Fuel cell

Claim 1

AN ELECTRICITY-PRODUCING APPARATUS COMPRISING A CONTAINER, UNOBSTRUCTED ANODE AND CATHODE COMPARTMENTS PROVIDED WITHIN SAID CONTAINER, A GAS-IMPERVIOUS ION EXCHANGE MEMBRANE DISPOSED WITH THE CONTAINER IN SUCH FASHION AS TO PROVIDE A GAS-IMPERVIOUS SEPARATION BETWEEN THE ANODE AND CATHODE COMPARTMENTS, A SUBSTANTIALLY ELECTRICALLY NON-CONDUCTIVE POROUS MEMBER DISPOSED IN THE ANODE COMPARTMENT ON ONE SIDE OF THE ION EXCHANGE MEMBRANE, ANOTHER SUBSTANTIALLY ELECTRICALLY NON-CONDUCTIVE POROUS MEMBER DISPOSED IN THE CATHODE COMPARTMENT ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE GAS-IMPERVIOUS MEMBRANE, THE NON-CONDUCTIVE POROUS MEMBERS BEING OF A MATERIAL FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CERAMIC, CELLULSOE AND ANIMAL SKINS, THE SURFACE OF EACH SUCH NON-CONDUCTIVE POROUS MEMBER FARTHEST REMOVED FROM THE ION EXCHANGE MEMBRANE HAVING DEPOSITED THEREON A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THIN COATING OF POWDERED ACTIVATED CARBON-SUPPORTED PRECIOUS METAL-CONTAINING CATALYST PARTICLES, AN ELECTROLYTE INITIALLY WETTING SAID GAS-IMPERVIOUS ION EXCHANGE MEMBRANE AND SUCH PROOUS MEMBERS AND CATALYST PARTICLES, THE POROUS MEMBERS SUBSEQUENTLY ABSORBING ELECTROLYTE FROM THE SUPPORTED CATALYST PARTICLES, FIRST ELECTRICALLY CONDCUTIVE MEANS TO PROVIDE ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH THE CATALYST COATING ON THE ANODE COMPARTMENT POROUS MEMBER, SECOND ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MEANS TO PROVIDE ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH THE CATALYST COATING ON THE CATHODE COMPARTMENT POROUS MEMBER, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING A FUEL INTO THE ANODE COMPARTMENT INTO CONTACT WITH THE CATALYST ON THE POROUS MEMBER THEREIN, AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AN OXIDIZER INTO THE CATHODE COMPARTMENT INTO CONTACT WITH THE CATALYST ON THE POROUS MEMBER THEREIN.