Membrane-electrode assembly and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

Disclosed are: a membrane-electrode assembly having enhanced adhesion and interfacial durability between a polymer electrolyte membrane and electrodes; and a method for manufacturing a membrane-electrode assembly, in which, in forming electrodes by directly coating a catalyst slurry on a polymer electrolyte membrane, adhesion and interfacial durability between the polymer electrolyte membrane and the electrodes can be enhanced without a separate additional step, thus improving both the durability and the productivity of the membrane-electrode assembly. The method comprises the steps of: dispersing a catalyst and an ion conductor in a dispersion medium to obtain a catalyst slurry; applying the catalyst slurry onto a polymer electrolyte membrane; and drying the catalyst slurry applied onto the polymer electrolyte membrane to form an electrode. The dispersion medium is a solvent capable of forming a plurality of grooves on a surface of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and, when the electrode is formed through the drying step, at least some of the grooves are filled with the catalyst, the ion conductor, or a mixture thereof.