Patent ID: 8153318

Claim:
A method of making a multi-layer fuel cell device having internal anodes and cathodes substantially surrounded by a supporting ceramic body, comprising: forming a green stacked structure by layering a plurality of green layers of ceramic material, anode layers, cathode layers and sacrificial layers of organic material so as to provide an internal active section of intervening green layers of ceramic material separating the anode layers from the cathode layers and the sacrificial layers adjacent each of the anode and cathode layers opposite the intervening green layers of ceramic material, and a non-active section of the green layers of ceramic material substantially surrounding the active section, wherein the sacrificial layers are sized to provide internal gas passages in the active section for feeding gases to the internal anodes and cathodes, and wherein the sacrificial layers are coupled to one or more edges of the green stacked structure to couple each of the internal gas passages to an inlet and an outlet of the multi-layer fuel cell device; and heating the green stacked structure to bake out the organic material of the sacrificial layers to form the internal gas passages and to sinter together the ceramic material of the green layers in the active and non-active sections to form a multi-layer fuel cell device.