Lilliputian Systems, Inc.

Robert Boschgmbh

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Other

Aclara Biosciences, Inc.

Samuel Benjamin Schaevitz

Aleksander Franz

Roger W Barton

Alan Ludwiszewski

Zachary Byars

Klavs F Jensen

Martin Arnold Schmidt

John Allen Rule

Leonel R Arana

Michael C Bradford

Torleif Ove Bjornson

Travis Boone

Armin B Kusig

Vladimir Petrovsky

Mohammad Masyood Akhtar

Ramanan Ganeshananthan

Joseph C Tucker

Atul Verma

An iterative process of depositing on a solid electrolyte a coating of unconnected particles composed of an ionically conductive material. A liquid solution is also applied. The liquid solution includes an inorganic component. The deposited liquid is heated to a temperature sufficient to evaporate or otherwise remove some or all of the volatile components of the liquid solution. Typically the temperature is below 1000&#xb0; and often at about 850&#xb0; C. The effect of heating the solution is to cause ion conducting material in the solution to adhere to the surface of the existing ion conducting particles and form connections between these particles. This is understood to create an ion conducting skeletal support structure. Within the intrestices of this skeletal support structure, the step of heating is also understood to result in the deposition of the inorganic component that will begin to form a electron conducting structure. The process of applying the liquid solution and heating may be repeated until a sufficiently thick layer of material is laid over the solid electrolyte to provide the composite electrode structure desired.

Chemically sintered composite electrodes and manufacturing processes

A method of bonding a first substrate to a second substrate includes providing a glass, applying the glass in a layer between the first and second substrates to form an assembly, and heating the assembly to a bonding temperature above a glass transition temperature of the devitrifying glass, selected to cause the glass to bond the first substrate to the second substrate. The devitrifying glass has constituents that include various amounts of group A in a molar concentration of 70-95%, group B in a molar concentration of 5-20%, group C in a molar concentration of 1-20%, group D in a molar concentration of 0-6%; and group E in a molar concentration of 0-10%. The group A, B, C, D and E groups are disclosed herein.

High temperature substrate attachment glass

A fuel cell system having an air quality sensor suite includes a fuel cell having an anode and a cathode, a fuel source providing a fuel flow, a fuel flow rate sensor having a fuel flow rate sensor output, a fuel flow control device, a fuel oxidizer flow conduit, a first mixing region coupled to the fuel source and the fuel oxidizer flow conduit, an anode chamber coupled to the anode, a combustion oxidizer flow conduit, a second mixing region coupled to the combustion oxidizer flow conduit, and at least one oxidizer flow rate sensor having an oxidizer flow rate sensor output. The system further includes at least one oxidizer pump, an air quality sensor having an air quality sensor output, and a control system coupled to the fuel flow rate sensor output, the oxidizer flow rate sensor output, and the air quality sensor output.

Fuel cell system having an air quality sensor suite

Fuel cells having an efficient means of thermal insulation such that all of the components requiring high temperature operation are contained within a single housing and whereby such thermal insulation is disposed exterior to such housing.

Fuel cell apparatus and methods

A structure including a support defining an opening, and a tensilely stressed thin-film membrane disposed to occlude the opening, the membrane contacting at least a portion of the support. The stressed membrane includes a material having a characteristic crack spacing greater than one-half of a minimum dimension of the membrane and less than ten times the minimum dimension. A structure including a support defining a opening having a minimum opening dimension, and a compressively stressed thin-film membrane disposed to occlude the opening, the membrane contacting at least a portion of the support. The stressed membrane includes a membrane material having a critical aspect ratio for buckling that is greater than a ratio of one-half of the minimum opening dimension to a thickness of the membrane, and the critical aspect ratio for buckling is less than a ratio of ten times the minimum opening dimension to the thickness of the membrane.

Stressed thin-film membrane islands

The invention relates to a fuel cell apparatus that includes a housing. The housing defines a substantially isothermal zone which integrates a fuel cell and a tail gas burner with the isothermal zone. The fuel cell and the tail gas burner are in thermal communication and share a common wall. In one embodiment, the housing further integrates a fuel reformer, where the fuel reformer is in thermal communication with the fuel cell. In one embodiment, the fuel cell and the tail gas burner can be arranged to produce a power density greater than or equal to about 2 W/cc. The fuel cell preferably is a solid oxide fuel cell.

Fuel cell apparatus having a small package size

Presented herein is a fuel cell assembly, including a reformer housing, a reformer region within the reformer housing for producing hydrogen, a vacuum housing for containing the reformer housing, a low-pressure insulating region between the reformer housing and the vacuum housing for providing thermal insulation, radiation shields disposed about the reformer region for providing radiation insulation, and at least one proton-exchange-membrane fuel cell in fluid communication with the reformer region. The vacuum housing may define a volume of less than about 30 cubic centimeters. The fuel cell assembly may produce less than about 100 watts of power. Also disclosed are related methods for reforming fuel.

Systems and methods for processing fuel for fuel cells

The invention, in various embodiments, provides planar fuel cell stack of a plurality of fuel cells, comprising an anode layer including a first anode and a second anode, an electrolyte layer, a cathode layer including a first cathode and a second cathode, and at least one interconnect at least partially disposed within the electrolyte layer, and electrically and mechanically coupling the first anode and the second cathode. In various embodiments, structural supports are provided, the fuel cells are sized to be portable, and are manufactured to produce desired power densities and/or voltages.

Systems and methods for stacking fuel cells

A micromachined device for efficient thermal processing at least one fluid stream includes at least one fluid conducting tube having at least a region with wall thickness of less than 50 &#x3bc;m. The device optionally includes one or more thermally conductive structures in thermal communication with first and second thermally insulating portions of the fluid conducting tube. The device also may include a thermally conductive region, and at least a portion of the fluid conducting tube is disposed within the region. A plurality of structures may be provided projecting from a wall of the fluid conducting tube into an inner volume of the tube. The structures enhance thermal conduction between a fluid within the tube and a wall of the tube. A method for fabricating, from a substrate, a micromachined device for processing a fluid stream allows the selective removal of portions of the substrate to provide desired structures integrated within the device. As an example, the micromachined device may be adapted to efficiently react fluid reactants to produce fuel for a fuel cell associated with the device, resulting in a system capable of conversion of chemical to electrical energy.

Thermally efficient micromachined device

Improved sealing for microstructures in microfluidic devices having a plurality of units is provided by providing collars surrounding the openings to the microstructures, such as reservoirs. The collars are protrusions extending from the surface of the devices and the internal walls of the collars generally aligned with the internal walls of the microstructure. Conformable and/or adhesive lids are employed for sealing the microstructures.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Samuel Benjamin Schaevitz