Electrolysis chamber for a proton exchange membrane electrolyser and proton exchange membrane electrolyser

Abstract

The application provides an electrolysis chamber of a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer and the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. The electrolysis chamber of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer comprises: bipolar plates, sealing rubber lines, anode diffusion layers, proton exchange membrane assemblies, cathode diffusion layers, sealing rubber lines and bipolar plates which are sequentially stacked; the side of the bipolar plate facing the proton exchange membrane assembly is provided with a groove; the side of the sealing rubber line facing the bottom of the groove is provided with a first inclined surface; the bottom of the groove is provided with a booster part; the side of the booster part facing the sealing rubber line is provided with a second inclined surface; and the second inclined surface is in close contact with the first inclined surface. The friction between the sealing rubber line and the bipolar plate in the electrolysis chamber of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer is large, so that the pressure resistance grade of the electrolyzer is improved, the sealing effect of the sealing rubber line in different environments is ensured, the electrolyzer can withstand a pressure of up to 7MPa, and the hydrogen production efficiency and safety are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of electrolyzers. Specifically, this application relates to the electrolysis chamber of a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer and the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer itself. Background Technology

[0002] A proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer is a core reaction device for electrolyzing water into hydrogen. It typically includes end plates and numerous electrolysis chambers. A single electrolysis chamber typically comprises bipolar plates, an anode gasket, a proton exchange membrane assembly (MEA), and a cathode gasket. The PEM electrolyzer achieves water electrolysis by applying an external voltage, causing oxygen to be produced at the anode and hydrogen at the cathode.

[0003] Currently, the main research and development direction of PEM electrolyzer technology is high-pressure hydrogen production to reduce the cycle of post-processing hydrogen storage and transportation, which is also more suitable for future development needs. However, this also places higher demands on the sealing of the electrolyzer. Currently, the pressure resistance of the sealing adhesive lines in electrolyzers is insufficient to meet high-pressure requirements, making them prone to breakage, affecting the normal use of the electrolyzer, and even posing safety risks. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application aims to at least partially address the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this application proposes an electrolysis chamber and a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. In the electrolysis chamber of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer of this application, the friction between the sealing adhesive line and the bipolar plate is high, thereby improving the pressure resistance of the electrolyzer and ensuring that the sealing adhesive line has a good sealing effect in different environments. This allows the electrolyzer to withstand pressures up to 7 MPa, thereby improving hydrogen production efficiency and safety.

[0005] In one aspect of this application, an electrolysis chamber for a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer is provided. According to an embodiment of this application, the electrolysis chamber of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer comprises: a bipolar plate, a sealing adhesive line, an anode diffusion layer, a proton exchange membrane assembly, a cathode diffusion layer, a sealing adhesive line, and a bipolar plate arranged sequentially.

[0006] The bipolar plate has a groove on the side facing the proton exchange membrane assembly, and the sealing adhesive line is embedded in the groove, with the maximum height of the sealing adhesive line being greater than the depth of the groove.

[0007] The sealing adhesive line has a first inclined surface on the side facing the bottom of the groove, and a pressure-increasing part is provided at the bottom of the groove. The pressure-increasing part has a second inclined surface on the side facing the sealing adhesive line, and the second inclined surface is in contact with the first inclined surface.

[0008] According to an embodiment of this application, the electrolysis chamber of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer has inclined surfaces on both the side of the sealing adhesive line facing the bottom of the groove and the side of the pressurizing section facing the sealing adhesive line. When a lateral external force generated in the tank acts on the sealing adhesive line, the lateral external force can be effectively decomposed into two components on the inclined surface: one is a component along the inclined surface direction, and the other is a vertical component perpendicular to the inclined surface. This decomposition effect allows the component along the inclined surface direction to help increase the friction between the sealing adhesive line and the bipolar plate, while the vertical component helps increase the pressure of the sealing adhesive line in the vertical direction, further enhancing the sealing effect of the sealing adhesive line, thereby improving the pressure resistance and sealing reliability of the overall structure.

[0009] According to an embodiment of this application, the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are inclined in a first direction, which is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the bipolar plate and the proton exchange membrane assembly.

[0010] According to an embodiment of this application, the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are inclined at angles of 10° to 60°, preferably 30° to 45°, in the first direction.

