A fuel cell membrane electrode transfer device

Abstract

The application relates to a fuel cell membrane electrode transfer device, which comprises a first plate (1) and a second plate (2), the first plate (1) is a transparent porous plate, the second plate (2) is fixedly connected with the first plate (1), and a vacuum hole (3) is arranged on the second plate (2). Compared with the prior art, the device can solve various technical problems in frame bonding, is convenient, low in cost and simple to operate during manufacturing and processing, is light and portable, and can reduce defects such as frame bonding wrinkles and frame bonding mixed bubbles.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, in particular to a fuel cell membrane electrode (CCM) transfer device. BACKGROUND

[0002] The membrane electrode is one of the key components in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and generally includes an exchange membrane layer, a catalyst layer and a diffusion layer. The diffusion layer is composed of conductive porous material and plays multiple roles such as supporting the catalyst layer, collecting current, conducting gas and discharging water. It plays an extremely important role in the distribution of reaction gas and product water between the flow field and the catalyst layer. In the process of preparing the membrane electrode, the catalyst is prepared on the proton exchange membrane to form a catalyst coated membrane CCM (Catalyst coated membrane, referred to as CCM), and then two back-shaped frame films are used to bond and fix the CCM around (5 layers of frame making or 7 layers of carbon diffusion layer making) to leave a catalyst area as an electrochemical reaction field. In the transfer process of the membrane electrode (CCM), the traditional manufacturing method is to use two flat aluminum plates or plates made of plastic material, hollow out the effective area in the middle of one of the plates, and the other plate is flat. The four corners of the two plates are positioned by positioning pins and holes, and then the membrane electrode (CCM) is clamped between the two plates for frame bonding. This manufacturing method has a major technical defect. The method of fixing and transferring the membrane electrode using this jig is technically flawed in that the membrane electrode (CCM) will expand and contract and be prone to deformation when the humidity and temperature change. This will affect the quality of the frame bonding and the two carbon diffusion layer bonding in the subsequent process.

[0003] Currently, there is another way to use a single vacuum device for adsorption. Patent application CN2021112340521 discloses a fuel cell membrane electrode frame vacuum bonding method, which includes the following steps: preparing a membrane electrode upper frame, a membrane electrode CCM and a membrane electrode lower frame, a lower frame adsorption unit is provided with a vacuum interface one, a vacuum interface two and a frame adsorption area, a CCM adsorption area, the vacuum interface one is communicated with the frame adsorption area, and the vacuum interface two is communicated with the CCM adsorption area; place the membrane electrode lower frame on the frame adsorption area, open the vacuum interface one, and adsorb the membrane electrode lower frame; place the membrane electrode CCM on the CCM adsorption area, open the vacuum interface two, and adsorb the membrane electrode CCM; preliminarily extract the air between the upper and lower frames, and then extract the air in the gap between the upper and lower frames; cut according to the final shape and size of the membrane electrode, and complete the frame bonding; it can be used for manual, semi-automatic and automatic bonding of fuel cell membrane electrode frame, and can reduce defects such as frame bonding wrinkles and frame bonding bubbles.

[0004] But the above-mentioned vacuum plate features is relatively heavy, adsorption of the vacuum force is relatively difficult to adjust. In the CCM membrane electrode transfer process is relatively heavy, laborious, and opaque can not determine whether the CCM membrane electrode is adsorbed flat in place, and then the frame fitting production process will also produce the effect of inconvenience. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application aims to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a fuel cell membrane electrode transfer device which is light, easy to use and flexible to adjust.

[0006] The object of the present application can be achieved by the following technical solutions: a fuel cell membrane electrode transfer device, comprising a first plate and a second plate, the first plate is a porous transparent plate, the second plate is fixedly connected with the first plate, and a vacuum hole is arranged on the second plate, the vacuum hole is connected with a vacuum pump, the membrane electrode to be transferred is placed on the first plate, vacuum is drawn by the vacuum pump, a certain vacuum degree is formed between the first plate and the second plate, and the membrane electrode is adsorbed on the first plate to be transferred to the next process.

[0007] Further, the hole distance on the first plate is 0.5-1 cm, and the diameter of the hole is 0.1-1 mm. The thickness of the first plate is 1-2 mm, and the first plate is a PC plate or an acrylic plate.

[0008] Further, the second plate is a PC plate or an acrylic plate, or other non-transparent materials, and the thickness is 5-50 mm, and the area is the same as that of the first plate.

[0009] Further, a sealing groove is arranged around the upper surface of the second plate, and a sealing ring is arranged in the sealing groove. The four corners and the periphery of the last plate and the second plate are processed with bolt holes, and the two plates are locked and sealed by the bolts to ensure that there is no leakage under negative pressure.

