A fuel cell CCM membrane manufacturing device and manufacturing method

Abstract

The application relates to a kind of production equipment of fuel cell CCM membrane, the equipment includes hot press welding machine, box, the unwinding assembly, film stripping assembly, spraying assembly, drying assembly, deviation rectifying assembly and detection assembly are arranged in the box;The technical scheme ensures that CCM is continuously and efficiently produced, prevents the shrinkage wrinkle problem in the CCM manufacturing process, simultaneously adopts advanced inspection technology to find the quality of membrane in the production process in time, and improves the quality of CCM membrane.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of new energy, specifically to the manufacturing process and equipment used in new energy applications, particularly the manufacturing process and main equipment for CCM membranes in fuel cells, and is especially suitable for preparing catalyst layers on the surface of proton exchange membranes with double-sided protective membranes. Background Technology

[0002] Fuel cell technology is a multidisciplinary technology that directly converts chemical energy into electrical energy, representing the future direction of clean energy development. The membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in a fuel cell is the "chip" of the fuel cell and the most technologically advanced component in the entire system. The MEA, as the fuel cell "chip," consists of a proton exchange membrane, catalyst, and gas diffusion layer (carbon cloth), among other components. The fabrication of the proton exchange membrane (CCM), which incorporates both anode and cathode catalysts, is the key to the entire MEA fabrication process.

[0003] Since the CCM occupies a central and core position in the entire membrane electrode structure, its performance directly determines the efficiency and stability of the fuel cell stack. Currently, the proton exchange membranes used in the fuel cell field are mainly perfluorosulfonic acid membranes. These membranes have good ion conductivity, stable chemical properties, low gas permeability, and a certain degree of mechanical strength. To improve the volumetric power of the fuel cell stack, the thickness of the proton exchange membrane tends to be thinner in order to obtain better electrochemical performance. However, the problem with thinning the thickness is that the mechanical strength is further reduced, which brings new challenges to the fabrication of thin CCMs. During the catalyst layer coating of the proton exchange membrane, the solvent in the catalyst causes the proton exchange membrane to swell and deform, affecting the shape and uniformity of the CCM. This makes it difficult to assemble the subsequent electrodes, such as pressing the gas diffusion layer and attaching the gas sealing layer, significantly reducing the efficiency and yield of the membrane electrode.

[0004] To reduce catalyst deformation during proton exchange membrane (CEM) coating, Chinese patent CN101463487A proposes placing a solid polymer membrane on a vacuum heating plate and using vacuuming to ensure the membrane adheres tightly to the plate surface, preventing deformation of the CEM. This effectively improves the adhesion between the catalyst layer and the membrane while reducing membrane deformation. This method is currently the mainstream technology for single-sheet CEM fabrication, but its long production cycle and low efficiency make it unsuitable for industrial applications. The current mainstream CEM fabrication technology uses a roll-to-roll method, where the rolled CEM is unwound, an anode catalyst is coated on one side, cured, and then a cathode catalyst is coated on the other side. After curing, the membrane is rolled up again, significantly improving production efficiency and quality. Chinese patent CN110265673A proposes a roll-to-roll manufacturing process. In this process, after the proton exchange membrane is unwound by an unwinding mechanism, a first catalyst layer is coated on side A. After coating, it enters a first baking oven. After side A is completed, side B is coated. Because the proton exchange membrane is continuously moving after catalyst coating, a fixed baking oven is difficult to fix the proton exchange membrane, making it difficult to ensure that the proton exchange membrane does not deform during the curing process. Regarding the inspection of CCM membranes, patent CN210347486U proposes an online detection device for membrane electrode defects. This device uses a combination of an image acquisition device and a laser rangefinder. The laser rangefinder is used to measure the position of the membrane electrode along its entire width, while the quality of the membrane surface is detected by an image vision system. Because the membrane and catalyst layer are very thin, the sensitivity of the vision system is affected. Therefore, it can only be used for online detection of membrane electrode defects and cannot meet the requirements for detecting defects in the CCM catalyst layer.

[0005] In summary, my country currently lacks truly continuous roll-to-roll equipment for CCM membrane manufacturing, which hinders the automation level of membrane electrode manufacturing. Therefore, developing continuous roll-to-roll CCM manufacturing equipment to minimize proton exchange membrane deformation during coating and improve CCM membrane quality is of great significance to the development of the entire fuel cell industry. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention addresses the current state of fuel cell CCM membrane manufacturing technology in my country by proposing a continuous and efficient CCM membrane manufacturing method. The core of this technology is to ensure continuous and efficient CCM production while preventing shrinkage and wrinkling during the CCM manufacturing process. At the same time, advanced inspection technology is used to promptly detect membrane quality issues during production, thereby improving the overall quality of the CCM membrane.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows: a fuel cell CCM membrane manufacturing apparatus, the apparatus comprising a hot press welding machine and a housing, the housing being equipped with an unwinding assembly, a membrane peeling and coating assembly, a spraying assembly, a drying assembly, a web guiding assembly, and a detection assembly.

[0008] The unwinding assembly includes a hot press welding machine and an inlet pinch roller, the rotation speed of which determines the production speed.

