member includes a lip portion, and at least partly includes extended portion that extends to the membrane electrode assembly. The extended portion is thinner than the lip portion of the sealing member, and the end face of the extended portion is in contact with the end face of the gas diffusion layer.

Fuel cell electrode structure, metal separator, fuel cell employing said fuel cell electrode structure and said metal separator, and die for fabricating said fuel cell electrode structure

A fuel cell metal separator structure includes a first separator in contact with a first membrane electrode assembly and a second separator in contact with a second membrane electrode assembly. In the stacking direction of the first separator and the second separator and the membrane electrode assemblies, in an reaction area formed between the two membrane electrode assemblies, an electrically conductive member is put between the first separator and the second separator, and in the sealing portion on a periphery of the membrane electrode assembly, the first separator and second separator are in direct contact with each other so that a space for sealing is expanded due to the increased depth of the sealing grooves.

Fuel cell metal separator structure, fuel cell using the separator structure and fuel cell stack

Provided is a fuel cell including: a membrane electrode assembly () formed by joining an anode () to one surface of an electrolyte membrane () and joining a cathode () to another surface of the electrolyte membrane (); a frame body () formed integrally with the membrane electrode assembly (); and a pair of separators () holding the membrane electrode assembly () and the frame body () therebetween. At least one pair of holding pieces () holding the membrane electrode assembly () therebetween is formed in the pair of separators (). Positions of holding end portions () of the pair of holding pieces () are shifted from each other in a stacking direction of the fuel cell.

This insulating structure is for a fuel cell stack or a fuel cell of the fuel cell stack. The fuel cell stack includes a membrane electrode assembly with a peripheral frame and a pair of separators that hold the frame and the membrane electrode assembly in between and is formed by stacking a plurality of sets of the membrane electrode assembly and the pair of separators. The insulating structure includes: a coupling member disposed on at least a part of an outer periphery of the fuel cell stack or the fuel cell; and a projection formed on the coupling member in an area surrounded by the pair of separators and the frame.

Insulating structure, fuel cell and fuel cell stack

Disclosed is a fuel cell provided with a membrane electrode structure having a frame, two separators that sandwich the membrane electrode structure therebetween, and gas seals between the end portion of the frame and the end portions of respective separators, and diffuser sections for distributing a reacting gas to between the frame and respective separators. In the diffuser section on the cathode side, the frame is provided with a protruding section in contact with the separator, and in the diffuser section on the anode side, the frame and the separator are disposed by being spaced apart from each other, thereby excellently maintaining contact surface pressure between the membrane electrode structure and the separators, and preventing contact resistance from being increased.

A fuel cell is provided with a membrane electrode assembly provided with a frame, both of which are sandwiched between two separators. The fuel cell is configured such that reactive gas is circulated between the frame and the separators. The frame and both separators each have manifold holes, the rims of the manifold holes of frame extend into the manifold holes in the separators, and protrusions cover the inner peripheral surfaces of the manifold holes in at least one of the separators. This structure makes possible the easy and accurate position and integration of the separators and the frame, and fuel cell miniaturization can be achieved because space to position the protrusions is not needed.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Takanori Oku