[0010] Further, a flow guide groove is arranged on the upper surface of the second plate, and the flow guide groove is connected with the vacuum hole through a through hole groove.

[0011] Further, the flow guide groove is a serpentine groove or a straight groove, the depth of the flow guide groove is 0.5-1 mm, and the width is 1 mm-5 mm.

[0012] Further, the flow guide groove comprises a main flow through hole groove and branch grooves arranged in parallel with the main flow through hole groove, and the branch grooves are in communication with the main flow through hole groove. The main flow through hole groove is in communication with the through hole groove: the main flow through hole groove can be a groove perpendicular to the through hole groove, or a groove parallel to the through hole groove. When the two are parallel, a plurality of uniform connecting grooves can be arranged between the through hole groove and the main flow through hole groove.

[0013] Further, the second plate is also connected with a vacuum degree adjusting valve, and the second plate is also provided with an air passage, one end of the air passage is communicated with the flow guide groove, and the other end is connected with the vacuum degree adjusting valve, the vacuum degree between the two plates is adjusted through the vacuum degree adjusting valve, and the problem that the membrane electrode is damaged due to the too high vacuum degree is prevented.

[0014] Further, the holes on the first plate are communicated with the flow guide grooves on the second plate, so that the suction force of vacuum extraction can be smoothly transmitted to the whole upper plate, that is, the first plate.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] 1. The present application mainly comprises two transparent plastic material plates, such as PC plates and acrylic plates, which are processed into two plates, one of which is a porous plate, and the other of which can be selected from transparent and relatively thick PC plates or acrylic plates. The upper and lower plates need to have the same area but different thicknesses, and the thick plate needs to be processed with a sealing groove around the periphery to put in a sealing ring to ensure that the two plates are fixed and do not leak under negative pressure. The thick plate is processed with a groove corresponding to the position of the vacuum hole, which can be processed into a serpentine groove or a cross-shaped groove. This flow guide groove is mainly used to form a cavity between the upper and lower plates when vacuum extraction is performed, so that the cavity can be extracted into a vacuum state. The four corners and the periphery of the upper and lower plates need to be processed with fixed bolt holes, and the tightening of the bolts locks the two plates with the sealing ring to ensure that there is no leakage under negative pressure.

[0017] 2. Two holes can be punched on the periphery of the thick plate to install an air extraction hole and a vacuum degree adjusting valve. The device can effectively and evenly attract the membrane electrode (CCM) and adjust the vacuum degree as needed when the membrane electrode (CCM) is transferred, preventing the membrane electrode from being damaged due to the too high vacuum degree.

[0018] 3. The device is fully transparent, and when the membrane electrode (CCM) is transferred to another jig for frame bonding, the membrane electrode (CCM) can be observed with the naked eye to determine whether it is flat and aligned. When the frame is bonded, the position of the membrane electrode (CCM) and the frame can also be observed to be accurately in place. After confirming that the position is in place, the vacuum degree can be released, and the membrane electrode (CCM) is pressed against the edge of the jig, which ensures the flatness of the membrane electrode (CCM) bonded with the frame. The same method can also be used for carbon diffusion layer bonding.

[0019] 4. The device can solve various technical problems in frame bonding, and is also convenient to manufacture and process, and convenient to operate, which can reduce frame bonding wrinkles and frame bonding air bubbles and other defects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic view of the device of the present application.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the second plate structure in Example 1;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the second plate structure in Example 2. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0024] Example 1

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown, a fuel cell membrane electrode transfer device includes a first plate 1 and a second plate 2, both of which are transparent plates. They can be PC plates or acrylic plates, and in this embodiment, PC plates are used.

[0026] The first plate 1 is a perforated plate with a hole spacing of 0.5-1cm, a hole diameter of 0.1-1mm, and a thickness of 1-2mm. In this embodiment, the hole spacing is 0.8cm, the hole diameter is 0.5mm, and the thickness is 1.5mm.

[0027] The second plate 2 is a transparent thick plate with a thickness of 5-50mm, and in this embodiment, the thickness is 10mm. The second plate 2 is provided with a vacuum hole 3, which is connected to a vacuum pump. The upper surface of the second plate 2 is provided with a guide groove 22, which is connected to the vacuum hole 3 through a through-hole groove 31.

[0028] The guide channel 22 can be a serpentine channel or a straight channel. The depth of the guide channel 22 can be 0.5-1mm, and the width can be 1mm-5mm. In this embodiment, the guide channel 22 is a straight channel, including a main through-hole channel 221 and branch channels 222 arranged parallel to the main through-hole channel. Each branch channel 222 is connected to the main through-hole channel 221, wherein the main through-hole channel is connected to the through-hole channel 31; the main through-hole channel 221 is perpendicular to the through-hole channel 31, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the vacuum pump extracts air from the guide groove 22 through the through hole groove 31. This design of the guide groove 22 can make the air in the cavity between the first plate 1 and the second plate 2 be discharged evenly, so that the membrane electrode attached to the first plate is subjected to uniform force.

