A Method for Preparing a Membrane to Be Assembled in a Membrane Electrode Assembly and Membrane Electrode Assembly

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This invention describes a method for preparing a polymer membrane for use in membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for fuel cells. The membrane is selectively modified by irradiating specific sections to form areas with proton-conductive properties, while leaving other sections unmodified as insulating and sealing regions. This creates a single membrane that can contain multiple separate fuel cell cells and allows precise property control within the material.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Manufacturing advanced membrane electrode assemblies for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) in vehicles and stationary power applications.
• Producing modular, multi-cell fuel cell stacks with improved sealing and reduced complexity.
• Developing compact, flexible or cylindrical fuel cell modules for portable and micro-scale energy devices.
• Generating membranes with tailored property gradients for improved fuel cell performance and longevity.
• Utilizing metallic bipolar plates in fuel cells by mitigating corrosion with selectively inert membrane regions.

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• Enables creation of multiple distinct fuel cell sections within a single membrane, reducing components and assembly steps.
• Improves mechanical stability and sealing by using unmodified membrane areas as insulating and structural elements.
• Reduces the need for additional sealing materials and enables novel fuel cell geometries (e.g., cylindrical or compact designs).
• Allows tailored proton conductivity, water uptake, and mechanical properties within the same membrane layer, improving fuel cell efficiency and durability.
• Minimizes corrosion of metallic bipolar plates by limiting contact to inert, unmodified membrane regions.
• Provides flexibility in design due to customizable irradiation patterns and multiple modification cycles.

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Patent Abstract

A method for preparing a membrane to be assembled in a membrane electrode assembly is disclosed, comprising the steps of: a) irradiating sections (4) of a polymer film (2) with electromagnetic and/or particle radiation with a predetermined irradiation profile in order to both define irradiated sections (4) and to form reactive centers, i.e. radicals, in said irradiated sections (4) of the membrane; thereby separating the irradiated sections (4) from each other by separation bands (6) of un-irradiated membrane sections; b) exposing the film (2) comprising the irradiated sections (4) to a monomer or a mixture of monomers amenable to radical polymerization in order to achieve the formation of a graft copolymer in said irradiated sections (4). This method and the respective assembly yield a membrane that has, due to the profile of the irradiation, separated regions of distinct and appropriate properties to serve as a fuel cell electrolyte. It is therefore possible to generate within the same membrane layer or membrane film sections which have in its swollen state proton-conductive properties adjacent to the separation band sections which are the remaining original insulating starting material. This allows to generate within a single layer a plurality of separate fuel cells. Furthermore, this method allows to achieve additional property gradients, such as conductivity, water uptake, etc., within the same "activated" section and also over the thickness of the membrane for the purpose of asymmetric grafting.