CFCL said it has developed a way of taking ceramic materials which are normally electrically insulating and making them electrically conductive. With this invention small quantities of silver are absorbed into a ceramic coating during firing. CFCL claimed this had solved a problem facing other fuel cell developers wanting to use ceramic coatings on a metal structural material.
When used in a fuel cell, this invention removed the need for some external electrical conductor, such as wire, CFCL claimed. This avoided problems associated with variable expansion rates, gas contamination of materials and fragility of wiring in assembly and handling.
CFCL said the invention had potential in industries requiring inexpensive electrically conductive components that could withstand high temperatures.
The other invention was in a related field. CFCL has developed high-temperature fuel cell components made from steel able to withstand temperatures of 700 to 800°C that have a greatly increased electrical conductivity.
Heat-resistant steels normally produce an electrically insulating coating of chromium and/or aluminium oxides in order to provide the required heat resistance. But this coating is an electrical insulator.
CFCL said it had invented a technique that used a combination of a nickel-tin alloy layer and a silver-containing layer that caused the protective layer subsequently created by the steel to be electrically conductive. The advantage of this innovation was that relatively inexpensive steel alloys could be used in situations where much more expensive options were previously necessary.
CFCL has a strategy of protecting its innovative intellectual property and competitive position through lodging patents in major jurisdictions around the world, the company said.
“Our patents are valuable assets that set out our competitive advantage in this emerging energy generation field,” said executive chairman Julian Dinsdale.
“They are fundamental to our commercialisation, and to successful joint ventures and application partnerships.”