[0011] According to an embodiment of this application, the first inclined surface has a first segment and a second segment connected together, and the first segment and the second segment have an included angle;

[0012] The second inclined surface has a connected third segment and a fourth segment, wherein the first segment is attached to the third segment, and the second segment is attached to the fourth segment;

[0013] Preferably, the included angle is 60° to 160°.

[0014] According to an embodiment of this application, the first inclined surface and / or the second inclined surface are provided with a plurality of protrusions.

[0015] According to an embodiment of this application, the pressurizing part is integrally formed with the bipolar plate.

[0016] According to an embodiment of this application, the maximum height of the sealing adhesive line is 0.5mm to 1.5mm;

[0017] The width of the sealant line is 1mm to 5mm;

[0018] The compression rate of the sealant line is 25% to 40%, preferably 30% to 35%;

[0019] The width of the groove is 1mm to 8mm;

[0020] The depth of the groove is 0.2mm to 2mm.

[0021] According to embodiments of this application, the raw materials for the sealing adhesive line include at least one of silicone rubber, fluororubber, EPDM rubber, polytetrafluoroethylene, styrene-butadiene rubber, and modified polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0022] According to an embodiment of this application, the method for preparing the sealing adhesive line includes:

[0023] The raw materials and crosslinking agent of the sealing adhesive line are mixed and refined into a colloid;

[0024] The colloid is subjected to hot pressing, cooling and vulcanization to obtain the sealing adhesive line.

[0025] According to an embodiment of this application, the hot pressing process satisfies at least one of the following conditions: temperature is 100℃~180℃, time is 1min~30min, and pressure is 0.1MPa~20MPa;

[0026] And / or, the cooling process takes 1 to 10 minutes;

[0027] And / or, the vulcanization treatment meets at least one of the following conditions: temperature of 150℃~250℃, time of 0.5h~6h, and pressure of 0.1MPa~3MPa.

[0028] In another aspect of this application, a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer is proposed. According to an embodiment of this application, the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer includes two end plates, and at least one electrolysis chamber of the aforementioned proton exchange membrane electrolyzer is disposed between the two end plates.

[0029] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer structure according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0032] Figure 2 This shows a schematic diagram of a bipolar plate, sealing adhesive line, and proton exchange membrane assembly according to an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a sealing adhesive line and a pressurizing part according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0034] Figures 4-8Schematic diagrams of a bipolar plate, sealing adhesive line, and proton exchange membrane assembly according to an embodiment of this application are shown respectively.

[0035] Figure 9 The diagram shows the pressure resistance and leakage rate analysis of a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer according to one embodiment of this application.

[0036] Figure label:

[0037] 100: Bipolar plate; 110: Groove; 111: Pressure boosting section; 200: Sealing adhesive line; 300: Anode diffusion layer; 400: Proton exchange membrane assembly; 500: Cathode diffusion layer; A: First inclined surface; B: Second inclined surface. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. The embodiments described below are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0039] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. Furthermore, in the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0040] The endpoints and any values ​​of the ranges disclosed herein are not limited to the precise ranges or values, and these ranges or values ​​should be understood to include values ​​close to these ranges or values. For numerical ranges, the endpoint values ​​of the various ranges, the endpoint values ​​of the various ranges and individual point values, and individual point values ​​can be combined with each other to obtain one or more new numerical ranges, which should be considered as specifically disclosed herein.

[0041] In this document, the terms “comprising” or “including” are open-ended expressions, meaning they include the contents specified in this invention but do not exclude other aspects.

[0042] In this document, the terms “optionally,” “optionally,” or “optionally” generally refer to an event or condition that may, but may not, occur, and the description includes both cases in which the event or condition occurs and cases in which the event or condition does not occur.

[0043] In one aspect of this application, an electrolysis chamber for a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer is provided. According to an embodiment of this application, see [link to embodiment]. Figure 1The electrolysis chamber of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer includes: a bipolar plate 100, a sealing adhesive line 200, an anode diffusion layer 300, a proton exchange membrane assembly 400, a cathode diffusion layer 500, a sealing adhesive line 200, and a bipolar plate 100 arranged in sequence.

