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:
Dec. 02, 2008
Filed:
Nov. 24, 2003
Raj B. Apte, Palo Alto, CA (US);
David G. Duff, Woodside, CA (US);
Christian G. Van DE Walle, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Jeng Ping LU, Mountain View, CA (US);
Alberto Salleo, San Francisco, CA (US);
Stephen D. White, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Raj B. Apte, Palo Alto, CA (US);
David G. Duff, Woodside, CA (US);
Christian G. Van de Walle, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Jeng Ping Lu, Mountain View, CA (US);
Alberto Salleo, San Francisco, CA (US);
Stephen D. White, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
An improved fuel cell is described. The invention addresses the problem of mechanical failure in thin electrolytes. One embodiment varies the thickness of the electrolyte and positions at least either the anode or cathode in the recessed region to provide a short travel distance for ions traveling from the anode to the cathode or from the cathode to the anode. A second embodiment uses a uniquely shaped manifold cover to allow close positioning of the anode to the cathode. Using the described structures results in a substantial improvement in fuel cell reliability and performance.