| US 7,569,616 B2 | ||
| Electrolyte membrane, process for its production and membrane-electrode assembly for polymer electrolyte fuel cells | ||
| Seigo Kotera, Yokohama (Japan); Hirokazu Wakabayashi, Yokohama (Japan); Shinji Kinoshita, Yokohama (Japan); and Hiroshi Shimoda, Yokohama (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Asahi Glass Company, Limited, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Dec. 21, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/312,342. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2004-371367 (JP), filed on Dec. 22, 2004; and application No. 2005-170890 (JP), filed on Jun. 10, 2005. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0159973 A1, Jul. 20, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. B01J 49/00 (2006.01); H01M 8/10 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 521—27 [429/33] | 20 Claims |
| 1. A process for producing an electrolyte membrane,
wherein the electrolyte membrane predominantly comprises an unreinforced outer layer on one or each side of a reinforced inner
layer, wherein the reinforced inner layer comprises an inner ion exchange resin reinforced with a non-woven fabric comprising
a melt moldable fluororesin in the form of a continuous fiber, wherein some intersecting points of the continuous fiber are
fused or bonded, and wherein the unreinforced outer layer comprises an outer ion exchange resin, which may be the same as
or different from the inner ion exchange resin, and
wherein the process comprises:
dispensing the melt moldable fluororesin in a molten state from a spinning nozzle;
stretching and spinning the melt moldable fluororesin dispensed from the spinning nozzle with a gas discharged from a gas
discharge nozzle to obtain a continuous fiber; and
forming the non-woven fabric by fusing or bonding some intersecting points of the continuous fiber.
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