[0044] In a single electrolysis chamber, hydrogen production begins with the oxidation reaction of water molecules at the anode (anodine region), where they lose electrons and generate oxygen and protons (H+). + Protons migrate through a proton exchange membrane (MEA) to the cathode (cathode region), where they combine with electrons to produce hydrogen gas. Specifically, the bipolar plates act as conductors and separate different gases, sealing strips ensure the reactant gases do not mix, the anode diffusion layer helps to evenly distribute the reactant gases, the proton exchange membrane in the MEA allows protons to pass through while blocking electrons, thus maintaining the potential difference between the two electrodes, and the cathode diffusion layer helps to evenly distribute hydrogen gas. Throughout the process, the electrolyzer is driven by an externally supplied current to perform the electrolysis of water, ultimately producing hydrogen gas in the cathode region and oxygen gas in the anode region.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown, the bipolar plate 100 has a groove 110 on the side facing the proton exchange membrane assembly 400, and the sealing line 200 is embedded in the groove 110, with the maximum height of the sealing line 200 being greater than the depth of the groove 110.

[0046] The main purpose of setting grooves on the bipolar plates is to fix and support the sealing adhesive line. The maximum height of the sealing adhesive line is designed to be greater than the depth of the groove to ensure that the sealing adhesive line can fully fill the groove and maintain the necessary compression during the operation of the electrolyzer, especially under high pressure conditions. This provides a better sealing effect, prevents gas leakage, and allows the sealing adhesive line to have sufficient elastic deformation space under pressure to adapt to pressure changes and wear during long-term operation, thereby enhancing the sealing reliability and durability of the entire electrolyzer.

[0047] According to an embodiment of this application, the sealing adhesive line 200 has a first inclined surface A on the side facing the bottom of the groove 110, a pressure-boosting part 111 is provided at the bottom of the groove 110, and the side of the pressure-boosting part 111 away from the bottom of the groove 110 has a second inclined surface B, which is in contact with the first inclined surface A. Specifically, the first inclined surface A and the second inclined surface B are inclined in a first direction, which is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the bipolar plate 100 and the proton exchange membrane assembly 400. Exemplarily, the pressure-boosting part 111 is integrally formed with the bipolar plate 100.

[0048] like Figure 3As shown, the side of the sealing glue line 200 facing the bottom of the groove 110 and the side of the pressurizing part 111 facing the sealing glue line are both set as inclined surfaces. When the lateral external force F3 generated in the groove acts on the sealing glue line 200, the lateral external force F3 can be effectively decomposed into two components on the inclined surface: one is the component F along the inclined surface direction. 3b The other is the vertical component F perpendicular to the inclined plane. 3a This decomposition effect causes the component force F along the inclined plane to... 3b This helps increase the friction between the sealing glue line and the bipolar plate, while the vertical component F 3a This helps increase the pressure of the sealant line in the vertical direction, further enhancing the sealing effect of the sealant line, thereby improving the overall pressure resistance and sealing reliability of the structure.

[0049] The first inclined plane A and the second inclined plane B are inclined at angles θ in the first direction of 10° to 60°, for example, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°, 30°, 35°, 40°, 45°, 50°, 55°, and 60°, preferably 30° to 45°. This increases the friction between the sealing adhesive line and the pressurizing part, improving the pressure resistance and sealing effect of the electrolytic cell. If the inclination angle θ is too small, it will be difficult to decompose the lateral external force F3 into F... 3a and F 3b This results in an inability to effectively increase friction, weakening pressure resistance and sealing effect; an excessively large tilt angle θ reduces the vertical component, leading to a decrease in the normal pressure between the contact surfaces, thus reducing friction. Insufficient friction may cause the sealant line to slip more easily under lateral external forces, affecting the stability and reliability of the sealant line; in addition, the reduced projected area of ​​the sealant line in the direction of force leads to an increase in pressure per unit area, making the sealant line more prone to local deformation or damage under pressure, reducing overall pressure resistance; at the same time, stress concentration increases the fatigue risk of the sealant line, reducing its service life.

[0050] like Figure 4 As shown, the first inclined surface A has a first segment and a second segment connected together, with an included angle α between the first and second segments; the second inclined surface B has a third segment and a fourth segment connected together, with the first segment and the third segment fitting together, and the second segment and the fourth segment fitting together. By designing the second inclined surface of the pressurizing section as a conical inclined surface, and matching the first inclined surface of the sealing adhesive line with this conical inclined surface, the contact area between the sealing adhesive line and the conical inclined surface is further increased, thereby increasing the static friction force and better increasing the pressure resistance of the electrolytic cell. On the other hand, this conical inclined surface design can effectively reduce the risk of leakage and ensure the sealing performance of the electrolytic cell under high pressure.

