Slide coating is a precision method suitable for depositing multiple liquid-film layers simultaneously. Originally developed in the photographic film industry, it has been deployed for manufacturing of other products that benefit from multilayer coatings. One emerging application is the manufacture of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), which are used to produce electricity through electrochemical reactions of hydrogen and oxygen gas. The membrane-electrode assembly (MEA), in which key electrochemical reactions occur, consists of three layers that are typically deposited separately in serial fashion and then laminated together to form the three-layer MEA, i.e., three sequential steps of coat and dry. Adapting the process to simultaneous, multilayer slide coating of all three layers will save equipment cost and space while minimizing possible exposure to contaminants during transition between the steps. We are developing a three-layer slide coating model to aid the manufacturing process design of PEMFC. The model accounts for rheology of each layer, which typically exhibit shear thinning behavior. Model predictions are used to investigate simultaneous coatability of catalyst inks and to determine the best layer-by-layer ink selection.

滑动涂层是一种适用于同时沉积多个液膜层的精密方法。它最初是在摄影胶片行业开发的，现已用于制造其他受益于多层涂层的产品。一种新兴应用是聚合物电解质膜燃料电池 (PEMFC) 的制造，该电池用于通过氢气和氧气的电化学反应发电。发生关键电化学反应的膜电极组件 (MEA) 由三层组成，这些层通常以连续方式单独沉积，然后层压在一起形成三层 MEA，即三个连续的涂覆和干燥步骤。使过程适应同时，所有三层的多层滑动涂层将节省设备成本和空间，同时最大限度地减少步骤之间过渡期间可能接触到的污染物。我们正在开发一种三层滑动涂层模型，以帮助 PEMFC 的制造工艺设计。该模型考虑了每层的流变学，通常表现出剪切稀化行为。模型预测用于研究催化剂油墨的同时涂布性并确定最佳的逐层油墨选择。