[0009] The film peeling assembly and film coating assembly include upper and lower protective film peeling rollers and upper and lower protective film coating rollers; the spraying assembly includes an upper narrow slit nozzle and a lower narrow slit nozzle, and the spray volume is controlled by adjusting the width of the narrow slit.

[0010] The drying assembly includes an upper drying roller, an upper hot air nozzle, an upper drying chamber, a lower drying roller, a lower hot air nozzle, and a lower drying chamber. The vacuum inside the drying chamber prevents the film from deforming.

[0011] The correction assembly includes a correction roller, which consists of a flat roller and a convex roller. The convex roller can move back and forth, and the correction device is interlocked with the detection mechanism.

[0012] The detection components include an upper surface detector and a lower surface detector, used to detect the thickness of the catalyst layer on the membrane and the position of the membrane. After the proton exchange membrane roll enters the chamber, it passes sequentially through the inlet pinch roller, upper surface peeling roller, upper narrow slit nozzle, upper drying roller, hot air nozzle, upper drying chamber, detector, lower protective film peeling roller, upper protective film, correction roller, lower narrow slit nozzle, lower drying roller, lower hot air nozzle, lower drying chamber, lower surface detector, lower protective film, and outlet pinch roller to complete the CCM membrane preparation.

[0013] As an improvement of the present invention, the upper / lower drying rollers include a PTFE film, a rigid PTFE frame, a drying roller body, drying roller micropores, an electric heating belt, an electric brush, and a vacuum interface. The outer surface of the drying roller body has drying roller micropores, and the drying roller body has an electric heating belt inside. A rigid PTFE frame is provided on the drying roller body at a position that does not contact the CCM film. A PTFE film is provided on the rigid PTFE frame, and an electric brush and a vacuum interface are provided at the ends of the rigid PTFE frame.

[0014] In this scheme, the unwinding speed V (m / min) is controlled by a pair of inlet pinch rollers. One of the unwinding rollers is fixed, while the other can move up and down. The fixed roller belt is the active roller, driven by a variable frequency motor. The pressure between the rollers is adjusted by cylinders on the pair of rollers. The downward pressure of the rollers is 150-500N. The diameter of the working section of the roller is Φ50mm, and the surface material is polyurethane with a hardness of 80-85A.

[0015] As an improvement of the present invention, the protective film on the upper surface of the proton exchange membrane is achieved by an upper protective film peeling roller 4, which consists of a pair of steel rollers lined with polyurethane. The roller that wraps the protective film is an active roller, and the roller rotates in a fixed-distance mode. The linear speed of its rotation is ensured to be consistent with the moving speed of the membrane by a variable frequency motor.

[0016] As an improvement of the present invention, the upper narrow-slit nozzle is a flat nozzle, the internal pressure of the nozzle is maintained at 0.1-0.3 MPa, the slit width of the nozzle is 0.05-0.1 mm, the nozzle is equipped with an opening and closing device, and the injection volume is adjusted by pressure according to the amount of catalyst on the CCM membrane surface and the production speed requirements. The upper narrow-slit nozzle 5 and the lower narrow-slit nozzle 14 have the same structure.

[0017] As an improvement of the present invention, the upper drying roller is a cylindrical roller with a diameter ΦD = 600-1000 mm. The roller is hollow inside and is heated by electromagnetic heating or electric heating tape. The surface temperature of the roller is maintained at 70-120℃. The surface of the roller has through holes with a diameter of 10-20 μm, and the distance between the holes is no more than 5 mm. The upper drying roller is an active roller, and its rotation speed is controlled by a variable frequency motor. The linear velocity during the rotation process is consistent with the moving speed V of the membrane. The roller is connected to a vacuum system, and the absolute pressure inside the roller is maintained in the range of 2000-5000 Pa.

[0018] As an improvement of this invention, the portion of the drying roller not in contact with the proton exchange membrane is sealed with a PTFE film. The rigid PTFE frame and the outer PTFE film of the air bladder are made of rigid PTFE, while the portion in contact with the roller (the rigid PTFE frame) is made of soft PTFE. Micropores on the roller transmit the suction force of the vacuum system, adsorbing the soft PTFE onto the roller surface, maintaining a seal against the outside environment. The total height of the sealing structure is the same as the roller height, with a pointed structure at the bottom to facilitate the separation of the proton exchange membrane from the vacuum drying roller.

[0019] As an improvement of the present invention, both the upper and lower hot air nozzles are configured as flat nozzles, the length of the nozzle is equal to the width of the drying roller, the blowing speed of the hot air blown out by the nozzle is between 2-5 m / s, and the temperature of the hot air is between 50-80℃.

[0020] As an improvement of the present invention, both the upper and lower drying chambers are set as constant temperature chambers with a temperature of 50-80℃ inside the chambers. The interior of the chambers is heated by electric heating belts, which are located below the guide plates 3-4. A DN50 vent is provided on the top of the chambers and connected to the outside of the chambers. A copper guide plate is provided below the proton exchange membrane, and a temperature-controlled electric heating belt is arranged below the copper guide plate. The total power of the electric heating belts is between 5-10kW.

