Process for producing tubular ceramic structures

1. A process for producing tubular ceramic structures which comprises:

a) rotating a mandrel-spindle assembly comprising a mandrel component and a spindle component, the mandrel component being a heat shrinkable polymeric tube the external surface of which corresponds to the internal surface of the tubular ceramic structure to be produced and the internal surface of which defines a bore, the spindle component being in close fitting but slidably removable contact therewith;

b) applying a ceramic-forming composition to the external surface of the mandrel component of the rotating mandrel-spindle assembly to produce a tubular ceramic structure the internal surface of which is in contact with the external surface of the mandrel component;

c) removing the spindle component from the bore of the mandrel component to provide a mandrel-tubular ceramic structure assembly in which the interior surface of the tubular ceramic structure remains in contact with the external surface of the mandrel component; and,

d) heat shrinking the mandrel component of the mandrel-tubular ceramic structure assembly to cause the mandrel component to undergo shrinkage to a reduced size in which the external surface of the mandrel component separates from the interior surface of the tubular ceramic structure facilitating removal of the mandrel component therefrom,

wherein the ceramic-forming composition is applied to the external surface of the mandrel component by spraying.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the mandrel component is fabricated from shape memory polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, block copolymer of polyethylene terephthalate, block copolymer of polystyrene and poly(1,4-butadiene), and blends and alloys thereof.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the ceramic-forming composition is an anode-forming composition for producing the tubular anode component of a tubular solid oxide fuel cell.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the ceramic-forming composition is applied to the external surface of the mandrel component by ultrasonic spraying.

5. The process of claim 3 wherein the anode-forming composition is applied to the external surface of the mandrel component by ultrasonic spraying.

6. The process of claim 3 wherein the anode-forming composition comprises:

(i) a particulate ceramic;

(ii) a source of particulate metal;

(iii) a slurry-forming liquid;

(iv) a dispersant;

(v) where the dispersant does not function as a binder, a binder and/or binder-forming material(s); and, optionally,

(vi) one or more additives selected from the group consisting of plasticizers, surfactants, foaming agents, defoaming agents, and wetting agents.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein:

(i) the particulate ceramic comprises is at least one member selected from the group consisting of yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, cerium oxide, lanthanum oxide, gallium oxide, strontium oxide, magnesium oxide, scandium oxide, samarium oxide, praseodymium oxide, and mixtures thereof;

(ii) the source of particulate metal comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of nickel, copper, silver, platinum, ruthenium, palladium, compounds, and oxides thereof;

(iii) the slurry-forming liquid comprises least one member selected from the group consisting of water, an organic solvent and mixtures thereof;

(iv) the dispersant comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a polymer electrolyte, an organic acid, a copolymer of butadiene, isobutylene and/or styrene with maleic anhydride, a phthalate ester, and mixtures thereof; and,

(v) the binder, when present, comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a gellable or swellable polymer, a crosslinked polymeric binder-forming mixture providing crosslinked binder in situ, and mixtures thereof.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the ceramic-forming composition possesses a viscosity of from 1 to 500,000 cP at 20° C.

9. The process of claim 5 wherein the anode-forming composition possesses a viscosity of from 1 to 100 cP at 20° C.

10. The process of claim 7 wherein the anode-forming composition is applied to the external surface of the mandrel by ultrasonic spraying.

11. The process of claim 1 wherein the formulation of the ceramic-forming composition is changed or modified during the applying step.

12. The process of claim 5 wherein the formulation of the anode-forming composition is changed or modified during the applying step.

13. The process of claim 12 wherein the anode-forming composition is changed or modified during the applying step for a selected section of the tubular anode component.

14. The process of claim 1 wherein the external surface of the spindle component possesses an anti-friction cladding or lubricious coating to facilitate removal of the spindle component from the mandrel-spindle assembly.

15. The process of claim 1 wherein the tubular ceramic structure possesses one of the following sets of dimensions:

Set of

Outside

Wall

Dimensions

Length (mm)

Diameter (mm)

Thickness (mm)

A

20 to 1000

1 to 50

0.100 to 5

B

50 to 500 

2 to 30

0.200 to 3

C

100 to 250 

5 to 20

 0.25 to 2

16. The process of claim 1 further comprising:

after applying the ceramic-forming composition, applying a second and different ceramic-forming composition to an external surface of the rotating tubular ceramic structure.

17. The process of claim 1 wherein the ceramic-forming composition is applied to the external surface of the mandrel component as a slurry of particulates.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein the ceramic-forming composition comprises:

(i) a particulate ceramic;

(ii) a source of particulate metal;

(iii) a slurry-forming liquid;

(iv) a dispersant;

(v) where dispersant (iv) does not function as a binder, a binder and/or binder-forming material(s); and, optionally,

(vi) one or more additives selected from the group consisting of plasticizers, surfactants, foaming agents, defoaming agents, and wetting agents.

19. The process of claim 17 wherein the ceramic-forming composition is applied to the external surface of the mandrel component by ultrasonic spraying.