Catalytic electrodes and fuel cells therewith

Claim 1

A MECHANICALLY STABLE, SHAPED ELECTRODE BODY FOR LOW TEMPERATURE FUEL CELLS COMPRISING: (A) A POROUS ENVELOPE OF SINTERED CATALYTICALLY INACTIVE METAL ENVELOPING A POROUS, NON-SINTERABLE CATALYST CORE, (B) SAID ENVELOPE HAVING SIDE WALLS, A FIRST END WALL AND A SECOND END WALL, SAID SIDE AND END WALLS TOGETHER ENCLOSING A RECESS IN WHICH SAID CATALYST CORE IS DISPOSED, (C) SAID FIRST END WALL AND SAID SIDE WALLS HAVING A SMALLER AVERAGE PORE DIAMETER THAN SAID SECOND END WALL AND OF ANY OF THE CATALYST IN SAID CATALYST CORE, (D) SAID CATALYST CORE CONSISTING OF A MULTIPLICITY OF AT LEAST THREE LAYERS OF CATALYST, EACH LAYER LYING IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE END WALLS. (E) THE FIRST OF SAID LAYERS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID FIRST END WALL AND HAVING AN AVERAGE PORE DIAMETER SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER THAN THAT OF SAID END WALL, (F) THE SECOND OF SAID LAYERS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID FIRST LAYER AND HAVING AN AVERAGE PORE DIAMETER SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER THAN THAT OF SAID FIRST LAYER, (G) THE THIRD OF SAID LAYERS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID SECOND LAYER AND HAVING AN AVERAGE PORE DIAMETER SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER THAN THAT OF SAID SECOND LAYER, (H) THE LAST OF SAID MULTIPLICITY OF LAYERS HAVING ONE SURFACE ADJACENT THE LAST PRECEDING LAYER AND THE OTHER SURFACE ADJACENT SAID SECOND END WALL AND HAVING A PORE DIAMETER SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER THAN THAT OF ANY PRECEDING LAYER, AND SMALLER THAN THAT OF SAID SECOND END WALL, AND (I) THE PORE DIAMETERS OF SAID FIRST END WALL AND OF SAID MULTIPLICITY OF LAYERS FORMING A GRADATION OF SIZES FROM SMALL TO LARGE BEGINNING WITH SAID FIRST END WALL, WITH THE PORE DIAMETER OF THE SECOND END WALL GREATER THAN THAT OF THE FIRST END WALL AND ANY LAYER OF CATALYST.