[0021] As an improvement of this invention, the detection component consists of a set of lasers, namely an upper surface detector and a lower surface detector. The quality and position of the coating film are determined by detecting the thickness and thickness variation of the film after catalyst coating using line laser detection. A schematic diagram of the film quality detection results is shown in Figure 4. Under normal circumstances, the detected catalyst appears as a straight line (or oblique line), and the degree to which the measured data deviates from the straight line indicates the severity of the defect.

[0022] As an improvement of the present invention, the upper protective film and the lower protective film are used to cover the surface of the prepared catalyst layer with a protective film. The coating roller is a passive roller with a certain damping. The roller is driven to rotate by the film. The film is made of PE material and has a thickness of 0.01-0.05mm. The width of the protective film is the same as the width of the proton exchange membrane.

[0023] As an improvement of the present invention, the correction roller 12 device consists of two rollers, one of which is a flat roller and the other is a convex roller. The convex roller can move back and forth, and its moving distance is determined according to the amount of proton exchange membrane offset from the center line detected.

[0024] A method for manufacturing a fuel cell CCM membrane, the specific steps of which are as follows:

[0025] The preparation of a CCM electrode membrane involves using a Nafion proton exchange membrane with double-sided protective films. The catalyst slurry consists of 30% Pt / C and 70% isopropanol. The required catalyst loading is 0.2-0.3 mg / cm³. 2 The preparation speed is 2m / min. The specific implementation scheme using this patented technology is as follows:

[0026] Step 1: After unwinding the rolled proton exchange membrane, manually feed the membrane throughout the system until the CCM membrane is rolled up. Close all manually operated doors on the device to ensure the sealing performance of moving parts. Start the ventilation, detection, and heating systems in the system.

[0027] Step 2: Based on the film-making speed of 1-10m / min and the roller diameter of the pinch roller of 50mm, determine its rotation speed to be 65-750rpm. The servo motor conveys the proton exchange membrane forward at this speed. After the protective film on the upper surface of the membrane is peeled off by the upper surface peeling roller, it enters the spraying area.

[0028] Step 3: Based on the amount of catalyst on the CCM membrane, the stable feeding pressure of the slurry feeding system of the narrow slit nozzle (5) is selected as 0.15MPa when the membrane moving speed is 1-10m / min;

[0029] Step 4: The proton exchange membrane after the catalyst is sprayed enters the upper drying roller for drying. The drying roller is constructed with electromagnetic heating inside. The surface temperature of the roller is 80±5℃, the absolute pressure inside the roller is maintained at 3000-5000Pa, the diameter of the drying roller is 800mm, and the rotation speed of the drying roller is set to 0.8-8rpm.

[0030] Step 5: Two sets of slit-type hot air nozzles are installed on the outside of the drying roller. The blowing speed of the hot air nozzles is between 4m / s and the temperature of the hot air is set to 60℃.

[0031] Step 6: The film after being dried by the drying rollers enters the drying chamber. The drying chamber uses an electric heating belt to heat the guide plate, and the surface temperature of the guide plate is 75℃.

[0032] Step 7: The catalyst-coated membrane is inspected using a detector to measure the catalyst thickness, uniformity, area, and distance from the system center. The control system transmits this information to the alignment roller system. After alignment, the membrane's centerline deviation is kept within 0.2mm.

[0033] Step 8: The coating process parameters and control methods for the lower surface are the same as those for the upper surface. Repeat steps 3-7 until the coating of the lower surface is complete.

[0034] Step 9: The coating device is connected to an exhaust gas treatment system. The absolute pressure inside the device is determined to be 5000Pa based on the amount of solvent volatilized in the catalyst. The exhaust gas extracted by the ventilation system is introduced into the exhaust gas treatment system and discharged after meeting the standards.

[0035] The CCM membrane produced using this process has a smooth surface without wrinkles, and there is no evidence of catalyst peeling or detachment. The average measured catalyst concentration is 0.238 mg / cm³. 2 The positional deviation of the catalyst layers on the upper and lower surfaces is less than 0.2 mm.

[0036] Compared with existing technologies, this invention has the following advantages: 1) For CCM, the absence of wrinkles, uniform catalyst quantity, and absence of defects are important indicators. The CCM fabrication apparatus and method proposed in this patent, by ensuring uniform spraying of the catalyst slurry and curing the sprayed membrane under segmented adsorption conditions, can obtain a uniform and defect-free catalyst layer, while preventing wrinkles. Line laser testing technology can accurately determine the state of the catalyst on the membrane, and by checking the results, correction control can be implemented to ensure that the positional deviation of the catalyst on the upper and lower surfaces is less than 0.5mm. This apparatus uses PLC control, which can automatically set the operating status of each moving part in the system according to the requirements of CCM. The system can achieve fully automated operation and realize continuous roll-to-roll CCM production.

[0037] 2) The entire spraying, drying, and testing system is integrated in a sealed box. Several operating ports are opened at the locations in the sealed box where manual intervention is required. During normal production, the operating ports are closed. The sealed box is equipped with an exhaust vent. During normal production, the inside of the box is under negative pressure, and the absolute pressure inside the box is maintained between 5000-8000Pa.

