Patent ID: 7141270

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane, with two opposing membrane surfaces, and a cathode electrode and an anode electrode, each electrode comprising a catalyst layer and a gas distribution layer, and each catalyst layer is interposed between one membrane surface and the gas distribution layer corresponding to the catalyst layer's electrode, and wherein the catalyst layer of the cathode electrode or the catalyst layer of the anode electrode or both comprises at least two sub-layers, the method comprising applying at least one of the sub-layers directly to the membrane surface and the remaining sub-layers to the gas distribution layer corresponding to the sub-layer's electrode before assembly of the membrane electrode assembly, wherein the sub-layer or sub-layers applied directly to the membrane are manufactured from one or more catalyst inks containing mainly organic solvents and the sub-layers applied to the gas distribution layers are manufactured from one or more catalyst inks containing mainly water.