A method of making a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) includes forming a first sublayer of a first electrode on a first side of a planar solid oxide electrolyte and drying the first sublayer of the first electrode. The method also includes forming a second sublayer of the first electrode on the dried first sublayer of the first electrode prior to firing the first sublayer of the first electrode, firing the first and second sublayers of the first electrode during the same first firing step, and forming a second electrode on a second side of the solid oxide electrolyte.

An illustrative example method of making a fuel cell component includes mixing a catalyst material with a hydrophobic binder in a solvent to establish a liquid mixture having at least some coagulation of the catalyst material and the hydrophobic binder. The liquid mixture is applied to at least one side of a porous gas diffusion layer. At least some of the solvent of the applied liquid mixture is removed from the porous gas diffusion layer. The catalyst material remaining on the porous gas diffusion layer is dried under pressure.

Disclosed is a process for the manufacture of a catalyst-coated membrane-seal assembly, including: (i) providing a carrier material; (ii-i) forming a first layer, the first layer being formed by: (a) depositing a first catalyst component onto the carrier material such that the first catalyst component is deposited in discrete regions; (b) drying the first layer; (ii-ii) forming a second layer, the second layer being formed by: (a) depositing a first seal component, such that the first seal component provides a picture frame pattern having a continuous region and void regions, the continuous region including second seal component and the void regions being free from second seal component; (b) depositing a first ionomer component onto the first layer, such that the first ionomer component is deposited in discrete regions; and (c) drying the second layer.

The invention relates to a method for determining a spatial distribution (Wc.sub.x,y.sup.i) of a parameter of interest (Wc) representative of a catalytic activity of an active layer of at least one electrode of an electrochemical cell, comprising steps in which a spatial distribution (Wc.sub.x,y.sup.i) of the parameter of interest (Wc) is determined depending on the spatial distribution (Q.sub.x,y.sup.e) of a second thermal quantity (Q.sup.e) estimated beforehand from the spatial distribution (T.sub.x,y.sup.c) of a set-point temperature (T.sup.c) and from the spatial distribution (D.sub.x,y.sup.r) of a first thermal quantity (D.sup.r).

According to at least one aspect of the present invention, a fuel cell electrode assembly is provided. In one embodiment, the fuel cell electrode assembly includes a substrate and a plurality of catalyst regions supported on the substrate to provide a passage way formed between the catalyst regions for passing fuel cell reactants, at least a portion of the plurality of catalyst regions including a number of atomic layers of catalyst metals. In certain instances, the number of atomic layers of catalyst metals is greater than zero and less than 300. In certain other instances, the number of atomic layers of catalyst metals is between 1 and 100. In yet certain other instances, the number of atomic layers of catalyst metals is between 1 and 20.

A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) includes an ionically-conductive proton exchange membrane, an anode contacting a first side of the membrane and a cathode contacting a second side of the membrane and including third catalyst particles and a cathode GDL. The anode includes an anode gas diffusion layer (GDL), a first anode catalyst layer containing first catalyst particles, a hydrophobic polymer bonding agent, and a first ionomer bonding agent that lacks functional chains on a molecular backbone, and a second anode catalyst layer containing second catalyst particles and a second ionomer bonding agent that includes functional chains on a molecular backbone.

An electrochemical cell is disclosed having a porous metal support, at least one layer of a first electrode on the porous metal support, a first electron-blocking electrolyte layer of rare earth doped zirconia on the at least one layer of the first electrode, and a second bulk electrolyte layer of rare earth doped ceria on the first electron-blocking electrolyte layer. The first electron-blocking electrolyte layer of rare earth doped zirconia may have a thickness of 0.5 m or greater, and the second bulk electrolyte layer of rare earth doped ceria may have a thickness of 4 m or greater.

A fuel electrode and systems containing the electrode are disclosed. A fuel electrode for use in a solid oxide electrochemical apparatus includes an electron conductor and an oxygen ion conductor. The electron conductor includes Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), and Magnesium oxide (MgO). The oxygen ion conductor includes doped Ceria. The fuel electrode includes a cermet current collector that also includes Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Magnesium oxide (MgO), and doped ceria. The current collector also includes metal that is less prone to oxidization, such as certain precious metals. A solid oxide electrochemical cell includes the fuel electrode, an oxygen electrode, and a power supply in operable communication with both electrodes. A method of operating the solid oxide electrochemical cell as either a solid oxide electrolysis cell or a solid oxide fuel cell includes reducing the fuel electrode, if it becomes oxidized, without having to dismantle or replace the fuel electrode.