[0038] 3) The negative pressure inside the chamber is achieved through a suction system using a variable frequency motor to maintain a constant pressure inside the chamber. The exhaust gas extracted by the suction system is introduced into the tail gas treatment system, and the tail gas is discharged after treatment to meet the standards. In this system, parameters such as temperature, speed, and rotation speed are automatically controlled by a PLC according to the production speed, realizing fully automatic operation. All production data is stored in the computer, and the nature, size, and location of defects on the produced CCM membrane are also stored in the computer. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the manufacturing process of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 2-1 , Figure 2-2 This is a schematic diagram of the drying roller structure;

[0041] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the box structure;

[0042] Figure 4-1 , Figure 4-2 This is a schematic diagram of laser detection.

[0043] In the diagram: 1. Proton exchange membrane roll; 2. Hot press welding machine; 3. Inlet pinch roller; 4. Upper protective film peeling roller; 5. Upper narrow slit nozzle; 6. Upper drying roller; 7. Upper hot air nozzle; 8. Upper drying chamber; 9. Upper surface inspection instrument; 10. Lower protective film peeling roller; 11. Upper protective film; 12. Correcting roller; 13. Tension roller; 14. Lower narrow slit nozzle; 15. Lower drying roller; 16. Lower hot air nozzle; 17. Lower drying chamber. 18. Lower surface inspector; 19. Lower protective film; 20. Outlet pinch roller; 21. Outlet scissors; 22. CCM roll; 23. Box; 24. Exhaust port; 2-1. PTFE film; 2-2. Hard PTFE frame; 2-3. Cylinder; 2-4. Drying roller micropores; 2-5. Electric heating belt; 2-6. Electric brush; 2-7. Vacuum interface; 3-1. Box; 3-2. Proton exchange membrane; 3-3. Breathing port; 3-4. Copper guide plate; 3-5. Electric heating belt; 41. Laser; 42. Laser line; 43. Catalyst layer. Detailed Implementation

[0044] To enhance understanding of the present invention, the embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] Example 1: See Figure 1A fabrication apparatus for a fuel cell CCM membrane, the apparatus comprising a hot press welding machine 2 and a housing 23, the housing being equipped with an unwinding assembly, a membrane peeling assembly, a spraying assembly, a drying assembly, a web guiding assembly, and a testing assembly.

[0046] The unwinding assembly includes an inlet pinch roller 3.

[0047] The film peeling assembly includes an upper protective film peeling roller 4 and a lower protective film peeling roller 10;

[0048] The spraying assembly includes an upper slit nozzle 5 and a lower slit nozzle 14;

[0049] The drying assembly includes an upper drying roller 6, an upper hot air nozzle 7, an upper drying chamber 8, a lower drying roller 15, a lower hot air nozzle 16, and a lower drying chamber 17;

[0050] The correction assembly includes a correction roller 12.

[0051] The detection assembly includes an upper surface detector 9 and a lower surface detector 18;

[0052] After the proton exchange membrane roll (1) enters the chamber 23, it passes through the inlet pinch roller (3), the upper surface peeling roller (4), the upper narrow slit nozzle (5), the upper drying roller (6), the hot air nozzle (7), the upper drying chamber (8), the detector (9), the lower protective film peeling roller (10), the upper protective film (11), the correction roller (12), the lower narrow slit nozzle (14), the lower drying roller (15), the lower hot air nozzle (16), the lower drying chamber (17), the lower surface detector (18), the lower protective film 19, and the outlet pinch roller 20 in sequence to complete the CCM membrane preparation.

[0053] The upper / lower drying rollers include a PTFE film 2-1, a rigid PTFE frame 2-2, a drying roller body 2-3, drying roller micropores 2-4, an electric heating belt 2-5, an electric brush 2-6, and a vacuum interface 2-7. The drying roller micropores 2-4 are opened on the outer surface of the drying roller body 2-3. The electric heating belt 2-5 is located inside the drying roller body 2-3. The rigid PTFE frame 2-2 is set on the drying roller body 2-3 at a position that does not contact the CCM film. The PTFE film 2-1 is set on the rigid PTFE frame 2-2. The electric brush 2-6 and the vacuum interface 2-7 are set at the ends of the rigid PTFE frame 2-2.

[0054] In this scheme, the unwinding speed is controlled by a pair of inlet pinch rollers 3, with one of the unwinding rollers being fixed and the other being movable up and down. The fixed roller is the active roller, driven by a variable frequency motor. The pressure between the rollers is adjusted by cylinders on the pair of rollers. The downward pressure of the rollers is 150-500N. The diameter of the working section of the roller is Φ50mm, and the surface material is polyurethane with a hardness of 80-85A.

[0055] The protective film on the upper surface of the proton exchange membrane is achieved by the upper protective film peeling roller 4, which consists of a pair of steel rollers lined with polyurethane. The roller that wraps the protective film is the active roller, and the roller rotates in a fixed-distance mode. The linear speed of its rotation is kept consistent with the moving speed of the membrane by a variable frequency motor.

