Patent ID: 8114551

Claim:
A structured body for an anode used in fuel cells, comprising a structure formed by: macro-pores; and an electrode material, wherein the macro-pores form communicating spaces which are produced by using pore forming materials that evaporate during sintering, and wherein the electrode material includes skeleton-like or net-like connected structures of two kinds of particles being prepared by homogeneously mixing both kinds of particles with one another, with both kinds of particles having a mean diameter d 50 in the unsintered state that is less than 1 μm, wherein mean diameter d 50 means that 50% by volume of the particles have respective diameters which are less than the mean diameter, and wherein sintering connects the two kinds of particles into a first reticular system and a second reticular system respectively, wherein the first reticular system and second reticular system are cross-connected with one another, wherein the first reticular system is made of ceramic material and the second reticular system contains metals to bring about an electrical conductivity, wherein the electrode material has the properties so that, with a multiple change between oxidizing and reducing conditions, substantially no major property changes occur in the ceramic reticular system, and wherein the metals occurs in the second reticular system, and the first and second reticular systems together form a compact structure which contains micro-pores in the oxidized state of the anode whose proportion by volume is less than approximately 20% with respect to the electrode material, wherein the micro-pores have diameters less than 1 μm, and wherein during the reduction of the metals, further micro-pores are formed and wherein upon repeated oxidization of the metals, the further micro-pores disappear, and wherein the proportion by volume of the ceramic reticular system with respect to the electrode material is at least approximately 30%, and wherein the proportion by volume of the second reticular system, containing metals, is larger than that of the first reticular system by at least a factor of 1.5.