Bipolar plating of metal contacts onto oxide interconnection for solid oxide electrochemical cell

Claim 1

A method of forming an adherent metal deposit on an exposed surface of an electrically-conducting ceramic comprising: (A) placing an aqueous solution containing ions of said metal in contact with said surface; (B) placing an ionically conducting aqueous fluid in contact with an opposing surface of said ceramic; and (C) passing a direct current from a cathode in electrical contact with said aqueous fluid to an anode in electrical contact with said aqueous solution, with no electronic contact to said deposit or to said surface, whereby said ions are electrochemically deposited on said surface.

Claim 2

A method of forming an adherent metal deposit on an exposed surface of an electrically-conducting ceramic comprising: (A) placing an aqueous solution containing ions of said metal in contact with said surface; (B) placing an ionically conducting aqueous fluid in contact with an opposing surface of said ceramic; and (C) passing a direct current from a cathode in electrical contact with said aqueous fluid to an anode in electrical contact with said aqueous solution, with no electronic contact to said deposit or to said surface, whereby said ions are electrochemically deposited on said surface.

Claim 12

A method of depositing a metal coating on the electronically conductive interconnection of a fuel cell tube sealed at one end, where said fuel cell tube consists of an inner porous ceramic support tube, a porous air electrode covering said support tube, a non-porous insulating ceramic electrolyte covering part of said air electrode, an interconnection covering another part of said air electrode, and a fuel electrode covering said electrolyte that is an insulator at the temperature that said metal is deposited, comprising: (A) immersing the sealed end of said fuel cell tube into an aqueous solution of a compound dissociated into cations of the metal to be deposited and anions that decomposes to form gases when heated up to 1000° C.; (B) placing inside said tube an ionically conducting aqueous solution of a compound that decomposes to form gases when heated up to 1000° C.; and (C) passing a direct current from a cathode inside said tube to an anode outside said tube, with no electronic contact to said coating or to said interconnection, whereby said cations are electrochemically deposited on said interconnection.

Claim 13

A method of depositing a metal coating on the electronically conductive interconnection of a fuel cell tube sealed at one end, where said fuel cell tube consists of an inner porous ceramic support tube, a porous air electrode covering said support tube, a non-porous insulating ceramic electrolyte covering part of said air electrode, an interconnection covering another part of said air electrode, and a fuel electrode covering said electrolyte that is an insulator at the temperature that said metal is deposited, comprising: (A) immersing the sealed end of said fuel cell tube into an aqueous solution of a compound dissociated into cations of the metal to be deposited and anions that decomposes to form gases when heated up to 1000° C.; (B) placing inside said tube an ionically conducting aqueous solution of a compound that decomposes to form gases when heated up to 1000° C.; and (C) passing a direct current from a cathode inside said tube to an anode outside said tube, with no electronic contact to said coating or to said interconnection, whereby said cations are electrochemically deposited on said interconnection.