[0051] In some embodiments, the included angle α between the first segment and the second segment is 60° to 160°, for example, 60°, 70°, 80°, 90°, 100°, 110°, 120°, 130°, 140°, 150°, or 160°. This increases the friction between the sealing adhesive line and the pressurizing part, improving the pressure resistance and sealing effect of the electrolytic cell. If the included angle is too small, it will be difficult to decompose the lateral external force F3 into F... 3a and F 3b This prevents the effective increase of friction, thus weakening pressure resistance and sealing performance; while an excessively large angle can increase friction, it may reduce the contact area, thereby reducing the sealing effect. In addition, an excessively large angle may cause stress concentration in the structure under pressure, reducing pressure resistance.

[0052] like Figure 5 As shown, multiple protrusions are distributed on the first inclined surface A and / or the second inclined surface B. Therefore, designing these protrusions helps to increase the roughness of the inclined surfaces, thereby improving the static friction of the sealing adhesive line and thus enhancing the pressure resistance of the electrolytic cell. The protrusions can be circular, square, conical, wavy, etc., and the specific type can be flexibly selected according to the actual situation; no strict limitation is imposed here.

[0053] According to embodiments of this application, the maximum height of the sealing line is 0.5mm to 1.5mm (e.g., 0.5mm, 0.6mm, 0.8mm, 1mm, 1.2mm, 1.5mm); the width of the sealing line is 1mm to 5mm (e.g., 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm); the width of the groove is 1mm to 8mm (e.g., 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 7mm, 8mm); and the depth of the groove is 0.2mm to 2mm (e.g., 0.2mm, 0.5mm, 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm). This ensures that the sealing line has sufficient elastic deformation space under pressure to adapt to pressure changes and wear during long-term operation, while preventing gas leakage. Furthermore, it helps to disperse pressure, reduce stress concentration in the sealing line under high pressure, and avoid premature failure. Consequently, it improves the overall sealing effect and mechanical stability of the electrolytic cell.

[0054] According to embodiments of this application, the compression rate of the sealing adhesive line 200 is 25% to 40%, for example 25%, 28%, 30%, 32%, 35%, 38%, 40%, preferably 30% to 35%. This ensures that during the operation of the electrolytic cell, the sealing adhesive line will neither lose its elasticity due to excessive compression, leading to a decrease in sealing performance, nor will it fail to form an effective seal due to insufficient compression. This helps to evenly distribute pressure on the sealing adhesive line, reduce stress concentration, extend the service life of the sealing adhesive line, maintain a stable sealing effect, prevent gas leakage, and improve the reliability and safety of the entire electrolytic cell.

[0055] The compression ratio of the sealing adhesive line in this application is obtained by testing as follows: measuring the height h0 of the adhesive line before compression, uniformly compressing the adhesive line to a specified height h1, and the compression ratio of the sealing adhesive line K = (h0-h1) / h0×100%.

[0056] According to embodiments of this application, the raw materials for the sealing adhesive line include at least one of silicone rubber, fluororubber, EPDM rubber, polytetrafluoroethylene, styrene-butadiene rubber, and modified polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0057] According to an embodiment of this application, the method for preparing the sealing adhesive line includes:

[0058] S100: The raw materials and crosslinking agent of the sealing adhesive line are mixed and refined into a colloid. This ensures uniform mixing of the raw material adhesive, eliminates air bubbles, softens and plasticizes the adhesive, and controls the thickness and size of the film, thereby providing an ideal material state for subsequent molding and vulcanization processes and ensuring the consistency of the sealing adhesive line's quality and performance.

[0059] In some embodiments, the crosslinking agent may include one or more of sulfur powder, sulfur-containing organic compounds, dicumyl peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide, N,N-methylenebisacrylamide, and dibenzothiazole disulfide.

[0060] In some embodiments, the colloid is in sheet form with a thickness of 1 mm to 3 mm.

[0061] S200: The sealing cord is obtained by hot-pressing, cooling, and vulcanizing the colloid. Hot-pressing allows the colloid to form the desired shape and size under high temperature and pressure, ensuring the structural stability of the cord. Subsequent cooling helps fix the cord shape, reduces thermal stress, and prevents deformation. The final vulcanization process improves the physical and chemical properties of the rubber through chemical cross-linking, causing the rubber macromolecules to react and cross-link, thereby enhancing its wear resistance, aging resistance, and elasticity. This ensures the sealing cord maintains stable performance during long-term use and improves its sealing reliability under high pressure and harsh environments.

