Electrode for fuel cells

Claim 1

IN A FUEL CELL HAVING A POROUS FUEL ELECTRODE SPACED FROM AN OXYGEN ELECTRODE AND AN AQUEOUS ACIDIC ELECTROLYTE WITH WHICH THE ELECTRODES MAKE CONTACT, AND WHEREIN A REFORMABLE FUEL IS EMPLOYED WHICH HAS AT LEAST ONE CARBON-CONTAINING BOND SELECTED FROM CARBON-TO-CARBON AND CARBON-TO-HYDROGEN BONDS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID POROUS FUEL ELECTRODE COMPRISES 51 TO 98% OF AN ELECTRONCONDUCTING MATERIAL, 0.01 TO 25% OF AN ELECTROCHEMICAL CATALYST, AND 0.1 TO 20% A CRYSTALLINE ALUMINOSILICATE MOLECULAR SIEVE, WEIGHT BASIS, SAID CATALYST BEING IN PARTICULATE FORM AND MAKING CONTACT WITH SAID ELECTRON-CONDUCTING MATERIAL, SAID MOLECULAR SIEVE BEING MADE UP OF PARTICLES HAVING A DIAMETER RANGING FROM BELOW 1 MICRON UP TO 50 MICRONS AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY IN CONTACT WITH SAID CATALYST, SAID SIEVE HAVING A SILICON-ALUMINUM RATIO IN THE RANGE OF 3:1 TO 90:1 BY VIRTUE OF WHICH IT IS STABLE AGAINST BREAKDOWN BY ACID ATTACK DURING CONTINUOUS CONTACT WITH SAID ACIDIC ELECTROLYTE AND WHILE ELECTRIC CURRENT IS FLOWING THROUGH THE LATTER, SAID SIEVE BEING AT LEAST PARTIALLY CONVERTIBLE TO A STABLE ACID FORM THEREOF DURING SAID CONTACT, SAID SIEVE HAVING PORES TO RECEIVE MOLECULES OF SAID REFORMABLE FUEL AND BEING ACTIVE TO CATALYST BONDBREAKING REACTIONS OF SAID FUEL TO FORM ELECTROCHEMICALLY REACTIVE PRODUCTS, SAID CATALYST BEING ACTIVE TO CATALYZE THE ELECTROCHEMICAL CONVERSION OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID PRODUCTS TO PRODUCE ELECTRONS, SAID ELECTRON-CONDUCTING MATERIAL CONDUCTING SAID ELECTRONS TO A DRAW-OFF TERMINAL OF SAID FUEL CELL, AND SAID ELECTRODE COMPRISING A SHAPED STRUCTURE HAVING A THICKNESS OF ABOUT 1/32 TO ABOUT 1/4 INCH AND PORES OF A DIAMETER IN THE RANGE OF 0.05 TO 50 MICRONS.