Appeal 2007-4240
Application 10/663,949
We find Jensen would have disclosed to one of ordinary skill in this
art that an anode fuel electrode can be formed in a manner “significantly less
expensive than EVD” by “sintering a mixture of nickel and [YSZ] onto the
electrolyte” in forming a SOFC. Jensen, e.g., col. 1, ll. 11-14, and col. 2, l.
40 to col. 3, l. 19.
We find Cable would have disclosed to one of ordinary skill in this art
tubular SOFCs but illustrates the invention with planar SOFCs. Cable col. 6,
ll. 13-22, col. 6, l. 55 to col. 7, l. 65, and Fig. 1. Electrolyte 6 can be YSZ
that has a cathode electrolyte interfacial layer 18 of substantially cathode
material applied thereto in the form of a paint or ink to form a contact zone.
Id. col. 8, ll. 11-26. The
anode electrolyte interfacial layer 19 may be applied to the
surface of the electrolyte adjacent or proximate to the anode as
a paint or ink containing, in one embodiment, substantially
anode material such as nickel or nickel oxide, to form . . . an
electrical contact zone . . . [and] may be applied by other
conventional techniques also, such as plasma deposition, spin
casting, spraying or screen printing.
Id. col. 8, ll. 26-34. The “[a]node 4 is a porous body, and may comprise a
finely divided, compressed metallic powder such as nickel or cobalt blended
with a stable oxide powder such as zirconia, ceria, yttria or doped ceria.” Id.
col. 10, ll. 18-21. There is no disclosure that “plasma deposition” includes
plasma spraying and the Examiner admits Cable “does not explicitly teach
plasma spraying the actual fuel electrode layer.” Answer 6.
A discussion of Clemmer is not necessary to our decision.
Appellants acknowledge it was known in the art to form an anode fuel
electrode by EVD of YSZ “within and surrounding nickel particles, thereby
forming a [YSZ] ‘skeleton’ within and around a matrix of nickel particles.”
6
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