초록 ▼

Described herein is a method to fabricate porous thin-film electrodes for fuel cells and fuel cell stacks. Furthermore, the method can be used for all fuel cell electrolyte materials which utilize a continuous electrolyte layer. An electrode layer is deposited on a porous host structure by flowing g

Described herein is a method to fabricate porous thin-film electrodes for fuel cells and fuel cell stacks. Furthermore, the method can be used for all fuel cell electrolyte materials which utilize a continuous electrolyte layer. An electrode layer is deposited on a porous host structure by flowing gas (for example, Argon) from the bottomside of the host structure while simultaneously depositing a conductive material onto the topside of the host structure. By controlling the gas flow rate through the pores, along with the process conditions and deposition rate of the thin-film electrode material, a film of a pre-determined thickness can be formed. Once the porous electrode is formed, a continuous electrolyte thin-film is deposited, followed by a second porous electrode to complete the fuel cell structure.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method comprising the steps of:simultaneously (1) coating a topside of a porous host structure with a plurality of conductive material particles and (2) flowing gas through a bottom side of said porous host structure to form a conductive porous electrode layer on said topside. 2. The method of

1. A method comprising the steps of:simultaneously (1) coating a topside of a porous host structure with a plurality of conductive material particles and (2) flowing gas through a bottom side of said porous host structure to form a conductive porous electrode layer on said topside. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:allowing the conductive material particles to reach a desired thickness,depositing a second plurality of insulating materials that are ion-conducting or proton-conducting to form an electrolyte layer on said porous electrode layer. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of reducing the flow of said gas through said bottom side after said conductive material particles have reached said desired thickness. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of mounting to said bottom side of said host structure a template having a grid of pore sizes larger than the pore sizes of the pores of said host structure. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said porous host structure having pores of average cross-sectional diameter between about .05 μm and about 1 μm as measured by scanning electron microscopy. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said gas is flowed at a predetermined rate in said porous host structure resulting in pores of a predetermined size. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said gas is flowed at a rate between about 0.1 sccm and about 300 sccm. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein said conductive material particles are deposited by vacuum deposition and at a rate from about 0.1 nm/sec to about 50 nm/sec. 9. The method of claim 4, wherein said pores of said template have an average cross-sectional diameter in the range between about 0.1 μm and about 3 μm as measured by scanning electron microscopy.