Patent ID: 8338052

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a membrane-electrode assembly, including a method for manufacturing a composite electrolyte membrane, said method for manufacturing a composite electrolyte membrane comprising: a lamination process of obtaining a laminate by laminating and integrating an electrolyte sheet including an electrolyte as an electrolyte layer and a reinforcing sheet including a porous polymer material as a reinforcing layer; a first folding process of folding the laminate obtained by the lamination process, so that one part of a surface of the laminate lies on another part of the surface; an impregnation process of impregnating the electrolyte of the folded laminate into the reinforcing layer; and a hydrolysis process of hydrolyzing the electrolyte impregnated in the laminate; wherein in the first folding process, the laminate is folded so that a part of a surface on the reinforcing layer side in the laminate lies on another part of the surface; in the lamination process, a band-like laminate is formed and an anode catalyst layer and a cathode catalyst layer are disposed so that the anode catalyst layer and the cathode catalyst layer are formed along a transverse direction of the laminate on the surface of the electrolyte layer after the laminate has been formed; in the first folding process, the laminate is folded along a longitudinal direction so that the anode catalyst layer is disposed on one surface of the laminate and the cathode catalyst layer is disposed on the other surface of the laminate; in the lamination process, the anode catalyst layer and the cathode catalyst layer are disposed so that a plurality of the anode catalyst layers and a plurality of the cathode catalyst layers are formed alternately in the longitudinal direction; and said method for manufacturing a membrane-electrode assembly further comprising a second folding process of folding the laminate along the transverse direction so that the anode catalyst layer and the cathode catalyst layer adjacent to the anode catalyst layer in the longitudinal direction face each other after the hydrolysis process.