Methods of forming fuel cell layers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10096845-B2
Application number	US-201214359041-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2012
Priority date	Nov 18, 2011
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to electrically conductive paths in planar substrates. Various embodiments provide a method of forming one or more electrically conductive paths in a planar substrate, wherein substantially none of the substrate is removed during formation of the path. In various embodiments, by avoiding the removal of substrate during formation of the electrically conductive path, problems caused by residual substrate material can be advantageously avoided. In various embodiments, the planar substrate with the electrically conductive path can be used to make a planar fuel cell array.

First claim

What is claimed, is:

1. A method for forming an electrically conductive path, comprising:
at least one of obtaining and providing a planar substrate having first and second major faces and a first volume, the substrate comprising at least one ionically conductive region;
forming at least one aperture in the at least one ionically conductive region of the planar substrate, the aperture extending between the first and second faces and defining a punctured planar substrate having a second volume substantially the same as the first volume; and
disposing an electrically conductive material in the aperture of the punctured planar substrate, to give the electrically conductive path extending between the first and second faces;
wherein the electrically conductive path is sealed to the substrate such that the substrate is substantially gas-tight between the first and second faces; and,
wherein the electrically conductive material is a thread which is disposed by a sewing technique, said thread comprising a plurality of fibers;
wherein the disposing by a sewing technique provides a first exposed portion of the thread on the first major face and a second exposed portion of the thread on the second major face; and,
wherein the method further comprises cutting the first and second exposed portions to create a discrete electrically conductive path within each aperture having multiple exposed fiber ends.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aperture is formed without the formation of one or more hanging chads.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises a method of manufacturing an electrochemical cell.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one aperture is formed while removing substantially no material from the planar substrate.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ionically-conductive region is a proton conducting region.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming and the disposing are performed substantially simultaneously.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a piercing element substantially simultaneously performs the forming of the membrane and the disposing of the electrically conductive material.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising pressing the substrate or adding new material to the substrate, sufficient to seal the substrate such that the substrate is substantially gas-tight between the first and second face.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein pressing the substrate includes applying compressive pressure to the first and second face of the substrate at least at the location of the deposited electrically conductive material.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein pressing the substrate seals the electrically conductive path extending between the first and second face from gas pressures up to about 15 psi.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein pressing the substrate comprises rolling the substrate.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein disposing includes at least one of coating, inserting, pressing, and depositing.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive path electrically connects an anode and a cathode of adjacent fuel cells.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive material comprises a catalyst.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive material is selected from a powder, a liquid solution, a thread, a preformed structured element, and a non-porous component.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the conductive material is a thread, wherein after formation of the electrically conductive path extending between the first and second face, wherein at least one section of the thread extending outside the substrate is available for connection to one or more electrodes.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein a preformed structured element comprises the conductive material.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the preformed structured element forms the aperture in the planar substrate.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the preformed structured element comprises a clamp.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the preformed structured element further comprises a sealing member.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein after the disposing, one or more regions of the substrate are selectively treated to increase the ion-conductivity of those regions.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fibers comprise one or more of carbon fiber and metals.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the plurality of fibers comprise carbon fiber.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the plurality of fibers comprise one or more metals.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the one or more metals are noble metals.

26. The method of claim 22 , wherein the plurality of fibers comprise one or more fibers of carbon fiber and one or more fibers of metal.

27. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises one or more of rolling, combing, and pressing the exposed fiber ends to make the exposed fiber ends lay flat on the first and second major faces.

28. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one ionically conductive region of the planar substrate comprises a resin;
the disposing step is performed on the at least one ionically conductive region as a dimensionally stable unhydrolyzed resin precursor;
the method further comprises hydrolyzing the dimensionally stable unhydrolyzed resin precursor to form a hydrolyzed resin after the disposing step is performed.

29. A method for forming an electrically conductive path, comprising:
at least one of obtaining and providing a planar substrate having a first and second major face, the substrate comprising at least one ionically conductive region;
making at least one aperture in the at least one ionically conductive region of the planar substrate, wherein the aperture extends between the first and second faces, wherein substantially none of the planar substrate is removed during aperture formation; and
disposing an electrically conductive material in the aperture to give an electrically conductive path comprising the electrically conductive material, wherein the electrically conductive path extends between the first and second face;
wherein the electrically conductive material is a thread which is disposed by a sewing technique, said thread comprising a plurality of fibers
wherein the electrically conductive path is sealed to the substrate such that the substrate is substantially gas-tight between the first and second face;
wherein the disposing by a sewing technique provides a first exposed portion of the thread on the first major face and a second exposed portion of the thread on the second major face, and
wherein the method further comprises cutting the first and second exposed portions to create a discrete electrically conductive path within each aperture having multiple exposed fiber ends.

30. A method for forming an electrically conductive path, comprising:
at least one of obtaining and providing a planar ion-conducting substrate having first and second major faces and a first volume, the substrate comprising at least one ionically conductive region;
forming at least one aperture in the at least one ionically conductive region of the planar substrate, the aperture extending between the first and second faces and defining a punctured planar substrate having a second volume substantially the same as the f

Assignees

• Intelligent Energy Ltd

Inventors

• Vanderleeden Olen Richard
• Mclean Gerard F
• Schrooten Jeremy
• Lagroix Martin
• Iaconis Jean-Louis
• Stukas Anna

Classifications

• H01M8/0256

  Vias, i.e. connectors passing through the separator material · CPC title

• H01M8/0286 Primary

  Processes for forming seals · CPC title

• H01M8/241

  with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/0271

  Sealing or supporting means around electrodes, matrices or membranes · CPC title

• H01M8/0267

  having heating or cooling means, e.g. heaters or coolant flow channels · CPC title