[0056] The upper narrow-slit nozzle is a flat nozzle with an internal pressure maintained at 0.1-0.3 MPa. The nozzle slit width is 0.05-0.1 mm. The nozzle is equipped with an opening and closing device, and the injection volume is adjusted by pressure according to the amount of catalyst on the CCM membrane surface and the production speed requirements. The upper narrow-slit nozzle 5 and the lower narrow-slit nozzle 14 have the same structure.

[0057] The upper drying roller is a cylindrical roller with a diameter ΦD = 600-1000mm. The roller is hollow inside and is heated internally by electromagnetic heating or electric heating tape. The surface temperature of the roller is maintained at 70-120℃. The surface of the roller has through holes with a diameter of 10-20μm, and the distance between the holes is no more than 5mm. The upper drying roller is an active roller, and its speed is controlled by a variable frequency motor. The linear velocity during the rotation is consistent with the moving speed V of the membrane. The roller is connected to a vacuum system, and the absolute pressure inside the roller is maintained in the range of 2000-5000Pa.

[0058] The portion of the drying roller not in contact with the proton exchange membrane is sealed with a PTFE film 2-1. The rigid PTFE frame 2-2 and the outer PTFE film 2-1 (the part in contact with the roller) are made of rigid PTFE, while the rigid PTFE frame 2-2 (the part in contact with the roller) is made of soft PTFE. Micropores on the roller transmit the vacuum system's adsorption force, adsorbing the soft PTFE onto the roller surface, maintaining a seal against the outside environment. The total height of the sealing structure is the same as the roller height, with a pointed structure at the bottom to facilitate the separation of the proton exchange membrane from the vacuum drying roller.

[0059] Both the upper and lower hot air nozzles are set as flat nozzles. The length of the nozzle is equal to the width of the drying roller. The blowing speed of the hot air from the nozzle is between 2-5 m / s, and the temperature of the hot air is between 50-80℃.

[0060] Both the upper and lower drying ovens are set as constant temperature chambers, with the temperature inside chamber 3-1 maintained at 50-80℃. The interior of the chamber is heated by electric heating elements 3-5, located below the baffle plate 3-4. A DN50 vent 3-3 is located at the top of the chamber, connected to the exterior. A copper baffle plate is located below the proton exchange membrane, and below that, a temperature-controlled electric heating element is arranged. The total power of the electric heating element is between 5-10kW. (See...) Figure 3 )

[0061] The detection assembly consists of a set of lasers, namely the upper surface detector 9 and the lower surface detector 18. Line laser detection measures the thickness of the catalyst-coated film and its thickness variation to determine the quality and location of the coating. A schematic diagram of the film quality detection results is shown in Figure 4. Under normal circumstances, the detected catalyst appears as a straight line (or diagonal line), and the degree to which the measured data deviates from the straight line indicates the severity of the defect.

[0062] The upper protective film (11) and the lower protective film (19) are used to cover the surface of the prepared catalyst layer with a protective film. The coating roller is a passive roller with a certain damping. The roller is driven to rotate by the film. The film is made of PE material and has a thickness of 0.01-0.05 mm. The width of the protective film is consistent with the width of the proton exchange membrane.

[0063] The alignment roller 12 device consists of two rollers, one of which is a flat roller and the other is a convex roller. The convex roller can move back and forth, and its movement distance is determined according to the amount of proton exchange membrane offset from the center line detected by the detector.

[0064] See Figure 1 After the proton exchange membrane roll 1 is unwound, it can be fused and welded with the preceding and following membranes using a thermal fusion machine 2 as needed. The membrane enters the sealed CCM fabrication chamber 23. The membrane is first conveyed forward at a certain speed n (m / min) by a pinch roller 3 with controlled rotation speed. The protective film on the upper surface of the membrane is peeled off by the upper surface peeling roller 4. The anode catalyst slurry is evenly sprayed onto the surface of the membrane at a certain flow rate through the upper narrow-slit nozzle 5 according to the required membrane movement speed and catalyst layer thickness. The slit width of the narrow-slit nozzle remains constant, and the thickness requirement of the catalyst layer is met by changing the spraying pressure of the spraying system. The membrane sprayed with catalyst quickly enters the upper drying roller 6, which has a large number of micropores on its surface, for drying. The structure of the drying roller is shown in Figure 2. It has an internal heating device to maintain a surface temperature of 70-120℃, and the absolute pressure inside the roller is maintained between 2000-5000Pa. This vacuum level tightly adsorbs the membrane onto the surface of the roller through the micropores, preventing the membrane from shrinking and deforming during the catalyst curing process. The drying roller is an active roller, and its rotation speed is matched with the rotation speed of the inlet pinch roller. To accelerate the drying of the catalyst on the membrane, hot air nozzles 7 are installed on the outer edge of the roller, with a blowing speed between 2-5 m / s. To improve the drying effect, a drying chamber 8 is installed at the roller outlet, with a temperature of 50-80℃ inside. The guide plate is heated by an electric heating belt. Its structure is as follows. Figure 3As shown. After drying, the membrane coated with the anode catalyst is inspected by the upper surface detector 9 to detect the thickness, uniformity, area, and position of the membrane from the center of the system. The control system transmits this position to the correction roller 12, which corrects the position of the membrane. Before correction, the lower surface protective film is peeled off by the lower protective film peeling roller 10, and at the same time, a protective film is applied to the surface of the anode catalyst by the upper protective film 11. Afterward, the membrane enters the nozzle (14) of the lower surface cathode catalyst slurry, is dried by the lower drying roller (15), the lower hot air nozzle (16), and the lower drying box (17), and is then covered with the upper and lower protective films (19) by the lower surface detector (18) and wound up to obtain the CCM membrane roll (22). The entire spraying, drying, and testing system is integrated into a sealed box (23). The sealed box has an exhaust port (24) connected to the exhaust gas treatment system. The exhaust system has frequency conversion speed regulation to maintain the absolute pressure inside the box between 5000-8000Pa. The extracted exhaust gas is introduced into the exhaust gas treatment system and discharged after meeting the standards.

