Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 8 recites the limitation "the metal-deposited CNT" in the 11th line of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 is currently rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, but would be allowable if rewritten to correct those issues.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: it is not known in the prior art to manufacture a water-electrolysis catalyst electrode including a metal-CNT nanocomposite, comprising preparing the metal-CNT nanocomposite by generating a plasma jet by injecting plasma forming gas into a triple torch-type plasma jet device and applying input power, depositing vaporized metal on CNT by feeding the metal and the CNT to the plasma jet respectively, using carrier gas and recovering the metal-CNT nanocomposite by cooling the metal-deposited CNT and coating the water-electrolysis catalyst electrode with the metal-CNT nanocomposite, wherein the coating the water-electrolysis catalyst electrode with the metal-CNT nanocomposite comprises manufacturing a catalyst ink that includes the metal-CNT nanocomposite and coating the electrode with the catalyst wherein the manufacturing the catalyst ink comprises preparing a mixture by combining the metal-CNT nanocomposite, propanol, deionized water, and perfluorosulfonic acid polymer and ultrasonically treating the mixture for 50 to 70 minutes as in claim 8.
The most pertinent prior art (previously cited as Kang et al.) teaches that is known to form Cu-CNT composite materials by plasma spraying copper and CNTs together to form a composite material. However, Kang fails to teach further combining the material with any solvents or perfluorosulfonic acid polymer to form a catalytic ink. Kang does not generally manufacture the composition for the purposes of forming catalyst materials but more preferably forms metals with altered electrical properties.
Another prior art (Gollob et al., USPGPub 2006/0213326) teaches that it is known to use triple torch type plasma generation mechanisms for the plasma spraying of materials including nanotubes but is otherwise largely unrelated to the problems solved by the current application.
Another prior art (previously cited as Cozzarini et al.,) teaches that it is known to form catalytic electrodes for water-electrolysis using CNTs having metals evaporated thereon. However, the prior art fails to teach combining the CNTs having metal evaporated thereon with perfluorosulfonic acid and a solvent. The electrodes of Cozzarini are seemingly entirely metal composite with a section of the substrates masked with a polymer that is not combined with metal/CNTs.
Another prior art (cited herein as Hong et al., cited in the ISR of PCT/KR2022/015246 and by at least one of the same inventors as the current application) teaches that it is known to form metal-CNT nanocomposites generally reading upon those claimed. However, the prior art fails to teach further forming water electrolysis electrodes through the use of perfluorosulfonic acid polymer or the steps associated therewith.
Conclusion
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/ANDREW J BOWMAN/Examiner, Art Unit 1717
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