Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoshitaka Kino

Hiroshi Suzuki

Tatsuya Kawahara

Toshiaki Ozaki

Katsuhiko Kinoshita

In an electrolyte membrane () for a solid polymer fuel cell, sealing ribs () of a predetermined height made of an electrolyte resin is formed integrally with the electrolyte membrane (). Using the electrolyte membrane, a membrane-electrode assembly () is formed, which is further processed into a fuel cell (). Thus, an electrolyte membrane and a membrane-electrode assembly which are capable of improving the sealing characteristic when incorporated into a fuel cell are obtained. Besides, a fuel cell improved in the sealing characteristic is obtained.

Solid polymer fuel cell-purpose electrolyte membrane, production method therefor, and membrane-electrode assembly

The fuel cell of the present invention includes: a MEA (membrane-electrode assembly); resin frames which are deposited at the front and the rear surface of the MEA and which sandwich the peripheral edge portion of the MEA and fix it; and electrically conductive separators, which are disposed on the front and the rear surfaces of the MEA which is sandwich and fixed by the resin frames, which contact against the MEA, and on which collector portions are formed which collect electricity from the MEA; and these resin frames sandwich and fix a portion of the peripheral edge portion of the MEA, while, on the electrically conductive separators, there formed collector portions at another peripheral edge portion of the MEA which is not sandwiched by the resin frames.

Fuel cell and frame used therein

A polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes an electrode including a catalyst layer and a diffusion layer. The catalyst layer is divided into a plurality of portions including an upstream portion and a downstream portion along a reactant gas flow direction. The upstream portion of the catalyst layer has a structure for preventing a drying-up of the cell, and the downstream portion of the catalyst layer has a structure for preventing a flooding of the cell. A structure of the diffusion layer also may differ between at the upstream portion and at the downstream portion.

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Toyota, Japan

Yoshitaka Kino