Patent ID: 9397358
Filing Date: 2016-07-19
CPC Classification: H01M,Y02E,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A direct methanol fuel cell comprising a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), wherein the membrane electrode assembly comprises a polymer electrolyte membrane, a fuel electrode and an air electrode, wherein the fuel electrode comprises a catalyst layer, a gas diffusion layer, and a catalyst trapping layer disposed at the opposite surface of the catalyst layer facing the polymer electrolyte membrane for preventing the loss of a catalyst, wherein the catalyst trapping layer is constructed in a thin membrane structure including pores having a size to allow a liquid component to pass therethrough and not to allow the catalyst to pass therethrough, wherein the catalyst trapping layer is formed of a porous membrane, the catalyst trapping layer that being disposed to cover approximately 60 to 80% of the entire area of the catalyst layer about the middle of the catalyst layer is coupled to the catalyst layer and/or the gas diffusion layer with a coupling force by thermal welding, and the porous membrane is a polyolefin-based material, wherein the catalyst trapping layer is constructed in a structure in which a polymer electrolyte is coated on one or both major surfaces of the porous membrane having a plurality of pores, wherein the porous membrane constituting the catalyst trapping layer is constructed in a thin membrane structure having a pore size of 0.01 to 20 μm, a thickness of 1 to 30 μm, and a porosity of 40 to 60%, wherein the polymer electrolyte is one or more selected from a group consisting of perfluorosulfonic acid polymer, doped polybenzimidazole, polyetherketone, and polysulfone, and wherein the air electrode only includes a gas diffusion layer and a catalyst layer.