[0062] In some embodiments, the hot pressing process satisfies at least one of the following conditions: a temperature of 100°C to 180°C, for example, 100°C, 110°C, 120°C, 130°C, 140°C, 150°C, 160°C, 170°C, or 180°C, preferably 160°C to 180°C; a time of 1 min to 30 min, for example, 1 min, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 20 min, 25 min, or 30 min, preferably 5 min to 10 min; and a pressure of 0.1 MPa to 20 MPa, for example, 0.1 MPa, 1 MPa, 5 MPa, 10 MPa, 15 MPa, or 20 MPa, preferably 8 MPa to 12 MPa. This ensures uniform molding of the colloid, avoids material damage or defects, thereby improving the quality, strength, and durability of the filament, and the filament exhibits high tensile strength and good compressibility.

[0063] In some embodiments, the cooling process takes 1 to 10 minutes, for example, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 minutes, 8 minutes, or 10 minutes, preferably 4 to 8 minutes. This helps to fix the shape of the adhesive line, reduce thermal stress, and prevent deformation.

[0064] In some embodiments, the vulcanization treatment satisfies at least one of the following conditions: a temperature of 150°C to 250°C, for example, 150°C, 160°C, 180°C, 200°C, 220°C, or 250°C, preferably 160°C to 220°C; a time of 0.5h to 6h, for example, 0.5h, 1h, 1.5h, 2h, 2.5h, 3h, 3.5h, 4h, 4.5h, 5h, 5.5h, or 6h, preferably 3h to 5h; and a pressure of 0.1MPa to 3MPa, for example, 0.1MPa, 1MPa, 1.5MPa, 2MPa, 2.5MPa, or 3MPa. This results in the sealing thread possessing superior abrasion resistance, aging resistance, and elasticity, and also exhibiting high tensile strength and good compressibility.

[0065] In another aspect of this application, a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer is proposed. According to an embodiment of this application, the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer includes two end plates, and at least one electrolysis chamber of the aforementioned proton exchange membrane electrolyzer is disposed between the two end plates. The features and advantages described above for the electrolysis chamber of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer also apply to this proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, and will not be repeated here.

[0066] The present invention will be explained below with reference to embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that the following embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. Where specific techniques or conditions are not specified in the embodiments, they are performed according to the techniques or conditions described in the literature in the field or according to the product instructions. Reagents or instruments whose manufacturers are not specified are all conventional products that can be obtained commercially.

[0067] Example 1

[0068] 1. Preparation of sealing adhesive line

[0069] (1) Raw material mixing: Mix EPDM rubber, carbon black, zinc oxide, diisopropylbenzene peroxide and triallyl cyanurate in a mass ratio of 100:65:5:3:1 and then place them in a double-drum open mill for rolling until a sheet rubber with a thickness of 2mm is formed.

[0070] (2) Hot pressing: The uniformly mixed adhesive is cut to a suitable width and placed in the groove of the adhesive line template. The temperature of the hot press is set to 180℃, the hot pressing time is 0.15h, and the press pressure is 20MPa. The adhesive line template is then placed inside the hot press. The hot-pressed sealing adhesive line is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the tilt angle θ is 38°.

[0071] (3) Cooling: Remove the sealant line template from the hot press and transfer it to the water-cooled press. Set the pressure of the water-cooled press to 0.6 MPa and the water cooling time to 6 minutes before removing the sealant line.

[0072] (4) Rubber vulcanization: The sealing line was placed in a vacuum oven, and the disulfide vulcanization time was set to 0.5 hours, the vulcanization temperature to 200℃, and the vulcanization pressure to 0.5MPa. The resulting sealing line had a width of 3.5mm and a height of 0.75mm.

[0073] 2. Assembly

[0074] refer to Figure 1 The various components in the electrolysis chamber are stacked, and then the end plates, screws, disc springs, and nuts are installed and fixed to obtain a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. A groove (6mm wide and 0.5mm deep) is provided on the bipolar plate, and an integrally formed pressure boosting section is provided at the bottom of the groove. The top of the pressure boosting section is an inclined surface that fits into the sealing adhesive line.

