Utility Global, Inc.

A device including a metal chamber having a first internal space defined by at least one metal chamber wall; a plate in the first internal space; and a ceramic chamber having a second internal space defined by at least one ceramic chamber wall, a closed bend, and two openings, wherein the ceramic chamber is inside the metal chamber and the second internal space penetrates the plate such that the two openings and the closed bend are on opposite sides of the plate; wherein the first and second internal spaces are not in fluid communication with one another.

Herein discussed is a device comprising an anode, a cathode, an electrolyte in contact with the anode and the cathode, and an interconnect, wherein the anode and the cathode are short circuited via electronic communication through the interconnect. In an embodiment, the anode and the cathode are separated by the electrolyte and the interconnect.

Herein discussed is a method of making an electrochemical device comprising (a) infiltrating an anode precursor, a cathode precursor, and an electrolyte precursor with a dispersion to produce an infiltrated anode precursor, an infiltrated cathode precursor, and an infiltrated electrolyte precursor, wherein the dispersion comprises metal ions and nanoparticles selected from the group consisting of metallic nanoparticles, metal-oxide nanoparticles, ceramic nanoparticles, and combinations thereof; wherein the metal ions percolate each precursor, wherein the anode precursor, the cathode precursor, and the electrolyte precursor are porous, the electrolyte precursor having an average pore size that is 50% or less of an average pore size of the anode precursor and that is 50% or less of an average pore size of the cathode precursor; and (b) co-sintering the infiltrated anode precursor, the infiltrated cathode precursor, and the infiltrated electrolyte precursor such that the infiltrated anode precursor becomes a porous anode, the infiltrated cathode precursor becomes a porous cathode, and a gas tight electrolyte is formed between the porous anode and the porous cathode.

Herein discussed is a method of producing hydrogen comprising introducing a first stream comprising a fuel to an electrochemical (EC) reactor having a mixed-conducting membrane, introducing a second stream comprising water to the reactor, reducing the water in the second stream to produce hydrogen, and recycling at least portion of the produced hydrogen to the first stream, wherein the membrane comprises an electronically conducting phase and an ionically conducting phase; and wherein the first stream and the second stream do not come in contact with each other in the reactor.

A device includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrolyte between the electrodes. The first electrode and the second electrode may comprise a metallic phase that does not contain a platinum group metal when the device is in use, and where the electrolyte is solid state and is oxide ion conducting.

Herein discussed is a method of making a copper-containing electrode comprising: (a) forming a copper solution; (b) forming a ceramic substrate; (c) infiltrating the ceramic substrate with the copper solution; and (d) calcining the infiltrated substrate using electromagnetic radiation, wherein the substrate is no thicker than 50 microns. In an embodiment, the method comprises repeating (c) and (d) until copper percolates the ceramic substrate.

Herein disclosed is a method of making a fuel cell including forming an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte using an additive manufacturing machine. The electrolyte is between the anode and the cathode. Preferably, electrical current flow is perpendicular to the electrolyte in the lateral direction when the fuel cell is in use. Preferably, the method comprises making an interconnect, a barrier layer, and a catalyst layer using the additive manufacturing machine.

Herein discussed is an electrochemical reactor comprising a mixed-conducting membrane, wherein the membrane comprises an electronically conducting phase and an ionically conducting phase, wherein the reactor is capable of reforming a hydrocarbon electrochemically, wherein the electrochemical reforming reactions involve the exchange of an ion through the membrane to oxidize the hydrocarbon. Further discussed herein is a method of producing hydrogen comprising providing an electrochemical (EC) reactor having a mixed-conducting membrane, introducing a first stream comprising a hydrocarbon to the reactor, introducing a second stream comprising water to the reactor, and reducing the water in the second stream to produce hydrogen, wherein the first stream and the second stream do not come in contact with each other in the reactor, and wherein the hydrocarbon is reformed electrochemically in the EC reactor.

Herein disclosed is a method of treating a component of a fuel cell, which includes the step of exposing the component of the fuel cell to a source of electromagnetic radiation (EMR). The component comprises a first material. The EMR has a wavelength ranging from 10 to 1500 nm and the EMR has a minimum energy density of 0.1 Joule/cm2. Preferably, the treatment process has one or more of the following effects: heating, drying, curing, sintering, annealing, sealing, alloying, evaporating, restructuring, foaming. In an embodiment, the substrate is a component in a fuel cell. Such component comprises an anode, a cathode, an electrolyte, a catalyst, a barrier layer, a interconnect, a reformer, or reformer catalyst. In an embodiment, the substrate is a layer in a fuel cell or a portion of a layer in a fuel cell or a combination of layers in a fuel cell or a combination of partial layers in a fuel cell.

Herein discussed is a method of producing hydrogen comprising introducing a first stream comprising a fuel to an electrochemical (EC) reactor having a mixed-conducting membrane, introducing a second stream comprising water to the reactor, reducing the water in the second stream to produce hydrogen, and recycling at least portion of the produced hydrogen to the first stream, wherein the membrane comprises an electronically conducting phase and an ionically conducting phase; and wherein the first stream and the second stream do not come in contact with each other in the reactor.