Method of making fuel cell component using adhesive tape to maintain positioning of loading material particles

Abstract

A method of fabricating a fuel cell component for use with or as part of a fuel cell in a fuel cell stack, the method comprising: providing a fuel cell component, providing a deposition assembly for depositing loading material particles onto the fuel cell component, and actuating the deposition assembly to cause the deposition assembly to deposit said loading material particles onto said fuel cell component.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of fabricating a fuel cell component for use with or as part of a fuel cell in a fuel cell stack, the method comprising:
 providing a fuel cell component;   providing a deposition assembly for depositing loading material particles onto the fuel cell component;   actuating the deposition assembly to cause said deposition assembly to deposit said loading material particles onto said fuel cell component.   
     
     
         2 . The method in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising:
 locating the fuel cell component relative to the deposition mechanism prior to and during actuation of the deposition mechanism.   
     
     
         3 . The method in accordance with  claim 2 , further comprising:
 sensing the locating of said fuel cell component; and   wherein said actuating is responsive to said sensing.   
     
     
         4 . The method in accordance with  claim 3 , further comprising:
 applying a fixing agent relative to the fuel cell component and to the loading material to maintain positioning of the loading material relative to the fuel cell component.   
     
     
         5 . The method in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein:
 said loading material particles comprise catalyst particles.   
     
     
         6 . The method in accordance with  claim 5 , wherein:
 said fixing agent is an adhesive tape.   
     
     
         7 . The method in accordance with  claim 6 , wherein:
 said adhesive tape is a double-sided adhesive tape.   
     
     
         8 . The method in accordance with  claim 7 , further comprising:
 joining another fuel cell component to said fuel cell component via said double-sided adhesive tape.   
     
     
         9 . The method in accordance with  claim 8 , further comprising;
 applying additional double-sided adhesive tape to said fuel cell component and applying double-sided adhesive tape to said another fuel cell component and one or more of additional fuel cell components and joining said fuel cell component, said another fuel cell component and said additional fuel components together via said double-sided adhesive tape.   
     
     
         10 . The method in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein:
 said fuel cell component is an anode current collector, said another component is a separator plate and said additional components are an anode, a cathode current collector and a cathode.   
     
     
         11 . The method in accordance with  claim 9 , further comprising:
 applying heat and pressure to said fuel cell components and said double-sided adhesive tape to facilitate said double-sided adhesive tape holding said fuel cell components together.   
     
     
         12 . The method in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising:
 applying a fixing agent relative to the fuel cell component and to the loading material to maintain positioning of the loading material relative to the fuel cell component.   
     
     
         13 . The method in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein:
 said loading material particle comprise catalyst particles.   
     
     
         14 . The method in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein
 the fuel cell component comprises a plurality of rows, each row including areas for receiving loading material particles; and   the deposition assembly includes a plurality of deposition mechanisms, each deposition mechanism associated with an area of the areas in a row; and   each deposition mechanism is actuated according to a pre-defined deposition pattern   
     
     
         15 . The method in accordance with  claim 14 , wherein:
 the pre-defined deposition pattern is associated with a desired heating profile of the fuel cell stack.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein
 each deposition mechanism includes one of: aligned openings in overlying first and second plates, said first plate overlying said second plate and having openings corresponding to said pre-defined deposition pattern and said second plate having openings corresponding to all the areas of said fuel cell component; and a chamber, a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder or electric actuator with a plunger, and a gate assembly for selectively allowing passage into said chamber.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said fuel cell component is one or more of an anode current collector, a component used in forming the fuel flow field of a fuel cell and a component used in forming the anode flow field of a fuel cell.