[0075] Example 2

[0076] The proton exchange membrane electrolyzer was prepared according to the method of Example 1, the difference being that the sealing adhesive line after hot pressing was as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the included angle α between the first and second segments is 140°. The top of the pressurization section is a tapered slope that fits into the sealing adhesive line.

[0077] Example 3

[0078] The proton exchange membrane electrolyzer was prepared according to the method in Example 1, the difference being that the sealing adhesive line after hot pressing was as follows: Figure 5 As shown, there are multiple protrusions distributed on the inclined surface of the pressurization section.

[0079] Example 4

[0080] The proton exchange membrane electrolyzer was prepared according to the method of Example 1, except that the sulfidation time in step (4) was 2 hours.

[0081] Example 5

[0082] The proton exchange membrane electrolyzer was prepared according to the method of Example 1, except that the sulfidation time in step (4) was 4 hours.

[0083] Example 6

[0084] The proton exchange membrane electrolyzer was prepared according to the method of Example 1, except that in step (2), the pressure of the press was 10 MPa and in step (4), the sulfidation time was 4 hours.

[0085] Example 7

[0086] The proton exchange membrane electrolyzer was prepared according to the method of Example 1, except that in step (2), the hot pressing temperature was 150°C and in step (4), the sulfidation time was 4 hours.

[0087] Comparative Example 1

[0088] The proton exchange membrane electrolyzer was prepared according to the method of Example 1, the difference being that the sealing adhesive line after hot pressing was as follows: Figure 6 As shown, the bottom of the sealing adhesive line is flat. The groove of the bipolar plate does not contain a pressure-boosting section.

[0089] Comparative Example 2

[0090] The electrolysis chamber of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer was prepared according to the method of Example 1, the difference being that the sealing adhesive line after hot pressing was as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the bottom of the sealant line is flat. The bottom of the groove in the bipolar plate has circular wavy protrusions.

[0091] Comparative Example 3

[0092] The proton exchange membrane electrolyzer was prepared according to the method of Example 1, the difference being that the sealing adhesive line after hot pressing was as follows: Figure 8 As shown, the grooves in the bipolar plate do not contain a boosting section.

[0093] Test Example 1

[0094] The pressure resistance and leakage rate of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzers prepared in Examples 1, 2, and 3 and Comparative Examples 1, 2, and 3 were tested respectively. The specific test methods are shown below.

[0095] (1) Connect the airtightness testing equipment to the assembled electrolytic cell;

[0096] (2) Gas is introduced into the electrolytic cell cavity through an airtightness testing device and pressure is maintained for 24 hours;

[0097] (3) Calculate the leakage rate A of the electrolytic cell, A = t / 100(1-p1T2 / p2T1)

[0098] in:

[0099] A represents the volumetric leakage rate (%);

[0100] t represents the test time (in hours);

[0101] T1 and T2 are the electrolytic cell temperatures (K) at the start and end of the experiment;

[0102] p1 and p2 represent the electrolyzer pressures (MPa) at the start and end of the test.

[0103] The results are as follows Figure 9 As shown, compared to Comparative Examples 1-3, in the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer prepared in Example 1-3, the bottom of the sealing adhesive line is designed as an inclined plane, and an inclined plane matching the inclined plane of the sealing adhesive line is designed in the bipolar plate groove. Therefore, the lateral external force in the tank can be decomposed into a component force along the inclined plane and a vertical component force along the inclined plane. This decomposition allows the component force along the inclined plane to increase the friction between the sealing adhesive line and the bipolar plate, while the vertical component force helps to increase the pressure of the sealing adhesive line in the vertical direction, further enhancing the sealing effect of the sealing adhesive line, thereby improving the overall pressure resistance and sealing reliability of the structure and reducing the leakage rate.

[0104] Test Example 2

[0105] The sealing adhesive lines prepared in Examples 1 and 4-7 were subjected to maximum breaking force and compression rate tests, respectively. The specific test methods are as follows:

[0106] 1. Maximum breaking force test method:

[0107] (1) Prepare rubber specimens that meet the dimensional requirements according to standards (such as GB / T528-2009);

[0108] (2) Clamp the specimen on the tensile fixture of the universal testing machine, ensuring that the specimen is in the center of the fixture and perpendicular to the loading direction;

[0109] (3) Gradually apply tensile load at a constant rate and record the load and specimen elongation data;

[0110] (4) Calculate the maximum breaking force. The formula for the maximum breaking force is σ = SF, where F is the maximum tensile force at the time of fracture and S is the initial cross-sectional area of ​​the specimen.