[0065] Example 2: A method for fabricating a fuel cell CCM membrane, the specific steps of which are as follows:

[0066] The preparation of a CCM electrode membrane involves using a Nafion proton exchange membrane with double-sided protective films. The catalyst slurry consists of 30% Pt / C and 70% isopropanol. The required catalyst loading is 0.2-0.3 mg / cm³. 2 The preparation speed is 2m / min. The specific implementation scheme using this patented technology is as follows:

[0067] Step 1: After unwinding the rolled proton exchange membrane, manually feed the membrane throughout the system until the CCM membrane is rolled up. Close all manually operated doors on the device to ensure the sealing performance of moving parts. Start the ventilation, detection, and heating systems in the system.

[0068] Step 2: Based on the film-making speed of 1-10m / min, the roller diameter of the pinch roller (3) is 50mm, and its rotation speed is determined to be 65-750rpm. The servo motor conveys the proton exchange membrane forward at this speed. After the protective film on the upper surface of the membrane is peeled off by the upper surface peeling roller (4), it enters the spraying area.

[0069] Step 3: Based on the amount of catalyst on the CCM membrane, the stable feeding pressure of the slurry feeding system of the narrow slit nozzle (5) is selected as 0.15MPa when the membrane moving speed is 1-10m / min;

[0070] Step 4: The proton exchange membrane after the catalyst is sprayed enters the upper drying roller (6) for drying. The structure of the drying roller is as follows: the drying roller is heated by electromagnetic heating. The surface temperature of the roller is 80±5℃. The absolute pressure inside the roller is maintained at 3000-5000Pa. The diameter of the drying roller is 800mm. The rotation speed of the drying roller is set to 0.8-8rpm.

[0071] Step 5: Two sets of slit-type hot air nozzles are installed on the outside of the drying roller. The blowing speed of the hot air nozzles is between 4m / s and the temperature of the hot air is set to 60℃.

[0072] Step 6: The film after being dried by the drying rollers enters the drying chamber. The drying chamber uses an electric heating belt to heat the guide plate, and the surface temperature of the guide plate is 75℃.

[0073] Step 7: The catalyst-coated membrane is inspected using a detector to measure the catalyst thickness, uniformity, area, and distance from the system center. The control system transmits this information to the alignment roller system. After alignment, the membrane's centerline deviation is kept within 0.2mm.

[0074] Step 8: The coating process parameters and control methods for the lower surface are the same as those for the upper surface. Repeat steps 3-7 until the coating of the lower surface is complete.

[0075] Step 9: The coating device is connected to an exhaust gas treatment system. The absolute pressure inside the device is determined to be 5000Pa based on the amount of solvent volatilized in the catalyst. The exhaust gas extracted by the ventilation system is introduced into the exhaust gas treatment system and discharged after meeting the standards.

[0076] The CCM membrane produced using this process has a smooth surface without wrinkles, and there is no evidence of catalyst peeling or detachment. The average measured catalyst concentration is 0.238 mg / cm³. 2 The positional deviation of the catalyst layers on the upper and lower surfaces is less than 0.2 mm.

[0077] Example 3:

[0078] The preparation of a certain CCM electrode membrane involves using a Nafion proton exchange membrane with double-sided protective films. The catalyst slurry consists of 40% Pt / C and 60% propanol. The required catalyst loading is 0.4-0.5 mg / cm³. 2 The preparation speed is 2m / min. The specific implementation scheme using this patented technology is as follows:

[0079] After unwinding the roll of proton exchange membrane, the proton exchange membrane is manually fed into the system until the CCM membrane is rolled up. Then, all manually operated doors on the device are closed to ensure the sealing performance of the moving parts of the system. Finally, the ventilation, detection and heating systems in the system are started.

[0080] 2. Based on the film-making speed of 2m / min, the diameter of the pinch roller (3) is 50mm, and its rotation speed is determined to be 125rpm. The servo motor conveys the proton exchange membrane forward at this speed. After the protective film on the upper surface of the membrane is peeled off by the upper surface peeling roller (4), it enters the spraying area.

