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US 7,597,991 B2Granted
Flex based fuel cell
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorAlfred I-Tsung Pan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel cell uses porous metal layers attached on a flex substrate for delivery of liquid fuel to the active catalytic areas on the anodic side. The flex substrate may form an enclosed package such that the liquid fuel can be contained in the enclosed volume and the air can freely exchange with the cathode side of the fuel cell without the need of microchannels and plumbing for mass transporting both fuel and oxygen to the active catalytic area. The porous metal provides a large surface are for the catalytic reaction to occur.
Claims8
A flex-based fuel cell, comprising:
- a first flexible circuit;
- comprising:
- a first flexible substrate, and
- a porous layer, wherein the porous layer comprises a plurality of pores oriented to distribute fuel to a catalyst using a capillary action;
- and
- a second flexible circuit adjacent the first flexible substrate circuit, wherein the first and the second flexible circuits are conformable to a substantially non-planar shape, and
- wherein the first and the second flexible circuits form a channel between the first and second flexible circuits containing deionized water.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.