[0111] 2. Rubber compression ratio test method:

[0112] (1) Prepare rubber specimens that meet the dimensional requirements according to standards (such as GB / T 7759.1-2015);

[0113] (2) Place the sample in the mold of the compression testing machine and apply the specified compression force to achieve the predetermined compression ratio;

[0114] (3) Keep the sample in a compressed state at a specified temperature for a certain period of time (e.g., 96 hours), then remove the pressure and allow the sample to recover under standard conditions for a certain period of time;

[0115] Measure the height change of the sample after recovery and calculate the compression ratio C, c = (h0-h1) / (h0-hs)×100, where h0 is the original height of the sample, hs is the height of the limiter, and h1 is the height of the sample after recovery.

[0116] The results are shown in Table 1. The sealing tapes prepared using the method of this application all have high maximum breaking strength and good compressibility, among which Example 6 has the best effect.

[0117] Table 1 Maximum breaking force and compressibility of different types of adhesive threads

[0118] Example 1 Example 4 Example 5 Example 6 Example 7 Maximum breaking force / kN 42 51.3 58 66 49 Compression ratio / % 15 10.3 9 7.8 13

[0119] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrolytic cell of a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, characterized in that, include: The bipolar plate, sealing adhesive line, anode diffusion layer, proton exchange membrane assembly, cathode diffusion layer, sealing adhesive line and bipolar plate are stacked in sequence. The bipolar plate has a groove on the side facing the proton exchange membrane assembly, and the sealing adhesive line is embedded in the groove, with the maximum height of the sealing adhesive line being greater than the depth of the groove. The sealing adhesive line has a first inclined surface on the side facing the bottom of the groove, and a pressure-increasing part is provided at the bottom of the groove. The pressure-increasing part has a second inclined surface on the side facing the sealing adhesive line, and the second inclined surface is in contact with the first inclined surface.

2. The electrolysis chamber of claim 1, wherein, The first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are inclined in a first direction, which is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the bipolar plate and the proton exchange membrane assembly; The first inclined plane and the second inclined plane are inclined at angles of 10° to 60°, preferably 30° to 45°, in the first direction.

3. The electrolysis chamber of claim 1, wherein, The first inclined plane has a first segment and a second segment connected together, and the first segment and the second segment have an included angle; The second inclined surface has a connected third segment and a fourth segment, wherein the first segment is attached to the third segment, and the second segment is attached to the fourth segment; Preferably, the included angle is 60° to 160°.

4. The electrolysis chamber of claim 1, wherein, The first inclined surface and / or the second inclined surface are provided with a plurality of protrusions.

5. The electrolysis chamber of claim 1, wherein, The pressurization section is integrally formed with the bipolar plate.

6. The electrolysis chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The maximum height of the sealing adhesive line is 0.5mm to 1.5mm; The width of the sealant line is 1mm to 5mm; The compression rate of the sealant line is 25% to 40%, preferably 30% to 35%; The width of the groove is 1mm to 8mm; The depth of the groove is 0.2mm to 2mm.

7. The electrolysis chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The raw materials for the sealing adhesive line include at least one of silicone rubber, fluororubber, EPDM rubber, polytetrafluoroethylene, styrene-butadiene rubber, and modified polytetrafluoroethylene.

8. The electrolysis chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method for preparing the sealing adhesive line includes: The raw materials and crosslinking agent of the sealing adhesive line are mixed and refined into a colloid; The colloid is subjected to hot pressing, cooling and vulcanization to obtain the sealing adhesive line.

9. The electrolysis chamber according to claim 8, characterized in that, The hot pressing process meets at least one of the following conditions: temperature is 100℃~180℃, time is 1min~30min, and pressure is 0.1MPa~20MPa; And / or, the cooling process takes 1 to 10 minutes; And / or, the vulcanization treatment meets at least one of the following conditions: temperature of 150℃~250℃, time of 0.5h~6h, and pressure of 0.1MPa~3MPa.

10. A proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, characterized in that, include: Two end plates, and at least one electrolysis chamber of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is disposed between the two end plates.

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