[0081] 3. Based on the amount of catalyst on the CCM membrane, with a membrane moving speed of 2 m / min, the stable feeding pressure of the slurry feeding system of the narrow slit nozzle (5) is selected as 0.25 MPa.

[0082] 4. The proton exchange membrane after the catalyst is sprayed enters the upper drying roller (6) for drying. The structure of the drying roller is as follows: the drying roller is heated by electromagnetic heating. The surface temperature of the roller is 95±5℃. The absolute pressure inside the roller is maintained at 3000Pa. The diameter of the drying roller is 800mm. The rotation speed of the drying roller is set to 1.59rpm.

[0083] Two sets of slit-type hot air nozzles are installed on the outside of the drying roller. The blowing speed of the hot air nozzles is between 4m / s and the temperature of the hot air is set to 60℃.

[0084] 6. The film after being dried by the drying roller enters the drying chamber. The drying chamber uses an electric heating belt to heat the guide plate, and the surface temperature of the guide plate is 75℃.

[0085] 7. The thickness, uniformity, area, and distance of the catalyst from the system center of the membrane coated with the catalyst are detected by a detector. The control system transmits this position to the correction roller system. After the membrane is corrected by the correction roller, the deviation from the center line is within 0.2mm.

[0086] 8. The coating process parameters and control methods for the lower surface are the same as those for the upper surface.

[0087] 9. This coating device is connected to an exhaust gas treatment system. The absolute pressure inside the device is determined to be 5000Pa based on the amount of solvent volatilized in the catalyst. The exhaust gas extracted by the ventilation system is introduced into the exhaust gas treatment system and discharged after meeting the standards.

[0088] The CCM membrane produced using this process has a smooth surface without wrinkles, and there is no evidence of catalyst peeling or detachment. The average measured catalyst concentration is 0.413 mg / cm³. 2 The positional deviation of the catalyst layers on the upper and lower surfaces is less than 0.2 mm.

[0089] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Equivalent transformations or substitutions made based on the above technical solutions all fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for manufacturing a fuel cell CCM membrane, characterized in that, The equipment includes a hot press welding machine (2) and a housing (23). The housing is equipped with an unwinding assembly, a film peeling assembly, a spraying assembly, a drying assembly, a web-correcting assembly, and a detection assembly. The unwinding assembly includes an inlet pinch roller (3). The film peeling assembly includes an upper protective film peeling roller (4) and a lower protective film peeling roller (10). The spraying assembly includes an upper slit nozzle (5) and a lower slit nozzle (14); The drying assembly includes an upper drying roller (6), an upper hot air nozzle (7), an upper drying chamber (8), a lower drying roller (15), a lower hot air nozzle (16), and a lower drying chamber (17). The correction assembly includes a correction roller (12). The detection components include an upper surface detector (9) and a lower surface detector (18). After the proton exchange membrane roll (1) enters the box (23), it passes through the inlet pinch roller (3), the upper protective film peeling roller (4), the upper narrow slit nozzle (5), the upper drying roller (6), the upper hot air nozzle (7), the upper drying box (8), the upper surface detector (9), the lower protective film peeling roller (10), the upper protective film (11), the correction roller (12), the lower narrow slit nozzle (14), the lower drying roller (15), the lower hot air nozzle (16), the lower drying box (17), the lower surface detector (18), the lower protective film (19), and the outlet pinch roller (20) in sequence to complete the CCM membrane preparation. The upper / lower drying rollers include a PTFE film (2-1), a rigid PTFE frame (2-2), a drying roller body (2-3), drying roller micropores (2-4), an electric heating belt (2-5), an electric brush (2-6), and a vacuum interface (2-7). The drying roller body (2-3) has drying roller micropores (2-4) on its outer surface and an electric heating belt (2-5) inside. A rigid PTFE frame (2-2) is provided on the drying roller body (2-3) at a position that does not contact the CCM film. A PTFE film (2-1) is provided on the rigid PTFE frame (2-2). An electric brush (2-6) and a vacuum interface (2-7) are provided at the ends of the rigid PTFE frame (2-2). The upper narrow-slit nozzle is a flat nozzle. The pressure inside the nozzle is maintained at 0.1-0.3 MPa, and the slit width of the nozzle is 0.05-0.1 mm. The nozzle is equipped with an opening and closing device. The spray volume is adjusted by pressure according to the amount of catalyst on the CCM membrane surface and the production speed requirements. The upper narrow-slit nozzle (5) and the lower narrow-slit nozzle (14) have the same structure. The correction roller (12) consists of two rollers, one of which is a flat roller and the other is a convex roller. The convex roller can move back and forth, and its movement distance is determined according to the amount of proton exchange membrane offset from the center line measured by detection.

2. The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell CCM membrane according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protective film on the upper surface of the proton exchange membrane is achieved by the upper protective film peeling roller (4). The upper protective film peeling roller consists of a pair of steel rollers lined with polyurethane. The roller that wraps the protective film is the active roller. The roller rotates in a fixed-distance mode. The variable frequency motor ensures that its rotational linear speed is consistent with the moving speed of the membrane.

