A resin frame equipped membrane electrode assembly includes a membrane electrode assembly and a resin frame member around an outer peripheral portion of the membrane electrode assembly. An inner end of the resin frame member is joined to an electrolyte membrane. In the state before the inner end is joined to the electrolyte membrane, the inner end is narrowed inward in a manner that a surface of the inner end adjacent to the electrolyte membrane gets closer to a surface of the inner end opposite to the electrolyte membrane.

In a method of electrospinning nanofibres, a non-conductive laminate fibre collection structure (22) is placed on the surface of a conductive collector (18, FIG. 1). The laminate structure has a base layer (26) proximal to the collector and a fibre support layer (24). A pair of spaced first apertures (32) and a second aperture (34) located between them are defined through the fibre support layer (24). A pair of spaced third apertures (38) are defined through the base layer (26), each third aperture being aligned with one of the first apertures to define an opening (40) through the laminate structure. During electro spinning, the fibre is attracted to one of the openings (40) where it forms a bridge across the respective first aperture (32). A charge in the collected fibre builds up until the fibre is repelled and it moves to the nearest lowest potential region which is the second opening on the opposite side of the second aperture (34). The nanofibre takes shortest path from the first opening towards the second opening and so creates a fibre which extends across the second aperture (34). The process is repeated to build up an array of aligned nanofibres extending across the second aperture.

A method and apparatus for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly are provided, which can efficiently peel an electrode layer from a base material. A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly of a fuel cell including a pair of electrode layers and an electrolyte membrane, the apparatus including: a transport device which transports the base material on which one cathode electrode layer of the pair of electrode layers is formed and which is connected to a transport sheet via an adhesive layer together with the transport sheet; a transfer device which transfers the one cathode electrode layer to the electrolyte membrane; a peeling device which peels the cathode electrode layer from the base material; and a cooling device having a spraying device which is directed to a start point portion for the peeling and sprays a cooling gas.

A manufacturing apparatus of a membrane-electrode assembly for a fuel cell includes: an electrode film sheet supply unit supplying a first electrode film sheet including a first electrode film coated with an anode layer and a second electrode film sheet including a second electrode film coated with a cathode layer; an electrolyte membrane sheet supply unit supplying the electrolyte membrane between the anode layer of the first electrode film sheet and the cathode layer of the second electrode film sheet; a drive bonding roll rotatable by an operation of a first driver; and a driven bonding roll movable closer to or farther apart from the drive bonding roll and pressing the electrolyte membrane and the first and second electrode film sheets with the drive bonding roll. In particular, an engraved portion and an embossing portion are alternately formed on a circumference of the drive bonding roll.

In a method of producing a resin frame member for a fuel cell, a processing die is used. The method includes a processing step of moving an upper die toward a lower die to thereby form an inclined surface on each of side parts of a resin film. In the processing step, shearing is performed while maintaining a predetermined clearance between the lower processing section and the upper processing section and in a state where each of the side parts is at least partially positioned at a cutout so that each of the side parts is inclined downward toward the inside. The cutout is formed by cutting off an edge part of a placement surface that is positioned on the lower processing section side.

A manufacturing device of a fuel cell component includes an MEA unwinder on which a fabric panel is rolled. An MEA including an electrolyte membrane and an electrode is disposed on a protective film. The manufacturing device further includes a first hot roller disposed to press an upper sub-gasket supplied to a surface of an edge of the MEA from an upper sub-gasket unwinder, a protective film winder disposed behind the first hot roller and disposed to separate the protective film from the fabric panel, a second hot roller disposed to press the lower sub-gasket supplied to another surface of the edge of the MEA from the lower sub-gasket unwinder, and an MEA winder winding the MEA to which the upper sub-gasket and the lower sub-gasket are attached, in a roll shape.

Provided is a method for manufacturing a fuel cell stack that can manufacture the fuel cell stack efficiently, can improve the precision for joining and can improve the power generation efficiency. The method for manufacturing a fuel cell stack repeatedly stacks a separator, an electrode assembly and a separator in this order in accordance with the laminated structure of the fuel cell stack to be manufactured to manufacture the fuel cell stack. When the electrode assembly is stacked on the separator, the method pressurizes the electrode assembly stacked on the separator and applies laser light to the electrode assembly to join the resin frame of the electrode assembly to the separator. When the separator is stacked on the electrode assembly, the method pressurizes the separator stacked on the electrode assembly and applies laser light to the separator to join the separator to the resin frame of the electrode assembly.

A manufacturing method of a laminate for manufacturing a fuel cell which uses a roll-to-roll technique includes: a first step of preparing a first laminate formed by stacking the release layer, the electrolyte membrane and an electrode layer in this order on a back sheet, a second step of stacking and bonding a gas diffusion layer on the electrode layer of the first laminate to obtain a second laminate, and a third step of peeling the back sheet from the second laminate to obtain a third laminate; and the bonding temperature in the second step is less than 170° C., and a tension X (N) applied to the back sheet, and a conveyance speed Y (m/min) at which the second step to the third step are continuously executed satisfy a following equation (1).

Y≤12.09exp (−0.15X)   . . . (1).

A fuel cell includes: a membrane-electrode-gas diffusion layer assembly; a separator positioned in one side with respect to the membrane-electrode-gas diffusion layer assembly; a frame member supporting the membrane-electrode-gas diffusion layer assembly and joined to the separator, wherein the frame member includes: a base layer; an adhesive layer having thermoplasticity, having a linear expansion coefficient greater than that of the base layer, and joining the base layer and the separator; and a coating, layer provided on a side, opposite to the adhesive layer, of the base layer, having a liner expansion coefficient greater than that of the base layer, and not containing an adhesive component.

Nanofiber electrodes for electrochemical devices and fabricating methods of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes forming a liquid mixture containing a catalyst, a first polymer of perfluoro sulfonic acid and a second polymer of polyethylene oxide, the first polymer of perfluoro sulfonic acid being pre-treated to remove protons in the first polymer by exchange with a cation species like Na+; and electro spinning the liquid mixture to generate electro spun fibers and deposit the generated fibers on a collector substrate to form a fiber electrode mat comprising a network of fibers, where each fiber has a plurality of particles of the catalyst distributed thereon.