A method of making an electrode layer for a monolithic fuel cell device, comprising:
- forming a first elongate electrode sublayer having an active cell portion lengthwise between first and second passive support portions and a first plurality of removable physical structures therein with a straight elongate length from a first end to a second end positioned in parallel in the length direction and physically spaced apart from each other in a direction transverse to the length direction, wherein the active cell portion includes an electrode material at least partially surrounding a first lengthwise portion of the first plurality of removable physical structures from the first end to a point intermediate the first and second ends, the first passive support portion includes a ceramic material surrounding a second lengthwise portion of the first plurality of removable physical structures from the point intermediate the first and second ends to the second end, and the second passive support portion includes a ceramic material adjacent to the first ends of the first plurality of removable physical structures, and
- forming a second elongate electrode sublayer having an active cell portion lengthwise between first and second passive support portions and a second plurality of removable physical structures therein with an elongate length from a first end to a second end positioned in parallel in the length direction and physically spaced apart from each other in a direction transverse to the length direction and having a curved portion at the second ends, wherein the active cell portion includes the electrode material at least partially surrounding a first lengthwise portion of the second plurality of removable physical structures from the first end to a point intermediate the first and second ends, the first passive support portion includes the ceramic material adjacent to the first ends of the second plurality of removable physical structures, and the second passive support portion includes the ceramic material surrounding a second lengthwise portion of the second plurality of removable physical structures from the point intermediate the first and second ends to adjacent the second end, and
- laminating the first and second elongate electrode sublayers together with the respective active cell portions aligned, the respective first passive support portions aligned, and the respective second passive support portions aligned to form a laminated first passive support section and a laminated second passive support section with a laminated active cell section therebetween;
- pulling the first and second plurality of removable physical structures out of the laminated first and second electrode sublayers to reveal spaced-apart input passages formed from one end of the electrode layer in the laminated first passive support section and transitioning through the laminated active cell section and spaced-apart exhaust passages formed in the laminated active cell section and transitioning into the laminated second passive support section and curving to terminate at a side before the other end of the electrode layer;
- and
- sintering the laminated first and second elongate electrode sublayers to form an active cell between first and second passive support structures with the spaced-apart input and exhaust passages embedded in and supported by the sintered ceramic material and electrode material.