3. The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell CCM membrane according to claim 2, characterized in that, The upper drying roller is a cylindrical roller with a diameter ΦD = 600-1000 mm. The roller is hollow inside and is heated internally by electromagnetic heating or electric heating tape. The surface temperature of the roller is maintained at 70-120℃. The surface of the roller has through holes with a diameter of 10-20 μm, and the distance between the holes is no more than 5 mm. The upper drying roller is an active roller, and its speed is controlled by a variable frequency motor. The linear velocity during the rotation is consistent with the moving speed V of the membrane. The roller is connected to a vacuum system, and the absolute pressure inside the roller is maintained in the range of 2000-5000 Pa.

4. The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell CCM membrane according to claim 3, characterized in that, The part of the drying roller that does not contact the proton exchange membrane is sealed with a PTFE film (2-10). The rigid PTFE frame (2-2) and the outer PTFE film (2-1) of the air bag are made of rigid PTFE, while the part in contact with the roller, i.e. the rigid PTFE frame (2-2), is made of soft PTFE. The micropores on the roller transmit the adsorption force of the vacuum system to adsorb the soft PTFE onto the roller surface, keeping it sealed from the outside.

5. The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell CCM membrane according to claim 4, characterized in that, Both the upper and lower hot air nozzles are set as flat nozzles. The length of the nozzle is equal to the width of the drying roller. The blowing speed of the hot air from the nozzle is between 2-5 m / s, and the temperature of the hot air is between 50-80℃.

6. The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell CCM membrane according to claim 5, characterized in that, Both the upper and lower drying chambers are set as constant temperature chambers. The temperature inside the chamber (3-1) is 50-80℃. The interior of the chamber is heated by an electric heating belt (3-5). The heating belt is located below the baffle plate (3-4). A DN50 vent (3-3) is set on the top of the chamber and connected to the outside of the chamber. A copper baffle plate is set below the proton exchange membrane. A temperature-controlled electric heating belt is arranged below the copper baffle plate. The total power of the electric heating belt is between 5-10kW.

7. The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell CCM membrane according to claim 6, characterized in that, The detection assembly consists of a set of lasers, namely an upper surface detector (9) and a lower surface detector (18); the quality and position of the coating film are determined by detecting the thickness of the film after the catalyst is coated and the thickness change law through line laser detection.

8. The apparatus for manufacturing a fuel cell CCM membrane according to claim 7, characterized in that, The upper protective film (11) and the lower protective film (19) are used to cover the surface of the prepared catalyst layer with a protective film. The coating roller is a passive roller with a certain damping. The roller is driven to rotate by the film. The film is made of PE material and has a thickness of 0.01-0.05mm. The width of the protective film is consistent with the width of the proton exchange membrane.

9. A method for manufacturing a CCM membrane for a fuel cell, characterized in that, Using the equipment for manufacturing fuel cell CCM membranes according to any one of claims 1-8, the specific steps are as follows: Step 1: After unwinding the rolled proton exchange membrane, manually feed the membrane throughout the system until the CCM membrane is rolled up. Close all manually operated doors on the device to ensure the sealing performance of moving parts. Start the ventilation, detection, and heating systems in the system. Step 2: Based on the film-making speed of 1-10m / min, the diameter of the pinch roller (3) is 50mm, and its rotation speed is determined to be 65-750rpm. The servo motor conveys the proton exchange membrane forward at this speed. After the protective film on the upper surface of the membrane is peeled off by the upper surface peeling roller (4), it enters the spraying area. Step 3: Based on the amount of catalyst on the CCM membrane, the stable feeding pressure of the slurry feeding system of the narrow slit nozzle (5) is selected as 0.15 MPa when the membrane moving speed is 1-10 m / min; Step 4: The proton exchange membrane after the catalyst is sprayed enters the upper drying roller (6) for drying. The structure of the drying roller is as follows: the drying roller is heated by electromagnetic heating. The surface temperature of the roller is 80±5℃. The absolute pressure inside the roller is maintained at 3000-5000Pa. The diameter of the drying roller is 800mm. The rotation speed of the drying roller is set to 0.8-8rpm. Step 5: Two sets of slit-type hot air nozzles are installed on the outside of the drying roller. The blowing speed of the hot air nozzles is between 4m / s and the temperature of the hot air is set to 60℃. Step 6: The film after being dried by the drying rollers enters the drying chamber. The drying chamber uses an electric heating belt to heat the guide plate, and the surface temperature of the guide plate is 75℃. Step 7: The catalyst-coated membrane is inspected using a detector to measure the catalyst thickness, uniformity, area, and distance from the system center. The control system transmits this information to the alignment roller system. After alignment, the membrane's centerline deviation is kept within 0.2mm. Step 8: The coating process parameters and control methods for the lower surface are the same as those for the upper surface. Repeat steps 3-7 until the coating of the lower surface is complete. Step 9: The coating device is connected to an exhaust gas treatment system. The absolute pressure inside the device is determined to be 5000Pa based on the amount of solvent volatilized in the catalyst. The exhaust gas extracted by the ventilation system is introduced into the exhaust gas treatment system and discharged after meeting the standards.

Images