The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 25, 2001
Filed:
Oct. 13, 2000
Gary Mark Crosbie, Dearborn, MI (US);
Ford Global Technologies, Inc., Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
The present invention is a method for the manufature of a membrane structure for use in electrochemical conversions. The method includes providing a first mixture at a first temperature and a second mixture at a second temperature, extruding the first mixture to form a plurality of spaced-apart supportable membranes, cooling the extruded membrane from the first temperature to a third temperature, forming sufficient bubble surfaces of the second mixture between the membranes to facilitate the support of the membranes, cooling the extruded membranes and the formed bubble surfaces to a semi-solid from the second temperature to the third temperature less than the first and second temperatures, heating the cooled extruded membranes and the cooled formed bubble surfaces from the semi-solid at the third temperature to a predetermined elevated temperature sufficient to make the extruded membranes and the formed bubble surfaces into a sintered ceramic, and sufficiently cooling the extruded membranes and the formed bubble surfaces in the sintered ceramic to cause the bubbles to support the membranes.