[0029] The upper surface of the second plate 2 is also provided with sealing grooves 21 around its perimeter. The sealing grooves 21 are located around the flow guide grooves 22, and a sealing ring is provided inside the sealing grooves. Fixing bolt holes 4 are machined at the four corners and perimeter of the upper plate 1 and the second plate 2. The tightening of the bolts locks the two plates together with the sealing ring to ensure no leakage under negative pressure. The holes on the first plate 1 are connected to the flow guide grooves 22 on the second plate 2 to ensure that the suction force of the vacuum can be smoothly transmitted to the entire upper plate, i.e., the first plate.

[0030] The second plate 2 is also provided with an air passage, one end of which is communicated with the flow guide groove, and the other end of which is connected with a vacuum degree adjusting valve 23, so as to adjust the vacuum degree between the two plates, and prevent the membrane electrode from being damaged due to too high vacuum degree.

[0031] The membrane electrode to be transferred is placed on the first plate 1, and vacuum is drawn by the vacuum pump, so as to form a certain vacuum degree between the first plate 1 and the second plate 2, and the vacuum degree can be adjusted by the vacuum degree adjusting valve 23, so as to adsorb the membrane electrode on the first plate 1, and transfer to the next process. The second plate 2 has the same area as the first plate 1, and the whole device is fully transparent, so that when the membrane electrode (CCM) is transferred to another jig for frame bonding, the membrane electrode (CCM) can be observed by naked eyes to see whether it is flat and aligned, and the membrane electrode (CCM) can also be observed to see whether the frame bonding position is accurate. After confirming that the position is accurate, the vacuum degree can be released, and the membrane electrode (CCM) is pressed on the jig frame, so as to ensure the flatness of the membrane electrode (CCM) bonded with the frame, and the same method can also be used for carbon diffusion layer bonding.

[0032] Embodiment 2

[0033] As shown in Figure 3 The flow guide groove 22 includes a main flow through hole groove 221, and a branch flow groove 222 which is vertically arranged in parallel with the main flow through hole groove 221, and each branch flow groove is communicated with the main flow through hole groove. The main flow through hole groove is communicated with the through hole groove 31: the main flow through hole groove is parallel with the through hole groove 31, and a plurality of uniform connecting grooves are arranged between the through hole groove and the main flow through hole groove, so as to draw vacuum by the vacuum pump, and apply uniform negative pressure to the membrane electrode on the first plate 1. The rest is the same as Embodiment 1.

[0034] Embodiment 3

[0035] The flow guide groove is a serpentine groove, which is led out from the through hole groove and spirals on the upper surface of the second plate 2. The rest is the same as Embodiment 1.

[0036] It should be noted that in the description of the present application, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "front end", "rear end", "two ends", "one end", "the other end" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

Claims

1. A fuel cell membrane electrode transfer apparatus, characterized by, It comprises a first plate (1) and a second plate (2), the first plate (1) is a transparent porous plate, the second plate (2) is fixedly connected with the first plate (1), and a vacuum hole (3) is arranged on the second plate (2); A flow guide groove (22) is arranged on the upper surface of the second plate (2), the flow guide groove (22) is connected with the vacuum hole (3) through a through hole groove (31), and a sealing groove (21) is arranged around the upper surface of the second plate (2) and is internally provided with a sealing ring; The flow guide groove (22) is a serpentine groove or a straight groove, the depth of the flow guide groove (22) is 0.5-1mm, and the width is 1mm-5mm. The flow guide groove (22) comprises a main flow through hole groove and a branch flow groove which is arranged in parallel with the main flow through hole groove and is perpendicular to the main flow through hole groove, and the main flow through hole groove is connected with the through hole groove (31).

2. A fuel cell membrane electrode transfer device according to claim 1, wherein The distance between the holes on the first plate (1) is 0.5-1cm, and the diameter of the holes is 0.1-1mm.

3. A fuel cell membrane electrode transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The thickness of the first plate (1) is 1-2mm, and the first plate (1) is a PC plate or an acrylic plate.

4. The fuel cell membrane electrode transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein The second plate (2) is a PC plate or an acrylic plate, the thickness of the second plate (2) is 5-50mm, and the area of the second plate (2) is the same as that of the first plate (1).

5. The fuel cell membrane electrode transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein The second plate (2) is further connected with a vacuum degree adjusting valve (23).

6. The fuel cell membrane electrode transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein The holes on the first plate (1) are in communication with the flow guide groove (22) on the second plate (2).

Images