Preparation of fuel cell electrodes with either pyrophoric catalyst material or non-pyrophoric catalyst material

Claim 1

IN THE PREPARATION OF AN ELECTRODE ADAPTED FOR USE IN A FUEL CELL, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: (A) APPLYING ON A SCREEN SUBSTRATE AN AQUEOUS CATALYST MIXTURE COMPRISING A CATALYST, WATER-REPELLENT COMPOUND, MINERAL OIL AND A DISPERSANT SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF SILICA AND ALUMINA PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO COVER SAID SUBSTRATE AFTER CALENDERING THE SAME; (B) SANDWICHING THE SO-PREPARED SUBSTRATE BETWEEN INERT PLASTIC SHEETS SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF POLYETHYLENE AND POLYETHYLENE TEREPHITHALATE HAVING AN AREA EXCEEDING THAT OF THE SUBSTRATE TO ACCOMMODATE TRANSFERRED CATALYST MIXTURE WHEN CALENDERED; (C) PASSING THE SO-SANDWICHED COMPOSITE STRUCTRURE THROUGH ROLLERS; (D) STRIPPING THE INERT SHEET FROM THE COMPOSITE; (E) REMOVING TRANSFERRED CATALYST MIXTURE FROM THE SAID SANDWICHING SHEETS IN THE AREA EXTERIOR TO THAT DEFINED BY THE SAID SUBSTRATE; (F) REAPPLYING THE TRANSFERRED CATALYST MIXTURE TO THE SCREEN SUBSTRATE; (G) SANDWICHING THE SUBSTRATE AGAIN WHEREBY THE INERT PLASTIC SHEETS ARE REPOSITIONED OVER THE SCREEN SUBSTRATE; (H) PASSING THE LATER STRUCTURE THROUGH THE ROLLERS FOR A TOTAL OF AT LEAST FOUR PASSES UNTIL THERE OCCURS RUBBERIZATION OF THE CATALYST MIXTURE AND A MINIMAL TRANSFER OF CATALYST MIXTURE TO THE SAID SANDWICHING SHEETS; (I) STRIPPING THE LATTER SANDWICHING SHEETS FROM THE SUBSTRATE CONTAINING UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED CATALYST; AND (J) ACTIVATING THE SO-PREPARED CATALYST SUBSTRATE STRUCTURE BY REMOVING INCLUDED DISPERSANT AND MINERAL OIL THEREFROM.